Week 10 - Analysis

In the Weight of the World, edited by Pierre Bourdieu, a closer look at some of the sociological issues faced by common and marginalized citizens (in France) is described. Issues including education, housing, the family, and others are investigated by a team of sociologists. In a particularly poignant article about housing projects that are the homes of several marginalized communities, issues of race, class, patriotism, nurture, and other things are discussed. The populations of marginalized people cannot relate to each other.

Each population has unvoiced cares and gripes about the municipal government. They all feel like life has been unfair but they do not understand each other and do not understand the ways in which the other handles the cares of life. It was interesting to note that while all the populations of people faced some of the same issues, they each had vastly different ideas of how to react to their situations.

All people, regardless of their backgrounds, education, training, or opportunities will react to tough situations in different ways. Some will continue to live within the laws and mores of society, silently without visible signs of unhappiness or protest while others choose a more active kind of protest, acting out in violence or breaking laws. Although the latter expresses the dissatisfaction with current circumstances where the former does not, the latter does not present arguments for reform or future change.

More often than not, the use of violence or breaking laws does not encourage a positive look at those who are under oppressive conditions but rather strengthens stereotypes about them. Statements like ‘they do not deserve…’ result from behavior that scares and threatens others. Others, especially those outside oppressive conditions, will not seek to understand when chaotic and unruly behavior characterizes those who do not want to live under those conditions. Negative stereotypes are reinforced and others do not question those stereotypes when they are presented with these kinds of archetypes.

What then is the way for oppressed people to respond to circumstances that are unfair or seemingly unfair? Recent history has only produced one powerful example of what people can do to effect change under oppressive conditions—and that was a large number of people for a sustained amount of time: the civil rights movement in the United States. Only with a non-violent, mass protest…and lots of bloodshed was this movement taken seriously by those who were not oppressed. Can any other way work? A violent overthrow, like the French Revolution, did eventually bring lasting change but also brought about a much more turbulent situation than existed before, some may argue.

No matter what, transformation is always difficult to bring about.

Week 9 - Analysis

Inventing Popular Culture by John Storey treated the concept of popular culture from a historical perspective and traced its origins back to a desire by the middle class to idealize the past and condemn the present (Storey 2003:10). Storey also highlighted the correlation between creating a popular and high culture with economic inequality. He did not say that economic inequality was a direct result of high culture but rather quoted philosopher Pierre Bourdieu who suggested that “the making, marking, and maintaining of social difference, help[ed] to secure and legitimate forms of power and domination which are rooted in economic inequality” (Storey 2003: 43). These concepts are important to our understanding of how the poor and marginalized are oppressed and remain oppressed.

Trafficked peoples are part of this stigma. They generally are economically hard-pressed and are trafficked either because they are easy to prey upon by others or seek a new start somewhere that they perceive is better. They are people who have been kept underfoot by society’s desire to maintain social difference. This occurs all over the world…not just in the west and is not necessarily perpetuated by western influence.

It is not unusual for people in many nations to experience this kind of social categorization, even among some prior to industrialization. History records many examples of this kind of social and economic class structure. This is not a new phenomenon.

Storey cautions those who would too quickly say that globalization is really the Americanization of other nations. That implies that it is a one-way influence and that those who are influenced do not interact with the ideas with which they are presented. Both of these assumptions are false. First of all, America itself is the product of many different influences from other nations and is constantly changing. Secondly, other nations do receive a lot of American products and marketing but also mix it with their own culture. It is a two-way, not a one-way street.

So given the fact that this kind of stratification occurs everywhere and it is not necessarily the ideals of one nation over another, it must be dealt with in each nation’s context. Of course the challenge in a world with increasingly blurred boundaries, who decides how to deal with these issues and how are those plans adaptable for future years?

Week 8 - Analysis

The concept of uneven globalization was discussed in Pieterse’s book Globalization and Culture. By uneven globalization, the author refers to the exclusion of the majority of the earth’s population in economic gain (Pieterse 2003:30). This phenomenon includes many of the world’s “developing” nations and even those who are marginalized in the world’s “developed” nations. While a relatively elite few enjoy the benefits of globalization like technology and information availability, most of the world does not have access to these kinds of services—putting them at a disadvantage to those who do.

