As our year is coming to an end, I thought it was fitting to look back at where it started. Our first lecture of ASTU 100 began with a discussion on global citizenship as well as memory, trauma, and literature. Viewing the lecture slides for that day I saw the learning outcomes for the course, which at that time seemed quite daunting (at least for me). Through discussions, reading, watching, writing, greatly appreciated guidance, and plenty of thinking I believe that the members of our class transformed into 23 little scholars. The learning outcomes primarily focused on thinking critically as well as understanding and shifting the world around us through reading and writing. From reading the most recent blog posts written by the class, I can see the ways we have learned and nurtured our critical thinking, literary skills, and the way we see the world around us.

The topic of global citizenship was quite frequently mentioned in the blogs and explored through a variety of ways. The idea of what makes a global citizen, what that entails, and how to be a global citizen was put into question. Brenna begins with acknowledging that she did not know what it meant to be a global citizen but throughout the year in CAP she mentions that her understanding took shape in ASTU. The question of what does it mean to be a global citizen was suggested by some such as Avril, Julian, and Benny. Avril mentions that one way of approaching an answer could be through the “could be the affirmation of multiple different perspectives and experiences.” This theme of multiple perspectives is shared as Julian offers the meaning of global citizenship as “acknowledging and attempting to understand the perspectives, history, and culture of other regions than one’s own.” Benny likewise views global citizenship as connections, working “towards taking responsibility for others across all borders.” Julian mentions that in ASTU the literature we read “has helped us on this path of becoming ‘global citizens’.”

By reading and watching our most recent class material “Redeployment” and American Sniper, evident in the blogs, have illuminated how our class can think critically, make connections and utilize theories or concepts discussed in all of our CAP classes.  Amanda employs the work of Patrick Deer to think about militarization in American Sniper. Brenna also uses Deer to analyze American Sniper, but also brings in Butler’s first chapter, “Survivability, Vulnerability Affect” from her novel Frames of War: When is Life Grievable? to think critically of what is being presented by the film.

The ideas offered to us by scholars provide us with ways we can “question ‘American Sniper’ for its uncommon sense and its addition to the patterns we see in popular culture” according to Alexa. Daanish recognizes how the scholars we have focused on in ASTU and their “respective ideas about critical global fiction, precariousness and grievability, and the militarization of culture” have provided a framework to which “tie into the larger tool of models and frameworks that our CAP courses have equipped us with and which we can use to holistically evaluate the world around us.” This way to think critically and view the world with learned lenses is exemplified in Edwards blog. Edwards mentions that he “watched the movie ‘Downfall’ last year for a history class, and looking back on it, [he can] think of the scenes much more differently like recognizing that ‘oh this scene relates to Butler’s idea of grievability’.” Melody’s blog post is one example of how our class has learned to “see beyond the surface” and “notice and consider the different levels of understanding and interpretation,” like how scholars have influenced our ideas (Melody). Melody demonstrates this point exceptionally, as she has used “Joseph Darda, who speaks of the “fantasy of mastery”” to further her understanding of how the “event of 9/11, which Chris Kyle sees on television, gave him a stronger reason for military service.”

Many members of our class have recognized the connections between the class material. Silvana noticed the theme of silence in “Redeployed” and “Obasan.” Anna H also observed a connection between texts, the perspective of authors. Anna H notices how similarities and differences of the authors perspectives between our course material.

It was a pleasure to be the one to wrap up our year of blogging, to see the growth and our years’ worth of acquired knowledge was wonderful. I truly appreciate the discussions we have had in this class; memory, trauma, perspective, and global citizenship have taken a new form in my mind. Academia better watch out, there are 23 new scholars to watch out for! 🙂

Anthony

from blogs by: Brenna, Edward, Silvana, Anna H, Avril, Julian, Benny, Daanish, Amanda, Melody, and Alexa.

https://connect.ubc.ca/bbcswebdav/pid-4446023-dt-content-rid-22824248_1/courses/CL.UBC.ASTU.100.G02.2017W1-2.99808/Slides_1_Sep%207.pdf

Julian – https://blogs.ubc.ca/julianyau/

Brenna – https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/

Silvana– https://blogs.ubc.ca/silvanamastu/

Benny – https://blogs.ubc.ca/bennyastu/

Edward – https://blogs.ubc.ca/edwardyinblog/

Alexa – https://blogs.ubc.ca/alexafordyblog/

Amanda – https://blogs.ubc.ca/amandasblog/

Daanish – https://blogs.ubc.ca/daanishsayani/

Melody –  https://blogs.ubc.ca/melosastu100blog/

Anna H – https://blogs.ubc.ca/annahuynh/

Avril – https://blogs.ubc.ca/arenns

While many of my classmates chose to write about our most recent class discussions about poetry, some chose to reflect on the texts we read earlier this term, specifically Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist and Judith Butler’s Frames of War: When is a Life Grievable? A common theme among those that chose to write about these texts was how the text altered their reflections on personal experiences and were applied to concerns of personal interest to them.

