This weeks lectures all focused on independence and how each story is individualistic and unique. The idea of independence is not a static concept but rather one that is imagined differently by each individual. Independence therefore varies from each country, to each story. There is no one way to achieve it or maintain it. AdditionallyContinue reading “Week 4: Independence Narratives, Past and Present”
Posted in Blogs, Week 4 | Tagged with Freedom, Independence Narratives, Jose Marti, Mel Gibson, Simon Bolivar
Having studied the French revolution and the Napoleonic empire for the last two years I was excited to find out what had happened in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies beyond my limited knowledge that they had sought independence shorty after Napoleon’s victory. However, I was sad to learn that in the case of Brazil this was done in an effort to avoid the abolition of slavery. Whilst it was not uncommon during the period for the elites to favour slavery as it benefitted them greatly, in all the revolutions I had previously studied the poor so greatly outnumbered the rich it was possible for them to overthrow the regime. Therefore, I was disheartened to learn how during a time of global revolution liberalism was crushed in Brazil in favour of the arguably dated idea of a constitutional monarchy.
After reading José Martí’s “Our America” a concept that particularly stood out for me was governing specifically for the place being governed. It is the familiar idea that no one size fits all but having read this passage it made me think of governments today and how instability arises because the government does not act in the best interests of the people. Martí’s other point that “those unacquainted with the rudiments of politics should not be allowed to embark on a career in politics” particularly resonated with me given the upcoming US election. I believe that Martí’s commentary on governments is still relevant in today’s political climate and that without the support of the people and a competent leader nothing but instability will ensue.
The third point of Martí’s that particularly interested me was that of placing more importance on studying the history of the region you are in than studying that of Europe. I found this especially interesting given recent discussions in the UK over the whitewashing of history taught in schools. In the phrase “our own Greece is preferable to the Greece that is not ours; we need it more” Martí’s highlights that both America and Greece are equal which was not the view of the European colonisers and that the people of Latin America deserve to hear the history of their ancestors over a history they have no relation to. I believe this is still a problem today with children all around the world focusing on European history over their own national history and agree with Martí’s that European history should not be valued higher than the history of any other region.
Discussion questions:
Do you think history taught in schools should include more global history or national history?
What history did you study when you were at school?
Posted in Blogs, Week 4 | Tagged with Brazil, Jose Marti, Our America
Having studied the French revolution and the Napoleonic empire for the last two years I was excited to find out what had happened in the Spanish and Portuguese colonies beyond my limited knowledge that they had sought independence shorty after Napoleon’s victory. However, I was sad to learn that in the case of Brazil this was done in an effort to avoid the abolition of slavery. Whilst it was not uncommon during the period for the elites to favour slavery as it benefitted them greatly, in all the revolutions I had previously studied the poor so greatly outnumbered the rich it was possible for them to overthrow the regime. Therefore, I was disheartened to learn how during a time of global revolution liberalism was crushed in Brazil in favour of the arguably dated idea of a constitutional monarchy.
After reading José Martí’s “Our America” a concept that particularly stood out for me was governing specifically for the place being governed. It is the familiar idea that no one size fits all but having read this passage it made me think of governments today and how instability arises because the government does not act in the best interests of the people. Martí’s other point that “those unacquainted with the rudiments of politics should not be allowed to embark on a career in politics” particularly resonated with me given the upcoming US election. I believe that Martí’s commentary on governments is still relevant in today’s political climate and that without the support of the people and a competent leader nothing but instability will ensue.
The third point of Martí’s that particularly interested me was that of placing more importance on studying the history of the region you are in than studying that of Europe. I found this especially interesting given recent discussions in the UK over the whitewashing of history taught in schools. In the phrase “our own Greece is preferable to the Greece that is not ours; we need it more” Martí’s highlights that both America and Greece are equal which was not the view of the European colonisers and that the people of Latin America deserve to hear the history of their ancestors over a history they have no relation to. I believe this is still a problem today with children all around the world focusing on European history over their own national history and agree with Martí’s that European history should not be valued higher than the history of any other region.
Discussion questions:
Do you think history taught in schools should include more global history or national history?
What history did you study when you were at school?
Posted in Blogs, Week 4 | Tagged with Brazil, Jose Marti, Our America
For this week’s blog post I want to focus on the “Our America” essay by José Martí. This essay reflects José Martí’s reaction to the situation that Cuba was in back when it was still under Spanish occupation. I did a little bit of research into the history, and I found out that Cuba was […]
Posted in Blogs, Week 4 | Tagged with Cuba, Jose Marti, natural man, Our America
During the colonial age of Latin America, powers of different origins set governing rule over a people that did not have a say in what they wanted for or from those in power. These colonizers imposed new government structures and societal forms that created social unrest amongst the populations marginalized by the colonized states. AllContinue reading “Week 4: Generalization Turned Diversification”
Posted in Blogs, Week 4 | Tagged with independence, Jose Marti, Simon Bolivar, week4
The stylistic language of José Martí’s “Our America”, one of the most famous texts written by a Latin American, is as important as the text’s content. Martí’s plea to Cuba, his home, and more generally to the people of Latin … Continue reading →
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with imagery, Jose Marti, language, latin america, mestizo, metaphor, Our America, rhetoric, United States
the narrative of independence is a diverse and complicated subject. Dawson’s three narratives are an interesting way to look at the process of independence. His “stories of freedom” address the uprising led by Tupac Amaro II, and the lasting influence that it had. He mentions that in the eyes of many his rebellion set the […]
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with colonization, creollo, independence, Jose Marti, rebellion, Simon Bolivar, slavery, slaves
I found it very interesting this week to learn just how diverse the independence and freedom of Latin America was in the past. Never before had I considered the inextricable influences slavery and independence had on each other. The differing … Continue reading →
Posted in Blogs, Week 4 | Tagged with Carolina de Erauso, Freedom, independence, indigenous, Indigenous peoples, intersectionality, Jose Marti, Martí, Nuestro America, oppression, Our America, privilege, slavery
When thinking of what constitutes acceptable political representation, I like to begin on a personal level. For example, would I like it if anyone could directly dictate all of my actions without input from me? Most likely not… And as such, I sympathize with the motivation of those who wanted to abandon the control of […]
Posted in Blogs, Week 4 | Tagged with Jose Marti, Our America, Simon Bolivar
This week’s lecture was packed with information focusing on several narratives of independence. I really enjoyed reading Jose Marti’s “Our America” even though it was complex and difficult to understand. I liked the creative metaphors he used, they were poetic … Continue reading →
Posted in Blogs | Tagged with Haitian Revolution, Jose Marti, Our America, Simon Bolivar
