Asymmetrical Multiculturalism: Welcome to the Fight

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - I noticed an interesting tweet from political science professor Darel Paul about a concept developed by UK academic Eric Kaufmann called “asymmetrical multiculturalism.” Basically, as Paul explains, this means, "minorities must resist assimilation and represent difference. The unspoken flip side of the coin is that the majority is to dissolve itself into universality." If you want to learn more there is a cool take on Kaufman's book, Whiteshift, by Rod Dreher in The American Conservative.

Kaufmann's asymmetric multiculturalism is on full display, Paul asserts, when we see Rep Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) say “We don’t need any more brown faces that don’t want to be a brown voice. We don’t need black faces that don’t want to be a black voice. We don’t need Muslims that don’t want to be a Muslim voice. We don’t need queers that don’t want to be a queer voice” In other words, Pressley is seeking to reign in minority members and bend them to her will in a manner that would deeply offend her is a white politician tried to do this with white voters.

Personally, I've been involved in the cause of white identity politics at least since the mid-1980s when it became clear to me that young white men were subject to racial discrimination in the academic job market.


The black graduate students in the Cornell political science department, who I easily out-performed, ended up getting the coolest schools to interview at while I was getting the dregs and missing out on climbing the ladder at a first rate research institution. This was especially annoying to me because I was busting my ass to do what in the end has been acknowledged as absolutely paradigm changing work in my field. I was the first political scientist in history to notice welfare programs for children were caused by the implementation of child labor laws.

For me, I've been shocked that any white person would ever vote for the Democrat party once they understood how affirmative action could cause such destruction to a young white person's life.

Like Pressley, I'd done my share of racial boundary building too. For much of my life, however, I have been more angry at the white mentors, white elders, and older white academic colleagues who were completely okay with sacrificing an innocent, well-meaning,  young white guy like me on the alter of affirmative action while they continued on their merry, tenured, high-paying way. I've been angry at the blue collar whites who didn't give a damn if only because affirmative action did not seem to harm them.

It took a long time, I suppose, for other whites to catch up with me. I do know that by 2012, however, that an all white electorate would have made Romney and not Obama president. I think Hillary's promotion of white privilege nonsense pretty much pushed the majority of whites into the white identity politics camp.

In Kaufman's book, white identity politics which have been a large part of my life is a healthy political movement. He believes it will stir up the pot of pluralism to create a new world where each of us is happy within our own tribe and as part of the larger nation. He thinks it is good to give whites the open opportunity to resist losing their dominance. I expect, at the very least, we will gain the power to role back the pure evil of affirmative action.

John C. Drew, Ph.D., is a former Williams College professor in American politics and political economy. He contributes to American Thinker, Breitbart, Campus Reform, The College Fix, and WorldNetDaily.