A POSTCAPITALIST PARADIGM: THE COMMON GOOD OF ...

is the spearhead that capitalism uses to penetrate everywhere, all cultures
that move into urban areas are tempted more than any others by
consumerism. Young people are the most vulnerable because they are
abandoned by their parents and communities: pressing economic factors
prevent the ‘handing down’ process which is part of the cultural
logic of the indigenous peoples. The overwhelming barrage of advertising
which sells love, tranquillity, recognition, power and prestige has
eager recipients among the youth of cultures which are battling both
destitution and discrimination.
It should also be mentioned that the urban mentality is even extending
into the most remote areas, thanks to the development of the new technologies
and means of communication. Unfortunately this trend increases
through the expansion of markets, although it is interesting to
note that some opportunities are created for meetings between men
and women, such as those provided through social networks on the Internet.
Diversity, difference and interculturality
We have tried to show that cultural uniqueness can be considered in
two ways, which necessarily depend on two distinct political approaches.
If a piece of fabric is considered to be a beautiful piece of
craftsmanship because of its colour, form and design, its destination,
outside the cultural context in which it was produced, can only be the
market: one more item of merchandise among others. However, if this
same piece of fabric is seen as a message, as a text, when one is able
to understand the symbolic framework linking the design, colours and
textures, obviously its destiny will not be the market. The interpretation
of this cultural difference and its purpose comes into play depending on
whether it is produced according to capitalist colonial logic or whether
it is rooted in the struggles of a political approach that claims its own
manner of being and having in the world, which comes from a particular
cultural experience and which can break with the logic of capitalism,
This is the genuine idea of interculturalism, based on forms of relationships
between different cultures.
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