The Idea of Transition within a Community - Book Report/Review Example

The concept of globalization and being an outsider within a community is one that is causing changes in various regions of the world. In the book, Outcasts United by Warren St John, there is an understanding of how globalization is changing how individuals interact as well as how communities are being forced to move outside of traditions and normal expectations into a different route. When looking at the specific aspects of this book, it can be seen that the idea of bringing change into a community is one that also creates an alteration in how individuals think, what is expected and the interactions occur. The refugees in the book, as well as the community responses, both show a specific understanding of the idea of transition within a community as well as the complications that come with being able to accept the outside. The first set of ideals that are shown in Outcasts United come with the presentation of the refugees and what it means to be outside of the community. The idea of boundaries and the inability to belong within a small southern town becomes the main complication that is seen by the refugees. The transition that each has to make as well as the inability to be accepted into the community remain as a problematic part of the refugee team and show a sense of continuous borders with the identity of each individual. When the author introduces the team members, there is an immediate definition of who the individual is, where they are from and what they have come out of. For instance, when introducing Ziaty, there is an instant label and definition that defines the individual as a refugee. The narrator states, “The Ziaty’s story, as well as any, shows the extent to which modern refugees can trace their displacement to the mistakes, greed, fears, crimes and foibles of men who long preceded them, sometimes by decades – or longer” (St John, 27). The concept of creating boundaries and the transition of the refugees from places such as Liberia and to America then show the problem of being a refugee and the complications that come from this specific life change. The second set of boundaries that is noted in the book is seen not only through the refugees, but also to the disturbances that are noted by those that come into the country. When the refugees move from a war like situation and into a place such as a rural town in America, there is a cultural shock that they move through. The inability to be accepted, being outside of their own culture and having to deal with the conflicts that are a part of the area become problematic to those that are coming in from the outsides. The author is able to show how many of the refugees have to go through long journeys, escape routes and long paths to get to a place where they can find comfort and freedom. However, when looking at the Fugees, the hostility that is experienced when reaching a final destination remains. To most, this creates a conflict and a shock that has to be looked through by the refugees. “The hostility the Fugees encountered, the deficiencies in their gear, their lack of support on the sidelines, seemed only to solidify the bonds among this otherwise disparate group of boys. They sensed they were the underdogs and connected with each other over the prospect of evening the score once the whistle blew” (St John, 79). This shows that there is a disconnection between those that are refugees and those in the community. This is partly attributed to boundaries that occur because of the experience of the refugees as well as the misunderstandings that are within the community. The hostility that is experienced among the refugees as well as from the community creates several boundaries as well as conflict by the refugees. The third aspect that is a part of the experience of the refugees comes from the outside to those that are looking at them as outsiders. Most that are in the community create specific boundaries and ideals of what it means to be a refugee and belong to a specific group. From one perspective, individuals are welcome to this and are able to create a sense of identity with those that are on the outside. The welcome change comes from the experience of Coach Luma specifically because she also has felt like an outsider and that she doesn’t belong in the community. Luma often identifies herself as one from the outside because of the family that she grew up in, belonging to a Muslim religion and being from outside of the states. The ability to connect with the other refugees and provide insight while they are moving through different transitional points becomes a central component to the book. This provides a specific understanding of how the boundaries are broken down by relating to those that have been through similar experiences, as well as how the identity has different borders if one is unable to identify with this. The idea of belonging to the outside is then furthered by others who don’t embrace the change and who can’t identify with the refugee settlement in the area. For example, the story of Chime shows that there is an unacceptable concept that is related to the refugees in the town. The police officer pulls over Chime for speeding, even though he is not speeding. He then proceeds to pull him out of his car and abuse his rights, even though Chime doesn’t cause any problems with the officer. Chime states that he believes this is because he is dark colored and because he doesn’t belong to the town (82). Examples like this throughout the book show that there is an unwillingness for the community to accept the different identity and creates an understanding of the boundaries that are a part of the community. The influx of refugees is responded to by an outset of fear and the unwillingness to accept how the community may change because of the fluctuation of those that are coming into the area, despite the small population. The result is that there is a forced change as well as several conflicts within the community. The influx that begins to occur in the community happens from those who embrace the refugees as opposed to those that are afraid of them coming into the community. This happens specifically because of the attitude from Luma as well as how the Fugees play in the different soccer games. As this happens, the community is forced to open their borders and to begin accepting those from the outside. When the Fugees begin to play soccer, their side of the field for fans is empty, showing the hostility (128). However, after the soccer games continue and the reputation changes, there is the need to alter the approach to incorporate everyone on the team. The soccer games become a representation of what the community has to move into for better association with the outsiders. Each of the individuals has to work toward accommodating to both sides, including understanding the viewpoint of the refugees and those of the community. For instance, in one game, there is the need to find a solution toward the game being played and the prayers offered, which leads to an integration of the community and the refugees. “He thought the Fugees should pray together. The idea presented a quandary; there were both Christians and Muslims on the team. How could they accommodate everyone? With no help from Luma or any other adult, the boys quickly worked toward a solution” (270). This is one of several examples that shows how the community has to move from the outsider viewpoint into an integration of both sides so the activities can be completed. More importantly, it shows that the ability to gain knowledge toward solutions provides a stronger basis for the community and works toward an integration of various members. The response from the community is one that is based on the inability to accept others, then to be forced into the acceptance of different cultures and backgrounds. The lessons that are drawn from this are based on creating openness toward the refugees and to work toward integrating individuals, as opposed to excluding them from the community. More importantly, the community can learn to learn about those who are coming from different cultures and backgrounds while working toward a higher level of knowledge that embraces those in the community while integrating them into society. For the Clarkson residents to better prepare for the refugees, there would be the need to integrate areas that offer learning as well as different programs in which individuals can relate to. By doing this, there is the ability to begin understanding and accepting the background of those that are different from the original residents. The different aspects that are a part of globalization show that there is unwillingness for change, as well as boundaries that are presented from several different perspectives. The first set of boundaries comes from the refugees that have to make a larger transition into the community outside of their own. This is followed by boundaries that are presented because of the experiences of those that are considered as refugees and which have come from war zones. The community completes this by leaving the refugees on the outside. To alter this is the need to integrate individuals into the community and to find methods of compromise, all which will help to bring in a stronger sense of globalization and worldwide growth within the community. References St John, Warren. Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, an American Town. Spiegel and Grau: New York, 2009. Read More