Julien shared how reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist helped him better understand the post 9/11 culture in the United States even if he did not agree with many of its implications. His personal experience, growing up so close to New York City, was altered be the events of 9/11. Julien reminds us that The Reluctant Fundamentalist invites us to consider how an event can have drastic and unforeseen consequences, such as the shaping of American attitudes and U.S. foreign policy.

In her blog, Brenna traces how reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist made her reflect on her own position and world view. The text reminded her how easy it is to forget that people are constantly being made to feel like the other. Reading Frames of War reminded Brenna to evaluate her own perceptions of people and inspired her to think critically about the feasibility of  Butler’s idea of viewing all lives as grievable.

Telisa felt that reading Frames of War gave her a better understanding of why some terrorist attacks are noted more than others. She aptly applied Butler’s ideas about how “frames of recognizability” determine who we see as grievable to the under-recognized terrorist attacks in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Egypt. Since the people living in these countries generally fall outside of western frames of recognizability, we find it hard to view their lives as grievable, a problem that, as Telisa notes, needs addressing.

Silvana also reflects about Butler’s Frames of War in her blog. She applies Butler’s concept of learning to recognize all lives as grievable to the violence within Columbia. She questions if peace is possible while Columbians fail to recognize all Columbian lives as grievable and if peace seems unachievable within a single country, how can we expect to have peace globally? Yet, her post is not pessimistic, but rather cautiously optimistic that Butler’s perspective and others like it will help us find alternative solutions to ending violence.

I greatly enjoyed reading my classmates blogs and appreciated how reflective they were on the works we have read. They clearly thought deeply about the messages within the texts and applied them to their own lives or quandaries of personal interest. I believe that this is one of literatures greatest powers, making us reflect on our personal lives lives and changing our perspectives. This is in part what I believe Darda was referring to in “Precarious World: Rethinking Global Fiction in Mohsin Hamid’s The Reluctant Fundamentalist” when he speaks about the power of critical global fiction. Darda asserts that global fiction like The Reluctant Fundamentalist can help us recognize that all lives are precarious. Altering the way we view the world is the power of literature and can have very real consequences. For instance, Darda states that the War on Terror cannot really end until we shift our frames of recognizability and recognize the precariousness of all lives.

I myself also felt that my world view was altered by reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist. I was reminded how we have become complicit to the simplistic, black and white narratives that pop up so often in our lives, especially in times of conflict. We have come to accept the idea of good guys and bad guys. The ambiguity in The Reluctant Fundamentalist reminded me that we should challenge this mentality instead of accepting it. Bulter’s Frames of War made me think about how dividing the world into good and evil makes it impossible to recognize all lives as grievable. The thoughtful reflections from my peers makes me hopeful that the transformative powers of literature can have a positive influence on the world during these difficult and tense times.

Works Cited:

Julian’s Blog – https://blogs.ubc.ca/julianyau/

Brenna’s Blog – https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/

Telisa’s Blog – https://blogs.ubc.ca/telisa/

Silvana’s Blog – https://blogs.ubc.ca/silvanamastu/

During our recent ASTU classes, we have examined the features of poetry and what exactly makes a written piece a poem. We explored what we thought poetry is and how some of our ideas are prevalent to dominant poetry in the last century; Lyric poetry. The blogs in our ASTU class decided to expand on what we have been focusing in class.

Anjali begins by discussing the different emotions poetry can evoke. She mentions that she enjoys how poetry encourages imagination because of how vaguely they can be written. This is evident in the ‘Photograph from September 11’ poem. Anjali claims that if we were not aware of the title, “we probably wouldn’t have known that the poem was about 9/11”.

Likewise, Esther depicts her interest in the way poetry in the current era can convey meaning. This differs from other modes of ‘reporting’ because she believes “poetry is a realm of freedom”. Similar to Anjali, what was most important and interesting about poetry for Esther is how “deeply it [poems] can evoke a certain emotion or thought”. As she states, this makes poems become more memorable.

