Negotiating internationalism

Well it has been an interesting few months in the world of Accidental Collective. A time of taking stock and looking to the future.
In the last 3 years Accidental Collective have been committed to adding to the creative milieu that is ever increasing in Kent, and looking forward, we are excited about some of the things brewing in the near future… watch this space for more on that in the coming months.
Our place within the local environs of the county we call home is one we are proud to have achieved and one we continue to strive for. But what of the wider world? Are we committed to engaging with and adding to the creative and intellectual diaspora..? Interestingly, yes.

We have had some thoughts..

It is easy in the fast paced modern world to be aware of being simply one person in an ever growing, complex population.
Need an example?
How about the growth of Polish supermarkets popping up in every town and city in the land…
How about the Lisbon treaty, upon which the future of the European Union as a working effective supranational organisation hangs?
How about the threat posed by failed states like Somalia? Potential breeding grounds for international terrorism, extremism and outright lawlessness?
Be aware, Accidental Collective in no way intend to scare-monger on these points, oh no! However we draw attention to them as a point of order when considering the breadth and depth of problems out there when considering the world beyond Kent and look out into the world and its inevitably international scale.
Some internationalism is on our doorstep and is something we are reminded of by simply walking down our local high streets, others are things to be considered only when planning a cruise (hoping Somali pirates don’t try to hijack your liner)
Others, perhaps, we should have a grander awareness of but have maybe been denied. Either by governments who fear defeat if they open debate to national referendum or maybe only by our own indifference to the subject.

Now, such ‘lofty’ socio-political thoughts are relatively randomly singled out here, however… with such issues out there in the world, issues that need solving, where does that leave us, each of us, as individuals. How can we each go about tackling such issues as immigration, terrorism, international responsibility…?
What follows is by no means a definitive answer.
Maybe the place to start is with the individual. The tools we have, develop and grow through our daily lives are something we can take out into the wider world. These tools and signifiers help us identify ourselves and those around us.
“Human social life is unimaginable without some means of knowing who others are and some sense of who we are. Since we cannot rely on our sense of smell or our animal non-verbals (though these are not insignificant), one of the first things we try to do when we meet a stranger is attempt to locate them on our social maps, to identify them” (Social Identity - Richard Jenkins. Ch 1, Pge 5)
So we look for aspects of identity we recognise in that person… familial, local, regional, national, continental, human, political, social, cultural, linguistic, experimental, historic, genetic/physical, factual… anything upon which we can build a commonality.
With commonalities established we can move forward with our cosmopolitan existences. We can be comfortable with enough of those around us to exist with the elements of our own identity (even those that don’t exactly match up exactly to those of others) “hanging out”.
“Individuality and the sense of freedom that flows from it, is the natural basis of “Democracy”. In a democratic regime, relations between individuals are commonly regulated by social contact. (Atomised - Michel Houellebecq, pge 89)
This social contact is important. By contacting others and sharing the individual social/cultural elements of our identities those elements can take on a life of their own, cross pollinating from person to person when applicable or staying put when not.

How wonderfully utopian, I hear you cry. Imagining a world where the best of all will win out without there ever being friction, upset or even violence. On the contrary, friction, upset and violence is seemingly a natural path for human relations to take at some point or another… however… it is much more manageable and negotiable on a small scale than it is on a large scale. Managing two peoples differences is easier than managing those of two groups of one million people. It is harder to find those commonalities when one million people become a faceless mass (I cant even imagine what one million people would look like) and thus become un-negotiable on a singular, personal scale. So we find our commonalities and differences through hearsay, limited and distorted contact…
So what are we suggesting with this rambling spread taking us from our commitment to Kent out into the world of social negotiation, international peacekeeping, and identity theory?
We’re not sure… yet. But it seems that starting small. Starting within to the immediate without promises a way in…

Accidental Collective’s next new work is beginning, and here is an element of that beginning.
Thoughts on internationalism???
All welcome!