Soci-i congres 1964: De plurale samenleving: de toepasbaarheid van het begrip in diverse landen

Samenvatting

An account of the 30th annual conference of the Dutch InterUniversity Assoc. of Sociology Students (Soci-I). The theme was 'plural society' and the chief speakers were: (1) O. D. van den Muyzenberg recalled that the term 'plural society' was coined by J. S. Furnival and applied by him to Burma and the then Dutch East Indies. Van Muyzenberg criticized the term because it assumed too easily the existence of a 'common social will' and led to an underestimation of irrational factors like racism. (2) A. N. J. den Hollander explained the social structure of the US South in terms of class and caste. (3) J. D. Spekman outlined 4 historical stages of the plural society in Surinam: (a) until 1863, a society defined by the dichotomy between white masters and Negro slaves; (b) after 1863, the appearance of an intermediate group, the 'men of color' and an assimilationist policy of the Dutch government; (c) at the turn of the century, importation of Chinese, Javanese and Hindu contract labor brought about an end to the assimilation policy; (d) since 1940, the appearance of city culture as a result of the exploitation of bauxite mines and the coming of American troops in WWII. City vs country issues overlap with ethnic demands. (4) W. F. Wertheim spoke on plurality and unity in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. He denied the validity of J. S. Furnival's 'plural society' for Southwest Asia, with the possible exception of Malaya, and presented O. C. Cox's attack on a K. Marx-influenced caste interpretation of US Southern society. The papers were followed by a discussion. I. Langnas.