Interestingly, David evaluates the way in which events are portrayed through poetry. He discusses the ways in which poems can be about similar events, yet written and structured so differently. For example, reading “You Throw a Stone” made him more aware of “how space in the lines can create symbols that help strengthen the poem’s meaning”. Like Anjali and Esther, David also examines how the vagueness of poems can evoke such strong emotions “such as Death of the Ball Turret Gunner”.

Other students who did not have a huge interest in poetry presented a new prospective they gained during this poetry unit. Benny states that Juliana Spahrs’ short book “disconnection of everyone with lungs “has opened a new approach to poetry. He discusses how the feelings expressed in the poem or relatable, to him and to many Americans, because of the event that was taking place at the time. this units of poetry differs from what he learned in high school, from love poems, to learning more about poems written about real life events that have affected millions of people. 

In addition Edward has also taken a new similar approach. Instead of learning about poetic terms used to analyze poems, he enjoys learning more about what we should be looking for in poems, specially in terms of expression in culture and politics.

Alexa has also really enjoy this poetry unit because it has given her a more similar and broad perspective, like Benny and Edward, of the world. She states that “by conceptualizing globalization, dramatic events, and individualism through art and with them, poetry allows me to connect different obstructions and patterns through a new lens”. This is exemplified in Spahrs’ first poem about the connection of breathing in living things. 

Like Benny, Edward, and Alexa, Daniela also was not too fond of poetry until she began this unit which broadened her perspective. She understands that poetry is a way of “bringing thoughts to life“. She points out that “these perspectives are crucial to our collective understanding of the world“. She claims that poetry is not only a platform to depict relatableness but it is also a form of expression where we can convey emotions that can help others understand the world we live in. 

Like most of my peers, I have enjoyed taking a different approach to poetry. I have always been interested in learning about poetry but I find it fascinating when you can draw connections between poetry and real life events and how we can use this platform of expression to understand others. 

Blogs cited:

Anjali – https://blogs.ubc.ca/abentley/

Esther – https://blogs.ubc.ca/astuhomework/

David – https://blogs.ubc.ca/davidscorner/

Benny – https://blogs.ubc.ca/bennyastu/

Edward – https://blogs.ubc.ca/edwardyinblog/

Alexa – https://blogs.ubc.ca/alexafordyblog/

Daniela – https://blogs.ubc.ca/danielaastu/

Since the beginning of the term, our ASTU class has been discussing topics related to post 9/11 culture and war and more recently, studying poetry related to it. Poetry is a genre that some love and others simply have no interest in. In their blogs, many students discussed both their personal feelings towards poetry and the impact that poetry can have, especially when it is pertaining to a subject as serious as terrorism.

Kate discussed her love for poetry, and how even though it faded over time she was able to rediscover it when our ASTU class began studying it. On the other hand, other students including Daniela and Benny talked about their previous dislike for poetry. They described poetry as unrelatable, confusing, and frustrating. Edward also explained how many of us learned about poetry in high school – “It would be learning about poetry terms such as ‘oxymoron’ and ‘onomatopoeia’ and ‘metaphors’,”. When we learn about poetry in this way, it is easy to see is as confusing and hard to relate to. However, these students found looking at poetry now relating to politics and culture as opposed to love and romance much more interesting and useful.

Edward, Esther, and David all touched on how the poem “In Flanders Fields” can be served as a war propaganda. David stated he was intrigued that even though this poem was used as propaganda, “yet gained so much attention even till this day”. It was interesting that all of the Canadian students in our class have known this poem for years, but several of our classmates from around the world had never heard of it. Nonetheless, these students were interested in how the freedom poetry allows can be used for propaganda.

The poems we read by Juliana Spahr shed light on 9/11 culture for all of us, but hit a lot closer to home for some. For example, Julian noted how he grew up only 45 minutes away from downtown New York. Even though he was young when 9/11 happened, the memorials for the victims and the new “culture of fear” surrounding him still personally affected him. Benny also brought up his childhood growing up near Washington, D.C., so he was quite immersed in the 9/11 culture as well.

Telisa considered the unequal media coverage for some attacks versus others. She brought up how attacks in Western cities like London and Paris will receive tons of media coverage and stay in the news for weeks to come, but attacks in non-Western countries like Egypt and Middle-Eastern countries will receive little to no news coverage, with many of us never even knowing these attacks happened. This is a topic that I have seen discussed many times before, but it needs to keep being discussed until it is actually fixed. I agree with her, that these non-Western countries deserve the same amount of prayers, solidarity, awareness and news coverage as Western countries.

