Week 12 is over and Thanksgiving Break is quickly upon us, after which we only have 16 days until Winter Break. I look forward to being home, but cannot believe how quickly the semester has gone by. One eighth of college almost over already. . .
This week we focused on Todorov’s book The Conquest of America; thus far I’ve found it an interesting book, although difficult to get through. I understand the concepts and points being made, but find it difficult to read about the graphic dehumanization of the Native Americans because of how true it is, and how much certain stereotypes and caricatures continue to affect current American society, how much certain groups continue to be dehumanized. All of these acts of violence and discrimination and brutality should be inconceivable, except they’re not; they’re so real even now, and I find that sickening. This week I also read a book called When They Call You a Terrorist which is a memoir about the Black Lives Matter Movement. It’s a fantastic book and I highly recommend it, however it also stirred up a similar despondent response in me. Perhaps my feelings are colored by (no pun intended) my experiences as a woman of color in America, but sometimes the police brutality, the rape culture, the acquittals, the wage gap, the coded (or outright) statements by politicians, etc. just feel completely overwhelming and insurmountable and I don’t know what to do. I think it’s important to read these kinds of books and be cognizant of the historic oppression and violence which informs current society, but it’s definitely not “light reading”, and after finishing I’m still left asking myself “What should I do?” Something Corwin and I discussed in our small group was the significance of Spain on the Aztecs. Were the Aztecs going to fall anyway, and did the Spaniards just happen to come in at the right time? Could any other group have come in and been as successful as the Conquistadors? We also questioned why the Aztecs didn’t do more to fight off the Spaniards. In the present, knowing that the Spaniards won and saddled with the lens of “the Native Americans are perpetual victims to history”, I often felt frustrated reading the second part of The Conquest. It seems so obvious now that the Aztecs should consider the Spanish as enemies, and Todorov’s consistent characterization of the Aztecs as a passive group made it even more difficult to understand their reasoning, especially Montezuma's. One theory Corwin and I found particularly attractive was the idea of “cycles” (58), that the Aztecs were a group of conquerors and the conquered, and that the Spanish were just another part of this cycle, and were perhaps the lesser of two evils when compared to the Aztecs. Todorov uses “signs” to introduce ideas of actions beyond human control, however this brings into question questions of “fate” and “human choice”. Jeremy brought up a really interesting point regarding “environmental determinism”; that is the geographic formations of certain areas better lending themselves to empire and allowing certain groups to flourish while others do not. Is there a greater force, or multiple greater forces that control human outcomes? Are those forces spiritual or terrestrial in nature? And how much do those forces, and human will, impact the course of events? I certainly don’t have an answer to any of those questions, but Todorov’s book has definitely gotten me to think more about these questions. Anyway, happy Thanksgiving all, wishing everyone safe travels and a nice break!
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KateHi, I'm Kate! I'm from Madison, WI and am planning on majoring in SIS focusing on East-Asia China. I like practicing kung fu, listening to music, and drinking bubble tea. Archives
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