AMS Group 1 Challenges Cosmopolitanism (Ty, Helen, Catherine, Jenna)

A Challenge to Cosmopolitanism: Amsterdam vs. Europe

It is not difficult to imagine Europe, or at least the "Europe" (European Union) that is circumscribed by the bureaucrats in Brussels-- who, we should not forget, granted us the permission and funding for this MAIPR programme-- as one huge and growing cosmopolitan region. This cosmopolitanism is perhaps one of the more visible results of the EU project. The opening of national borders and adoption of the Euro in most nations, among many other developments, may have allowed most of its constituents to develop a "worldwide, rather than limited or provincial scope", imbuing them with a sense of worldliness, of a "wide international sophistication" (Merriam-Webster Online. 18 September 2008). Being European, can therefore be considered being cosmopolitan.

In the effort to realize a cosmopolitan Europe, the EU project may have also stifled habits and practices that characterize the particular cosmopolitanism(s) of the member states. The Netherlands was one of the original members of the EU, and it's capital, Amsterdam, has always been well known for it's liberal thinking attitudes; however, now there is a slow but concerted attempt to eradicate legalized prostitution. The EU does not subscribe to decriminalization of marijuana or the legalization of prostitution, and therefore Amsterdam continues to receive funding in support of campaigning against these two things which make the city unique. Owners of the famous windows in the Red-Light district are being bought out by the city, and slowly but surely more and more windows are branded "I amsterdam" and filled with mannequins that stare blankly at passers-by and wear the latest fashion trends. Even the landmark penis fountain (photo above), considered to be the symbol of the red-light district, has been removed. This is in line with the new policies from Brussels that aim to homogenize--er, harmonize-- practices all over Europe.

While we are not going to make a stand on the ethics and politics of prostitution in this space, we find it odd and contradictory that an increasingly "cosmopolitan" Europe would stamp out what, in our minds, makes Amsterdam, well, cosmopolitan. It seems that in this instance cosmopolitanism is becoming more analogous to homogenization and conformity than to broadening our views about the world.