This idea is nothing new. Many are aware of the disparate opportunities that those in wealthy nations have over those in not-so-wealthy nations. But what this means for globalization is that those nations that enjoy wealth have a responsibility to nations that do not have wealth. Why? Wealthy nations must respond because in the long run, it will impact their own trade and business. This will occur partly because the “developing” nations will not have healthy economies to contribute to the global markets. They will also not be able to sustain competitive skills in the global marketplace which will create even more of a divide between those nations that can and cannot compete.

This creates an ethos in the “developing” nation of inferiority. And if those who live in the developing nation are inundated with the marketing from wealthier nations, a sense of desire for a myth is created (Pieterse 2003:31). An unrealistic understanding of what the wealthier nation has to offer is also created. Once this idea is prevalent, people from other nations will have a skewed view of the wealthy nation and want to go there, leaving their own nation.

Of course, this is a reductionist line of reasoning. In reality it is not this simple or linear. There are many factors that play into a nation’s wealth. But in a world where economics is part of almost every facet of a nation and the health of the entire globe, it seems too important a piece in the puzzle not to emphasize.

Those in other nations get a picture of what it’s like in the U.S. and since their nation is unable to provide them with the opportunities that are seemingly in the U.S., many choose to migrate. Migration also impacts global economies because they even the endeavors of a small ethnic group in a particular country have lasting impacts on the nation they send money to or live in.

Currency and the economic health of a nation can be influenced by the capital, both foreign and domestic, that is flowing in and out of that nation.

Week 7 - Analysis

As the situations of international markets have helped create the system of supply and demand that run almost every area of trade in the world, it has also impacted the industry of human trafficking. Some countries that do not have the same kinds of return on investment in global markets as their larger more economically sound counterparts do, have decided to depend on trafficking to build their economies. Not to say they have engaged in trafficking for the purpose of increasing wealth, but trafficking has often not been prevented because it does bring in capital.

In global competition, often those with a lot of capital to begin with have been able to compete. But what about those who do not begin with a large base of capital? It is difficult to say what all the implications of the global economic system are on trafficking. But looking at the local level, we can examine how the consumer culture of Los Angeles (which is a natural outgrowth of supply and demand) impacts the lives of those trafficked to the U.S.

Some trafficked persons choose to be trafficked because they believe that America affords more opportunity, which in some cases it does. This is a testament to American marketing; people all over the globe will do whatever it takes to come to the U.S.

Other persons trafficked into the U.S. are trafficked against their will, either being deceived or physically being taken without their consent. Economically and socially, they exist below the radar. They are not given the chance to make a life for themselves because they are often seen as property or are paying off exorbitant amounts of debt at a small wage.

These victims of trafficking are in great number in the United States and more specifically in Los Angeles. But one of the things that makes it difficult to find them is that the network bringing them into the U.S. is well hidden. Once here, it is virtually impossible to find them because they are illegally housed and paid (if they receive a wage). They often do not receive medical attention and since most do not speak English, have no way of telling anyone what has happened to them.

One way Christ-followers can impact lives is to be wise with the businesses and services we support. Nail salons, hair salons, markets, and other small businesses are places where many trafficked persons are exploited. Christ-followers can open their eyes and become aware of the situation. Spending time documenting what is happening in a particular place and befriending the “victim” are good ways to find out what is really going on. Wisdom is definitely needed because the “victim” could become endangered by overt acts. So it is better to use care when trying to assess a situation.

Then seeking ways to ensure the safety of the person trafficked when alerting local authorities is also necessary. Christ-followers should also take into account that corruption exists in the U.S. and not blindly trust everything that we are told. These may sound like extreme steps but even if befriending a victim of trafficking is all we can do, it will still serve to let the person feel like they have hope.

Week 6 - Analysis

On the macro level of human trafficking are international issues of human rights. What are the rights to which all people are entitled? And if they are entitled to safety and the freedom to choose what they consider a better life, even if that means disobeying the laws of their country or other countries, is that permissible? Who makes those decisions? And why are they not always upheld?

Cosmopolitan law, according to Held, McGrew, Goldblatt and Perraton, refers to the law that transcends the territorial or governmental structure of autonomous nation-states. Laws that pertain to human rights are generally considered cosmopolitan and are almost universally agreed upon as important or irrevocable.

What makes them difficult is that they do transcend particular power structures. Yes, in a globalized world, they should be easy to identify and uphold. However, as Held et al. describe in their book Global Transformations, globalization is a process or set of processes but in reality it does not refer to one specific construct or idea. The contemporary reality is in fact far from the theoretical concept of globalization.