Terrorist attacks including 9/11 can be difficult to talk about, but it is important to understand the culture surrounding it. As many students said in their blogs, poetry is one of the many different insights on the topic that can help us to understand.

Blogs cited:

Kate: https://blogs.ubc.ca/katepasula/

Daniela: https://blogs.ubc.ca/danielaastu/

Benny: https://blogs.ubc.ca/bennyastu/

Edward: https://blogs.ubc.ca/edwardyinblog/

Esther: https://blogs.ubc.ca/astuhomework/

David: https://blogs.ubc.ca/davidscorner/

Julian: https://blogs.ubc.ca/julianyau/2018/02/15/the-culture-of-fear-in-the-united-states-post-911/

Telisa: https://blogs.ubc.ca/telisa/

These past couple weeks in ASTU 100, the class has been very busy. From Safe Area Gorazde to The Reluctant Fundamentalist to this connection of everyone with lungs, we have been having a lot of interesting discussions. Thus it was so interesting to read everyone’s blogs.

Kate’s blog really stood out to me. She began with a powerful line “In Poetry One Can Find Freedom” which is one of the things we discussed in class about just how open-ended poetry can be and how versatile it is. She then talked about her love for poems as a young kid and actually recited one of the poems she wrote for her teaching assistant. At the end of the blog, she reflected on how studying poetry in ASTU classes reminded her of her love for poetry.

Much like Kate, Anjali and Esther also talked about poetry in their blogs. They both discussed the power of poetry to evoke thoughts and emotions in the readers. In her blog, Esther opens by talking about her preconceptions of poetry being “basically just words on a page”. Personally, I really resonated with this because that was exactly what I thought. She then went on to describe how ASTU classes discussions and in-class analysis really changed the way she viewed poetry. As Anjali said in her blog, poetry is “a great way to mention and bring up sensitive subjects that could be censored if talked about openly” and I could not disagree. From my point of view, Esther and Anjali’s blogs summed up how I feel about poetry before and now.

Similarly, it was interesting to read Benny and Daniela’s blogs as they both talked about their dislike for poetry before this ASTU class. One of the things Benny brought up on his blog that I could not agree more was the fact that high schools tend to teach poems about love or sadness or war and it is difficult for children to relate to these topics. Thus, it was surprising yet interesting to be analysing and actually resonate with these poems about 9/11 we’re studying in class. Likewise, Daniela was not a huge fan of poetry but through ASTU classes, she began to recognize the power of poetry which allows people to express themselves to the world. She stated on her blog: “No two people have the same lens through which they perceive the world, and this translates, subsequently, into their poetic voices.” She now recognizes the value of poetry in society.

Other students also consider on their views about poetry in their blogs but in a slightly different way. For example, Anthony reflected on Juliana Spahr’s “this connection of everyone with lungs”. He links how the poem talks about air quality to the current air pollution situation in the world and recognizes Iran, Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Botswana as countries with the worst air quality at the moment. To end his blog, Anthony acknowledges that Spahr’s poems not only get people to reflect on the 9/11 events but also on the current environmental situation in the world.

On the other hand, Brenna and Julian did not focus their blogs on poetry but instead on Moshin Hamid’s “The Reluctant Fundamentalist”. In his blog, Julian reflected on his experience growing up in downtown New York close by the Twin Towers where 9/11 took place. He recognizes the culture of fear in the US following the event and understands “where the culture of fear stems from in the United States”. Furthermore, Brenna reflected on her experience with Hamid’s novel. She said: “Even though I do like to consider myself as cultured, I am guilty of mainly having contact with predominantly Western literature.” Thus reading The Reluctant Fundamentalist really changed the way she sees the world.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading everyone’s blogs this week and see what each person has to say about what we are doing in class. As stated above, I really resonated with Anjali, Esther, Benny and Daniela blogs in the sense that I had fairly negative preconceptions of poetry before this ASTU class. Nevertheless, much like them, I now actually enjoy reading and analysing the poems we are studying. Also, I can now see how poetry can trigger one’s thoughts and emotions about a particular topic. Thus, I now understand why poetry is such an important genre to study in literature.

Blogs cited:

Kate – https://blogs.ubc.ca/katepasula/

Esther – https://blogs.ubc.ca/astuhomework/

Anjali – https://blogs.ubc.ca/abentley/

Benny – https://blogs.ubc.ca/bennyastu/

Daniela – https://blogs.ubc.ca/danielaastu/

Anthony – https://blogs.ubc.ca/anthonym/

Brenna – https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/

Julian – https://blogs.ubc.ca/julianyau/

Our last task in ASTU brought each individual in class to the stunning Amazonia exhibit at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. There, my classmates were immersed in an environment of wonder, provided by the various textiles, carvings, feathers, ceramics and knowledge held in the exhibit.

