all I can tell you is I had not seen that before in french schools or universities. and I grew up in the banlieues of Paris, the schools were very mixed : arabs, whites, blacks, asians, etc. What was even more of a shock in the US is seeing that on some official university forms, you had to state your ethnicity (which would actually be illegal in France). and the uni always put blacks kids with other black kids in the dorm rooms, whites with whites and so on. how are people supposed to get to know each other that way?
(btw I did intend to read that Sapiens book! thanks for reminding me)
RE:bolded section. waitwut? i have never seen or heard of that. as far as i know college kids only get placed in dorms randomly their first year. from personal experience, one can even request roommates first year if they know someone beforehand. after that they all usually get to choose where and whom to live with, often with some lottery system tho. that being said, without really trying i ended up as part of an 8 person suite with 3 african-americans, another latino, a palestinian-american, my asian-american roommate, and one white local new yorker. First time we realized it we all had a laugh about making the white guy a minority in his own home hahah. I did go to a "small" school though so this all might be skewed.
I think ethnicity on university forms is mostly related to affirmative action and equity in access to education, but still somewhat sus, especially after the whole "curbing of asian admissions scandal" at a bunch of high profile schools. Does France do equitable access/affirmative action?
When I was in college in the US as a "non-resident alien" (still am, except for tax purposes of course... ¬¬) I was more upset how most of the international students would only hang out with each other... so I hung out with americans, which were a diverse bunch as well. There seemed to be more of a wealth divide there though, as plenty within the intl' crew would take almost monthly vacations all over the world...
There's a lot to be said about the concept of a "safe space" as well, not uncommon for minorities to seek peer support in student organizations that make them feel "at home" (e.g. Men of Color Alliance or Student Organization of Latinxs). At the same time there is a lot of diversity within one's own ethnic and cultural diaspora, and college can provide a broader look at that, maybe even a first look for some. I enjoyed being part of the Hispanic Scholarship Fund e-board as most members were US citizens, but from very different cultures from all over latin america. Are "spaces" like that common French universities? As an aside, is it common for kids in France/Europe to leave their hometown for uni?
This (long ass) post isn't to say that segregation in the US doesn't exist anymore, just thought about sharing a little since I enjoyed discussing stuff with you in your Israel thread. The overpolicing of minorities in the US is undeniable, and police brutality is almost a given. ACAB just rings more and more true every day that goes by.
I go back and forth between recommending people to watch or not watch the video. It is haunting, and saying it is a painful video is a massive understatement. Yet I think we should face things like this without burying our head in the sand. We should face the reality George Floyd and so many others have had to live through, and die from... My only hope is we are never desensitized to them.
TL;DR: Mostly talking with Frenchie. I don't think college admins actively segregate dorms, and there are plenty reasons for perceived segregation on US american campuses imo. However, that definitely does not mean segregation doesn't exist anymore.
PS. I have that Sapiens book in my bookshelf... but books can be very much like skate gear, you hoard them and then realize you might never get around to them...
Topic: Justice for George Floyd (Read 9003 times)