Racisme et éducation

Racism is hatred of the other person simply because he or she is “other”. Although the very concept of a human “race” is illusory, racism itself is cruelly real. There are no “races” in humankind that can be defined in terms of a set of common hereditary physical characteristics; all that exists is ethnic groups which share a common language, culture, mores and religion. Ethnocentrism is a universal attitude that paves the way for racism. The criteria used by Hitler, which were claimed to be “racial”, were directed in fact against ethnic communities. The first level of any combat against racism has to take on cultural ethnocentrism: to overcome religious imperialism, secularism has to be the rule, i.e. the freedom to choose whatever religion one wishes, including none at all; multilingualism should be developed in order to free people from the limitations of their mother tongue; and acculturation of migrants must be encouraged. The second level at which that combat must be carried on has to do with nurturing (bringing up and educating children). Here, the anti-racist beliefs of adults, plus the laws that criminalize racism and revisionist/negationist behaviour, have a major role to play. A greater social mix in schools will be achieved only if a political solution is found to the social and economic problems of the underprivileged and migrant sections of the community. Psychological work on projections that lead to the manufacturing of scapegoats is essential too. Diversity - which begins with showing respect towards women, and then towards every human being regardless of his or her origin, skin colour, language, beliefs or personal characteristics - is to be welcomed. That is the true sense of our work in the field of child and adolescent psychiatry.