Brenna’s upbringing in the Amazon area led to a very interesting personal story that she could reflect upon during this task. She had visited the Amazon as a young girl and had photos woven into her writing that showed her travels there amongst the Indigenous people of the area, where she had the opportunity to “experience their lifestyle.”

Like Brenna, Leah also had prior experience with the Amazon, gained through the reading of a book that takes place in Amazonia. Both classmates spoke of the ideas they had about the Amazon, and the knowledge they gained upon visiting the Amazonia exhibit.

Brenna compared the “Rights of Nature” pamphlet she found upon entering the exhibit to her experience living in Hong Kong, and drew an appreciation for the significant effort that Vancouver takes to preserve, respect, and maintain the environment. Leah talked about how the exhibit brought to her awareness some sad truths regarding the rainforest. She noted for example that: “45% of the Amazon is protected natural areas and Indigenous territories” and lamented that this is only less than half.

Leah, Brenna, Anjali, Telisa, Daanish, Julian, Benny, Silvana and Anna all spoke about statistics. In Anna’s post, I was able to look at photos of the statistics these classmates were referencing: statistics about deforestation and its causes – from oil production to logging and from mining to agriculture. In addition to the discussion featuring the dire statistics, all the bloggers spoke of the devastation indigenous people or nature face in the Amazon.

Relating to statistics, Leah and Anjali both bring up the same devastating number: 891. This is the amount of “targeted assassinations of Indigenous people in Brazil.” These assassinations were carried out so that deforestation could continue without anything, or anyone, standing in the way.

Many of my fellow students said that although they had been to the exhibit before, this assignment gave them the opportunity to take more time, and like Amanda, “carefully explore” the exhibit. Telisa talked about how the exhibit introduced her to “a whole new world that [she] was unaware of.”

The exhibit caused the bloggers to open their eyes, and inspired them to go further and dig deeper, to learn more.

Thanks to the task of reading my classmates insightful and interesting blogs, I look forward to returning to the Amazonia exhibit with these new and diverse ideas in my mind.

All of my classmates seem to share an admiration for the Amazon and a joint concern for its current and future state, I share their awe and uneasiness. One of the larger issues that emerge from the dialogue is the matter of balance between economic development and sustainability when it comes to the Amazonian rainforest.  Governments have tried to stimulate development of industry and economic growth at the expense of the rainforest while local people have used the rainforest as a way to make a living, under grave circumstances. It is understandable how people from lower wealth economies pursue work to improve their circumstance, however it is often done illegally and unsustainably. The question remains, can this development be done in an environmentally sustainable way.

As my classmates pointed out, it isn’t only about the preservation of the forest but also the preservation of the cultures of Amazonian native people that have been disrupted and even killed as a result of the unlawful exploitation of the rainforest’s resources. In the same way we need to protect the environment in which they live, we too need to protect the natural tribes of the area.

A related issue goes to the growing population base in the Amazon. The pressure of a growing population can work to degrade and destroy the rainforest if proper rules and practices are not implemented. One can learn how to sustainability harvest the forest; one also needs to ensure that illegal logging is controlled and halted.  This again brings us to the dilemma people and governments from this region must confront: that is, the need to earn a living while not destroying the very environment that could provide for that living over the very long run.

Blog’s cited:

https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/

https://blogs.ubc.ca/leahtaylor/

https://blogs.ubc.ca/abentley/

https://blogs.ubc.ca/telisa/

https://blogs.ubc.ca/amandasblog/

The topic of our most recent blog posts was the “Amazonia” exhibit (curated by Nuno Porto) in the Museum of Anthropology, which revolves around the Amazon rainforest. Many of my classmates wrote in detail about how the exhibit’s contents allowed them to learn much about the lifestyles and and tools of the Indigenous tribes that live in the rainforest. Several of my classmates focused on a single artefact at the exhibit to illustrate in depth something that struck them in particular. Amanda focused on a bowl called kené used by the Shipibo tribe to show how the members of the Shipibo give seemingly mundane objects of utilitarian use a spiritual significance, as they use the kené as “a form of gaining access to the spiritual world by drinking ayahuasca from them”. To many of my classmates, going to the exhibit was an eye-opening experience due to the exposure to the vastly different lifestyles of these Amazonian tribes.

