Money Has No Smell the

Money Has No Smell The American society has always been a tremendous environment for social and political disputes over issues such as racial tensions and discrimination. It is a well-known fact that racism is an important element in the history of the U.S. social background. One of the main reasons for such a development could be the cosmopolitanism of the American society born out of a long history of immigration flows.

Despite the fact that it is this very variety of people that created the American culture as it stand today among the most, if not the most, important exporting products in the world, the historical perspective reflects in large parts the downfalls of the intermingling of different cultures and civilizations that occurred on American soil throughout the centuries following the British colonization.

Racism, which is indeed a dynamic phenomenon and which molds the evolution of the social groups has been a constant presence in the conscience of minorities such as African-Americans, Hispanics, Asians, or religion based outsiders. These facts rarely make the front page of important magazines; most often they remain untold stories which still impact the everyday life of the communities which are faced with such discriminatory realities.

Nonetheless, there are also events that bring out in the spotlight different aspects of the communities which deal with discrimination, poverty, racism, all emerging from a historical and often rather hard to change mentality about minority groups. One such event represented the death of Amadou Diallo, a victim of the abusive use of force by the New York Police Department. Shot down outside his Bronx apartment, his killers, four police officers were subsequently acquitted of all criminal charges.

This was a clear case of discrimination, considering the fact that Diallo, a West African immigrant was unarmed at the time of his death and the use of force was clearly unneeded for. However, it represented a clear outline of the situation facing most immigrants in big cities throughout the U.S. And the tensions they must coup with for living in a cosmopolite society.

Paul Stoller in his 2002 book "Money Has No Smell: The africanization of New York" addresses from different perspectives the same idea of dealing with the hardships of immigrants in the New York society. He points out, both formally and informally, both expressing theoretical aspects and applying them to a personal story, the multiple facets of the life of an immigrant trying to built a proper existence, away from family, friends, culture and country.

This has more levels of manifestation, however it is clear the fact that immigrants are somewhat isolated from the majority, this notwithstanding efforts to integrate. The distinction and thus failure to integrate can be seen at different levels, as Stoller shows throughout his book. Matters such as those related to economic, social and even to different perceptions of the realities surrounding the community of immigrants represent elements which differentiate and set the standard for the separate lives immigrants lead.

Back in the mid 50s, when the Civil Rights Movement began to take effect, there was a general political line that all people be treated equally. The doctrine "separate-but-equal" represented indeed a step in the right direction, from one point-of-view as it gave legal recognition of the fact that all people are regardless of their skin color considered to be equal. Nonetheless, there had been decades of segregation whose effects and negative impact could not be erased at the time, and still represent a sensible issue today.

This is obvious especially in the economic activities that ensure the basic needs of the immigrants. Stoller points out this fact by presenting the story of a African Muslim, a merchant in Malcolm Shabazz Harlem Market. The author underlines the rather limited line of activity immigrants are engaged in order to ensure for themselves and their families a means of subsistence. Thus, he generalizes Issifi Mayaki's situation to most "West African traders at the market.

He came to New York in 1992 and had traded in Harlem since 1993." (Stoller, 2002, p1) He is in fact the representative of a certain group of immigrants living in New York, the type that left home in search for a better future and "the American dream." The typical immigrant does not posses a diverse wide range of possibilities and often relies on their practical skills in order to earn their living, such as craftsmanship, as "most of them have not been formally educated" (Stoller, 2002, p6) This in turn does not offer him a secure income, as "he lives in seasonal limbo; summers are usually good; winters are usually bad" (Stoler, 2002, p6), therefore the condition of the immigrants, especially in New York, is much more unsecured than that of stable qualified employees.

This is a generalized situation and gives rise to even more discrepancies, many of them taking their toll on the social existence of this type of communities. Even in the early days of the Civil Rights Movement, black people were forced to be satisfied to conditions which were unequal to those of the white majority, triggering certain isolation in different parts of the big cities. Harlem is the result of such a process.

Stoller points this out by applying the theory to his practical example of Issifi who together with "his colleagues from West Africa inhabit one small, virtually unknown niche of urban immigrant America. (...). There are thousands of Issifis along the East Coast of the United States.

For more than fifteen years, West Africans have steadily poured into New York City (...) He is one of the thousands of black men who blend into the background of Harlem," the author here suggesting that indeed this part of New York has become a small universe surrounded by those of his kind, without any necessary contact with those of different races or color. Thus, the sentiment of isolation can grow even deeper. Such a sentiment is felt especially at the level of social cohesion.

Most of the times, immigrants lack he support and guidance of either the authorities or the community they tend to integrate in. Issifi's example is eloquent, as he was somewhat forced by events to be, like so many other immigrants "an unregistered alien (...) he lived with the possibility of being deported.

His unregistered status also meant that he had some difficulty in finding health care, obtaining licensees, and finding wage paying work with benefits." (Stoller, 2002, p6) Therefore, it could be said that the relation cause-effect determines the situation of immigrants in big cities and in New York in particular.

Because of their different treatment by the authorities, immigrant can rarely have the opportunity to rise above their limit of social inclusion and most often end up in isolated and stigmatized groups which are afterwards made responsible for different negative aspects of the society. This situation nurtures a different feeling of personal exclusion and is manifested in the relations with the others in the society.

Despite the fact that there is a certain cohesion at the level of a community, the need for the close connections immigrants usually leave in their native country transforms their perceptions of the reality of the society they live in and creates a tendency to reject its values or act in a hostile manner towards them. This behavior represents a barrier in the normalization of the contacts between the immigrants and the majority. The practical.