Cultural diversity and neoliberal nationalism: an essay toward stating a problem of their connection

The article deals with those concepts of cultural and social diversity which are linked to the contradictions of the neoliberal capitalism and their expressions in the national and local politics. The article is centered around the argument about the global and national mobilization of cultural diversity. This argument is considered in the context of analysis of the connections among migration and creativity conducted, in part, by the urbanist Richard Florida. The article demonstrates that the positive, liberal connotations of the concept «cultural diversity» are being used in both political and economic purposes. Diversity is defined in the article as the coexistence of different groups within the geographical formations, i.e. countries, regions and cities. Cultural diversity is defined as, first, coexistence of bearers of different cultures in a city or in a country and, second, as the human condition which has to be defended from various threats, including the globalization with its tendency to homogenize cultures. The article is informed by the argument made by an anthropologist Arjun Appadurai who speaks about «the conscious mobilization of cultural differences in the service of a larger national or transnational politics» (Appadurai, 1996: 15). The article argues that diversity is understood today normatively, that is as something to be concerned about, to defend and to feel proud of. At the same time, diversity is accessed instrumentally, namely, as such trait of a city or a country which amplifies their functionality. Based on the theories of urban growth and urban politics as well as on the academic texts on nationalism, neoliberalism and migration, the article posits two interrelated ideas. First, while the city is justifiably thought about as the space which unites the members of multicultural societies; the links among urban and national scales of regulating of intercultural relationships have been changing today. The governmental rhetoric of hospitality and openness shouldn»t preclude us from understanding that the city is the main scale on which the principles of cultural diversity have been undermined. Second, Richard Florida and his followers» approach to cultural diversity is marked by selectivity and ignores the contradictions of urban migration. Florida argues for diversity understood as exotica, that is for the widening the scope of consumer choice for the wealthy clients. At the same time, the ethnic minorities often feel themselves helpless and their interests are seldom discussed in the urban or national public sphere. The conclusion is that the neoliberal policy of the urban governments based on the best practices promoted by the experts corresponds to the growth of neoliberal nationalism based on the propaganda of the national interests which hides the on-going realization of the economic and political interests of the elites.

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