Since the Amazon is so well-known, most (if not all) of the class visited the exhibit with some prior knowledge of the rainforest beforehand. Daniela, who grew up in Brazil learning about the Amazon, stated that the exhibit allowed her to understand the different perspectives and contexts regarding the highly politically contested entity that is the Amazon. In her education, she said that she had “never truly been taught anything other than practical facts about the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and the brutal colonization and exploitation of Indigenous people”. Realizing that one’s prior knowledge is insufficient enables one to undertake further understanding, and Daniela attests to this, stating that “it is just as important for us to also take the time to learn about the culture and lives that inhabit these territories”, because “With understanding comes, beyond practical knowledge, empathy – which could certainly be of use if we wish to educate people in a bid to stop the destruction and violence against Indigenous people”.

Many of my classmates also linked the “Amazonia” exhibit to the concepts we learnt in other courses, particularly to our human geography course. For example, Brenna highlighted how the exhibit was related to what she learnt about the “concept of territory and the discrepancy in views between indigenous groups and European colonists”; while indigenous tribes “respected and shared the land and used it to the amount they needed, saving it from depletion”, European colonists “believed that land should be owned by the person who uses it most efficiently”. Indeed, this was made very evident when we look upon the main drivers of exploitation of the rainforest, such as cattle ranching and oil production, which are products of the capitalism that colonizers brought to South America. Because of this, “[the European colonizers] saw [indigenous tribes] as not using the land to its “full” potential and believed that land should be owned by the person who uses it most efficiently”. This led to the bloody process of land exploitation from the indigenous tribes that continues to this day.

Moreover, Daanish’s thoughtful and well-written reflections linked the lifestyles and cultures he learnt about with the broader processes that were studied in class. He states that, “the artifacts presented within it were indicators not only of values, but of material processes and social, political, economic, and historic relationships”. While his comment and examples focused on the relationships amongst Amazonian tribes, the same could be said about relationships between the indigenous tribes and the more urban population in South America, for as we learnt from Nuno Porto’s presentation, the tribes have recently established trade of their goods with the urban populations. While we study these past relationships to form a better understanding of the people who survive and thrive on this mysterious forest, it is apt to use this knowledge to forge relationships of respect and understanding.

Works cited: Daanish’s blog (https://blogs.ubc.ca/daanishsayani/2018/01/18/blog-4-on-the-amazonia-exhibit/), Brenna’s blog (https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/), Daniela’s blog (https://blogs.ubc.ca/danielaastu/), Amanda’s blog (https://blogs.ubc.ca/amandasblog/)

For this ASTU blog assignment, students from the “Global Citizens” CAP stream visited the “Amazonia: The Rights of Nature” exhibit currently held at UBC’s Museum of Anthropology. The exhibit features items from the indigenous communities, and aims to deepen visitors’ understanding of the people and the rainforest – especially the challenges faced and ongoing movements to meet them. We were asked to write a reflective blog post in preparation for our CAP Joint Lecture. I noticed the many similar points of interest made by my classmates.

Firstly, many of my classmates noted the indigenous people’s close connection to nature, which vastly differs from the sense of detachment traditionally held in the West. Anthony recalls from a recent Geography reading that the European settlers saw nature as a lifeless “commodity” to be bounded and traded. In contrast, the natives often saw the land as having life. Brenna mentions an example that I think strikingly highlights the discrepancy between the two groups’ attitude to nature. She writes that the natives’ hunting process was not merely for survival, but is infused with spiritual meaning as it is tied to shamanism, where “a transcendental connection and exchange between the hunter and the spirit of the animal” occurs. She contrasts it to the commodification through cattle ranches, and lack of connection with meat that many people in the West have. The natives’ connection to the natural world is further demonstrated through their material objects. Daniela points out how the natural world was often the source of inspiration for the designs of many indigenous communities’ artefacts. She sees the translation, and “to learn that every detail is made to resemble an idea bigger than what is seen” admirable. Daanish similarly observes how infused the artefacts are with cultural significance – such as being representative of their cosmological narrative. Daniela’s realisation leads her to question “Western ideals of materialism and wasteful consumerism”. I find indigenous approaches to material items and life in general – finding a connection and experiencing something bigger than the self – refreshing.

Moreover, nearly all of my classmates drew parallels of the situation in Amazonia to elsewhere on Earth. As Anthony and Anjali rightly notes, indigenous peoples worldwide face similar challenges, such as loss of people to assassinations, loss of traditional land territories to corporations and exploitations, environmental challenges, and also a loss of culture and way of life. Benny brings this connection very close to home when he critically reminds us of the logging industry in British Columbia: “While I understand that facts regarding the Peruvian and Brazilian Amazon are accurate and alarming, it comes across as somewhat hypocritical to be critiquing countries in South America for very similar practices that the forestry industry engages in here.” I find his comment a wake-up call for us to question and truly consider our connection with the issues on hand.

