EVENT: Lecture by Thomas Hylland Eriksen

Europe and its Racisms series: 2003 program Wednesday 22 October at 6.00 pm Geography Lecture Theatre 1, UWA

Thomas Hylland Eriksen (University of Oslo) 'Racism, ethnicity and evolutionary theory'

Abstract The Scandinavian countries have for many years been perceived as culturally homogeneous, in spite of the fact that they all have old ethnic minorities, including Saami, Gypsies and Greenlandic Inuits, whose relationship to the majority and the state has been complex and sometimes tragic. In the second half of the 20th century, moreover, immigration from non-European countries has transformed the social structure of Scandinavian cities. Questions relating to immigration and minority issues have thus become prominent features of public debate. The lecture, concentrating on the present, will compare the situation of the "old" minorities with that of the "new", unpacking the complex relationship between race, culture and ethnicity in the current debates about integration and cultural rights.

Thomas Hylland Eriksen is Professor of Social Anthropology at the University of Oslo. He has published widely in English and Norwegian on globalisation, ethnicity, nationalism and a number of other topics, including Darwinism, the history of anthropology and information technology. He has won several awards for his writings, and his work has been translated into more than fifteen languages.

The lecture is free and all are welcome. For more information please contact the Institute of Advanced Studies on 9380 1340