As it absorbs record numbers of new immigrants, the U.S. faces critical questions: is it better to promote a unifying, shared identity that transcends ethnic differences or to foster a multicultural salad of distinct group identities? Is it better to minimize ethnic distinctions or to accentuate them with diversity initiatives and ethnic preferences? Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire takes a global, historical perspective to address these questions, examining how societies, from ancient Rome to modern Rwanda, have dealt with them. It provides essential analysis and data for America and other countries that are contemplating an increasingly multiethnic future.
Jens Heycke was educated in Economics and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Chicago, the London School of Economics, and Princeton University. He worked as an executive in several technology startups, including one that created the first Internet mobile phone. Since retiring from high tech, he has worked as an independent researcher and writer on culture and ethnic conflict, conducting field research around the world, from Bosnia to Botswana. He is the author of Out of the Melting Pot, Into the Fire: Multiculturalism in the World’s Past and America’s Future. He is an internationally competitive masters cyclist, winning a bronze medal at the World Masters Games.
Shermer and Heycke discuss:
- What is a melting pot?
- What is culture?
- What is multiculturalism?
- What is identity and identity politics?
- BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color)
- Cancel culture
- Cultural appropriation
- Critical Race Theory
- Affirmative Action
- Why group preferences tend to last forever
- Comparative method of research
- Human nature and factionalism
- How official recognition and group preferences exacerbate group divisiveness
- How group identification is fluid and contextual
- Religious and political identities
- The Roman melting pot
- Rwanda and the road to genocide
- Sri Lanka
- Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)
- Future of democracy
- Why students & student groups are pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel
- The rise of anti-Semitism in recent years.
This episode was released on January 2, 2024.