Finally, many classmates see a personality responsibility that each of us hold regarding the future of indigenous communities and the natural environment. This is with regards to the Amazonian region, but also across the world. Telisa and Anna G asks us to be more mindful in our actions and consumer habits. For example, deforestation is a major challenge in the Amazon and as Anna G points out, we play a role in the picture with our demands for “palm oil, sugar, soy, and beef”.

I see a link between our consumer demands and the first point regarding the indigenous people’s close relationship with nature. Perhaps we should learn to slow down our consumer purchases and especially our acquisition of material items. Hopefully, slowing down will help us become more mindful as we consider all the processes that had to take place before a given item – be it an edible product, artwork, or general material item – is in front of you. I believe that cultivating such a mindful attitude will help us better appreciate, and find greater meaning in something.

This insight of indigenous communities highlights the great wisdom they hold. It is my hope that we will learn to listen to, respect, and incorporate indigenous peoples and their knowledge as we deal with the challenges our planet face together.

Brenna: https://blogs.ubc.ca/brennasblog/

Daniela: https://blogs.ubc.ca/danielaastu/

Daanish: https://blogs.ubc.ca/daanishsayani/2018/01/18/blog-4-on-the-amazonia-exhibit/

Anthony: https://blogs.ubc.ca/anthonym/

Anjali: https://blogs.ubc.ca/abentley/

Benny: https://blogs.ubc.ca/bennyastu/

Telisa: https://blogs.ubc.ca/telisa/

Anna G: https://blogs.ubc.ca/annagiestingastublog/

Over the past two weeks, my peers and I visited the Museum of Anthropology specifically for the “Amazonia” exhibition. The exhibit was small and compact, filled with information regarding the indigenous societies of the Amazon rainforest, contrasted with information about the Amazon forest now.

To begin with, many of my peers started on a visual level, describing the most interesting things in the exhibit. Edward, Lukas and Daanish made comments about the fascinating historical artefacts and hand crafts displayed. In particular, the feathers drew the attention of Lukas, for their uses in traditional ceremonies. The artifacts and lifestyle of the Amazonian heavily differs from the “modern”, Alexa compares the meticulous artifacts with our “tall buildings and 20 minute traffic”, as well as pointing out a significant distinction, where our society now are growing further and further away from nature.

A more melancholic reflection is shown when my peers reach the section of the exhibit, showing the statistics of deforestation and coal mining in the Amazon rainforest. As stated by Lukas, how shocked he was seeing the amount of deforestation for cattle farming. Daanish raises the question about “our devaluation of the narratives and systems” in regards to the indigenous societies. Evidently, my peers were deeply moved by the eye opening experience in the Amazonia exhibit, that what once was a society is now torn apart gives us an opportunity to reflect on our lifestyles now, and how it affects others and their history.

From the conversation between my peers, a question came to my mind after reading Alexa’s input. Is our society “better” than before. An intuitive response would be yes, as the connection, globalization, most importantly convenience and comfort brought by the advancement of technologies, yet it tramples other societies, as shown in this Amazonian exhibition. Years of cultivation, history, unique artefacts and knowledge only merely preserved but not celebrated, we went from chasing our pray till exhaustion to working eight hours a day sitting in a chair. Our lives have drastically changed and we are moving further away from nature, but is it for the better?

Alexa – https://blogs.ubc.ca/alexafordyblog/

Daanish – https://blogs.ubc.ca/daanishsayani/

Edward – https://blogs.ubc.ca/edwardyinblog/

Lukas – https://blogs.ubc.ca/lukasblog/

Over the past couple of weeks, our ASTU class has been focusing on reading and discussing Joy Kogawa’s historical novel Obasan. Following a trip to the Rare Books and Special Collections (RBSC) section of the UBC library, we were given the task of reflecting and writing about our findings at the Kogawa Fonds – a series of handwritten drafts for the book, rejection letters from publishers, letters exchanged while the internment of Japanese Canadian citizens was occurring and many other documents used as Obasan was being written. Many of us were surprised by the significant amounts of research and historical consideration that went into Joy Kogawa’s writing process, and were ultimately left with a greater understanding and newfound appreciation for the novel, as well as its author.

