A BROADER VIEW

provincialism |prəˈvin ch əˌlizəm|

noun

1 the way of life or mode of thought characteristic of the regions outside the capital city of a country, esp. when regarded as unsophisticated or narrow-minded.

• narrow-mindedness, insularity, or lack of sophistication -O.A.D.

The Oxford American Dictionary is a good place to start, but I recalled an article by Milan Kundera in The New Yorker published a few years ago where he discussed provincialism. But I couldn't figure out how to put my hands on it. Funny, I was thinking pre-internet– thinking provincially– then with a few words and a few clicks, I had access to the piece. The internet is an extraordinary tool, an antidote to provincialism. It gives us instant access to a world wide view.

Now I realize the reason I liked the Kundera essay, which addressed provincialism in relationship to world literature was because, in addition to geographic considerations, he discussed perception, and point of view– a geography of mind, seeing if you will. 

Geographic distance allows the observer to embrace the large context of world literature. Provincialism is the inability to see one's own culture in the large context. M.K.

Kundera's provincialism is a state of mind; the inability (resistance) to see a larger context beyond one's immediate world. And it's entirely possible, often the case, to be a provincial living in New York City, Paris, London, or DF Mexico.

A shift in geographic distance allows a broader perspective; something that happens by default when you move from one country, one culture, one language, to another. But it doesn't guarantee that you'll see– embrace– the larger context of the world, and how your culture fits into that mosaic. 

The parallax view, whereby the position or direction of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions, is another way of thinking about the same thing. And I can tell you from my own experience, this phenomenon, the process of shifting from one culture to another is no easy thing. It hurts in a way, because you're forced to deconstruct, to "see" all those assumptions about your values, culture, and identity– about yourself– that you thought you'd somehow crafted, then realize in fact you've merely received. 

Then there's the problem of teetering between one culture and another, or maybe getting stuck somewhere in the middle. Even if it were possible, I don't think the solution, if in fact this is a problem, is to assimilate completely, and adapt to the "other" culture at the expense or annihilation of your own cultural identity. Though that was the common practice in the 20th century, the ticket price for becoming an Ahmurcun as George Bush might have said. 

But the opposite may also occur; an intractable provincialism sets in. A ghetto mentality is cast in stone. This may in part explain the scourge of religious fundamentalism in relationship to the expansion of globalism. Or, on a more local level, what I've seen here in San Miguel within the US ex-pat community. Some people seem to cling to their cultural memes more fiercely abroad than they might on home turf. They become more indelible versions, caricatures of same. They live in gated communities, never learn a word of Spanish, and only associate with others exactly like themselves. They reside in a suburban bubble.

I think that's the sort of thing Somerset Maugham had in mind when he wrote, "like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind." Maybe the point, my point– The Parallax View– is about embracing both perspectives at the same time, seeing the larger context, a whole greater than the sum of parts.