John A. Powell, professor of law at Berkeley: “the US is leading the setbacks in democracy, inclusion and pluralism in the world”

During the last months, after the agreement of the Popular Party and Vox for the investiture of Maria Guardiola In Extremadura, the term ‘national priority’ has taken over the public debate. But this idea of ​​excluding a sector of society for reasons of origin, race or religion is far from being original. In the US, the law professor and professor at the University of Berkeley, and director of the ‘Othering & Belonging Institute’, john a. powell (Detroit, 1947), has a more than extensive career exploring this idea under the term ‘othering’.

As part of the presentation ‘No kings no wars’, promoted in Barcelona by BCN4Peace and held last Wednesday, May 27, Powell (who writes his name in lowercase because he considers that we must be “part of the universe, not above it, as the capital letters suggest”) receives EL PERIÓDICO to talk about how this idea dominates the discourse of the Administration of Donald Trump and is increasingly spreading beyond US borders.

I found the term very interesting. otheringcoined by you, and I would like to ask you first about the specific meaning of this expression.

Othering describes when a group of people or an individual is not granted the same degree of dignity or respect as others. Now, it is common in all cultures. Sometimes we say that religion, country of origin, race, sexual orientation or some combination of these makes a person inferior. We have all heard about sexism, racism, homophobia, xenophobia… All of these things are stories about people we perceive as different, inferior and less deserving. So othering is an umbrella term that captures the way we categorize and segment people.

How would you describe it applying it to the United States and Trump’s policies?

There is a debate right now, not just in the United States but around the world, about belonging. Which is the opposite of what Vice President (JD) Vance, appealing to the conservative German philosophy that your blood and soil are what make you a true American, said about political beliefs and values ​​not making you an American. And he did it to say that people who are not Christians, that immigrants, even if they have integrated, are not real Americans. There are even those who believe that the real Americans, the ones who really belong, are only Protestants, not even Catholics. And when you define someone as a fake American, you are suggesting that they be treated as inferior.

It is very similar to the idea widespread in Spain of ‘national priority’, but from the American perspective…

The United States has always been a complicated country. It has never just been a race or a religion. The so-called founders thought that people should have the opportunity to follow their own religion. So those people who now say that “real Americans are Christians” go against that idea, but also against the Constitution, which guarantees religious freedom. Now, just because it is guaranteed does not mean that people practice it.

How do you manage to live in an environment like this?

Some people are nervous because the United States is a country of immigrants. It always has been. People are worried about the changes that are happening and the leaders who dictate who owns the country. And people often define it narrowly, based on their membership in a group. But we say the opposite: that it belongs to everyone. And that makes a difference between the left and the right. The left thinks of the “we.” Because the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, begins with “we the people.”

The question, then, is who is the “we”?

Exact. When the United States was born, that “we the people” was restricted to Anglo-Saxon people, men and property owners. It was not until 1920 that the right to vote was extended to women; and until 1960 when the black community was included in the “we.” Every generation has to confront this question in some way. And right now, President Trump has argued that we should reinterpret what’s called birthright citizenship. Because in the United States, regardless of who your parents are, if you are born there you are an American citizen.

Speaking of Trump, what are the challenges that American society faces under his leadership?

All the major studies have pointed out that the world is going backwards in democracy, inclusion and pluralism. And the United States, which for years had championed those concepts, is leading the charge. Many of the people pushing this agenda are ‘authoritarian’ and do not believe in equality, democracy, or the rule of law. They are associated with what we call ‘Dark Enlightenment’ and deny many of the values ​​that defend the idea that all people should be treated with dignity.

What do you mean by ‘Dark Illustration’?

Equality and democracy are not just ideas. They are enshrined in our founding documents, but also in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which all great countries have embraced. They are the nucleus around which societies are organized. And you can have a right-wing or left-wing interpretation, but there is agreement that they are central values. What is happening now in Hungary, although they have gone backwards, in India and also in some parts of Spain, is that there are people who believe that some people do not have rights and that they will never be able to have rights. And those are precisely the ideas that challenge the West, and what we call ‘Dark Enlightenment’.

How can we relate all this to the Iranian situation, to the perspectives and opinion of the Trump Administration towards Iran?

The war in Iran is interesting for many reasons. First because Congress never authorized it. So Trump is doing it by decree with the false justification of “fear that they are going to do something.” Also, although it may seem crazy, the world is governed by principles of war, but even in a war there are limits. And one of them is to attack civilian targets. Which the United States has done constantly. Therefore, this is an illegal war by both American and international standards.

What should the international community learn to avoid making the same mistakes?

The Prime Minister of Canada (Mark Carney) spoke of a new world order where medium-sized countries must unite. There are 8 billion people and we must consider how we live with each other. We need some kind of order, both for the economy, the environment, migration, science, pandemics, or technology. Because we live in a deeply interconnected world and it cannot be that the strong do whatever they want. That is why it is important for Europe to continue embracing those values, but also to reach out to those, like Canada, who are willing to embrace them.

Finally, how does all this affect the US midterm elections?

Trump needs to end this war. His approval rating right now is in the mid-30s and falling. The effect on the US economy is having serious implications. Many of the people who supported him, including part of the far right, had the idea that we would not be in wars. Because this violates many of the things Trump promised. And now look towards Cuba. Many people were afraid that he would attack the island on May 20. Luckily, he didn’t. And part of the reason was because he’s stuck in Iran. That’s why he needs to get out of this quickly or it will have very negative consequences for Republicans.

Subscribe to continue reading