I believe that, by being given access to materials and documents that were part of the creation of Obasan, our class was also granted permission to see the novel beyond its finished product. As Lukas points out, this exploration allowed him “to understand the ideas that went through Kogawa’s mind while she was planning and writing the novel”. We were given a new perspective on the author that we would not have otherwise observed had we only read the book alone. Furthermore, Lukas stressed the levels of careful planning and thought that were put into this novel. Nejmo contributes to this argument by highlighting the importance of Kogawa’s several paper drafts to add “more depth regarding her experience as a Japanese-Canadian”. Had she not kept such documents, we would have also lost part of the history that is so carefully laid out in Obasan.

Many of us also found it to be quite shocking that, prior to being published, this novel was met with a great deal of reluctance and criticism – and began to reflect on why this could be. Several publishers argued that Kogawa’s book was simply not engaging enough, that the readers were simply not going to be able to establish a strong enough connection with its “misty” characters to keep reading. However, Silvana brings out an interesting argument to counteract such sayings as she states that “it is this precise mistiness, haziness, that comes with recalling one’s ghosts of old past, that portrays the story so well”. Traumatic events are, by nature, extremely difficult to think about, and even more challenging to retell. By making her characters seem “hazy”, Kogawa subtly highlights the difficulties of remembering her own trauma, the haziness of her recollection. She has trouble connecting with her past – and even more trouble writing it down and, as Silvana shows, that is the essence of Obasan.

Moreover, it was interesting too see how several students pointed out the connections they established between the internment of the Japanese Canadians and the suffering of the First Nations community, particularly when it comes to residence schools. Both groups, though at different times in history and with their own particular sets of difficulties, suffered in the hands of the Canadian government. As Julian describes his visit to Iqaluit (Nunavut’s capital) and the things he learned with the community, he points out the consequences of the residential school program and “generational trauma” it brought; many individuals have, even after being subjected to such horrendous events, turned to heavy drinking and substance abuse, as Julian notes, to cope with the memories of their past, or to attempt to erase them.  With the residential schools, Julian points out cases in which mothers were forcefully separated from their daughters, much like Kogawa and her family members being drastically separated from each other during the war after years of being a “tight-knit” family. In both cases, we can see how the Canadian government played a huge role in the erasure of these communities’ cultures and voices – and as many of us pointed out, although apology statements and reparations have been put in order, the consequences and trauma of such events still find themselves very much present within these communities that were once much stronger in presence within our Canadian society. As Anjali notes, “most indigenous people believe that they have not received complete recognition from the Canadian government”, and the same can be said of the Japanese Canadian community. After years of being wrongfully targeted and made to follow drastic orders by their own government, both of these groups, to this day, have yet to feel fully compensated and have their suffering recognized by its own perpetrator.

Further, as we observe this “targeting” of minority groups in Canada, Leah presents a bold and reflective statement as she argues that “Caucasian people would never be ostracized like that in Canada”. Leah argues that, while we claim to live in a country that takes pride in its diversity, white privilege is very much present; the idea of a situation like the one faced by the Japanese Canadians being presented to the Caucasian population is almost unimaginable in today’s society. As she points out, if a white person reached out to the government for help, they would receive what they needed – unlike the thousands of innocent Japanese Canadian civilians the Canadian government turned its back on.

Finally, many of us, like Anjali and Julian, concluded their blog posts by highlighting the importance of history and memory of past mistakes when moving forward as a society to stop us from repeating them. Our stories of prejudice, as David puts it, serve as a “grim reminder of the cruelties of the past”. In order for us to prevent the reoccurrence of such horrendous acts against our own, we must begin by acknowledging the ones that have already taken place. On this note, the use of historical novels should be taken into consideration when remembering the past; they are, as Melody suggests , “a powerful tool in transmitting this knowledge [about history] to a new generation”. History, as she notes, has a tendency for repetition and, if we wish to prevent future generations from experiencing the pain and suffering their ancestors did, novels such as Obasan can serve as important reminders to our successors of the mistakes that were once made.

Works Cited – Links:

Anjali Bentley – https://blogs.ubc.ca/abentley/

David Lee – https://blogs.ubc.ca/davidscorner/

Julian Yau – https://blogs.ubc.ca/julianyau/

Leah Taylor – https://blogs.ubc.ca/leahtaylor/

Lukas Graf – https://blogs.ubc.ca/lukasblog/

Melody Yu – https://blogs.ubc.ca/melosastu100blog/

Nejmo Serraoui – https://blogs.ubc.ca/betterlatethannever/

Silvana Martinez Zapata – https://blogs.ubc.ca/silvanamastu/on-obasan/