"What Zolberg calls the 'Melville principle' is an…
““"What Zolberg calls the 'Melville principle' is an excellent expression of the fundamental right to free movement... for one surely needs to explain what is natural about state structures, in rich and poor countries alike, that confine the movements of billions of people to live and play anywhere they want. Melville's vision, echoed in Walt Whitman's poetry, is a far better prospect to imagine than the persistence of a primitive form of nationalism based on exclusion and expulsion, or a social model of gated communities antagonizing the poor by keeping them out of bounds. These are simply not rational long-term solutions for an already besieged planet. If Moors or Moriscos are the residual prototype of Gypsies, Native Americans, Africans, Jews, Hispanics, and, in general, the West's undesirables since 1492, we might as well avoid the tragedies that dogmatic concepts of national identities have engendered -- the expulsion of Jews in 1492; the expulsion of Moriscos in 1609; the scapegoating of minorities as infidels in the nation's holy body politic; and the horrors of genocide visited on various non-Europeans and on Jews in Nazi Germany -- by accepting our true nature as mestizos in a world where national, racial, ethnic, and cultural boundaries are dangerous illusions.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
The quote argues that borders and exclusionary nationalism are irrational, urging a view of humanity as a blended, borderless whole to promote freedom of movement and avoid historic tragedies.
In simple terms: Borders are harmful; we should see humanity as mixed and free.
Embrace openness, reject exclusionary borders.
Themes
Mood
Type
When to use this quote
- policy debates on immigration
- urban planning for inclusive cities
- educational curricula on history
- activism against xenophobia
- international law reforms
Key Concepts
Questions to Reflect On
- How can societies balance security with open borders?
- What policies can reduce the fear of cultural dilution?
Implementation faces entrenched political interests and fear of cultural loss.