If this is the case, it explains why it is difficult to identify these cosmopolitan laws and uphold them. There is no power structure in place, other than the UN and internationally-agreed upon treaties that helps identify these laws. And even in those cases, they are a composite of what many agree upon, not all.

At the same time, it is difficult to uphold and enforce these laws in a world where militarization has been the answer to international conflict for a century. In today’s world military force is expected to uphold the laws and rights of people and nations. But if these laws transcend nations, then they also transcend the military powers of those nations. This often pits nation against nation in military conflict to resolve cases of violations of cosmopolitan law. This is obviously not a desirable situation for the nations involved. No nation wants others outside of itself deciding its laws and how it should be run. And no nation wants to be the “policing agent” because it must expend the most resources and face the most censure from its adversaries.

Military might also does not always fall to those who are on the side of those trying to uphold those laws. The issues become even more mirky when looking at the individual rights of those involved. Those trafficked, in general, are trafficked against their will and endure great hardships that most in the world consider a violation of their human dignity. However, those who choose to be trafficked because they are fleeing political unrest in a nation or want to find a better life for themselves choose to endure those conditions. Yes, it is true that many cannot anticipate what they will encounter but some still insist that it is their right to seek a more stable life.

If that is also the case, how then do we determine how to deal with those issues? How do we make decisions that will identify cosmopolitan laws that are universally agreed-upon and how do those ratifying them enforce those laws? The responsibility should be taken by everyone who ratifies those laws but how does that work in a world where countries are working to remain powerful sovereign nations as well as understand where we are in the globalization process(es) and what that means in terms of international responsibility.

Many have proposed that only partnership between nations, organizations, and communities will bring us closer to the solution for human trafficking but that is extremely difficult given the unsure state of international relations and how nations should work.

Week 5 - Analysis

This week I tried to search for examples of those who are dealing with corruption well in combating human trafficking. It was difficult to do that without falling back on the organization I mentioned last week, International Justice Mission. They are the only ones I found who work to combat corruption in a positive way, meaning they present the corrupt official with an opportunity to make things right and then help that person get the credit for acting with integrity.

Many of the cases that I looked at this week did not have good methods—or any methods at all—to handle the corruption that is part of human trafficking. Most of the nations have laws that target the trafficked person and the trafficker (if they can be caught) and no provision for those corrupt individuals that are complicit in the crime. The nations that have handled situations with corrupt officials, have done so on a case-by-case basis. It would be more powerful for governments to take a stand on punishing corruption but that would probably become uncomfortably close to home for many lawmakers.

While most people would agree that trafficking is a scourge, there is still the question of those who desire to be trafficked, like trying to get out of a nation where it is unsafe and seems impossible to have a good future. What does trafficking mean to those who would willingly do whatever it takes to get out of their nation? And since most governments have laws that punish the trafficked person rather than anyone else, does this really help the situation? If someone is fleeing persecution, their life is in danger, or they want a future that is impossible in their nation shouldn’t we try to help their government? But how can we when no nation wants other nations to get involved in their system of government? All these questions are things that Christ-followers must recognize and think about addressing.

Many people would say that trafficking in such situations is acceptable but what does that mean for trying to prevent trafficking from continuing? Do Christ-followers support this practice or should they support helping people within their context? It is difficult to take a position without opening ourselves up for criticism. So we have to carefully consider the situation and decide how we can help. No matter what stand we take, someone will disagree with the stand, the measures to enforce it, and the ideals behind it.

Although it may step on toes, maybe we should try to do that. To weigh in on the difficult issues surrounding trafficking when the “victim” chooses to be trafficked and what Christ-followers can and should do.

Resources - week 5

This week I tried to focus on actual nations where steps are being taken to combat trafficking. Here are some of the examples, some of which explain more in detail the specific issues in the nation and what initiatives are being implemented. None of these really had much on how governments are dealing with corruption--only that they recognize it is a factor in the problem.

This report on trafficking in Nigeria is a snapshot of what is going on there and how corruption is involved.

A report about traffcking in Bosnia Herzegovina that contains details of the scope of the problem.

A report on some ways to target corruption in Cambodia.

Here is a section of the TIP report that details the situation on the African continent.

Report on trafficking in Bulgaria.

Report on the Bangladesh situation.

Article on trafficking in Caribbean nations--including my own nation of Guyana.

Here's a press release on the impact of corruption on the trafficking industry.

An article on US-Russia partnership against trafficking.

Site detailing the stand the government is taking regarding the situation in Belarus.