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Mafalda depicted the power of the unconditioned eyes of children and the wisdom that comes out of their innocence.  The cartoon of Mafalda reflects the possible simplicity of the human condition and what we are facing as humans; our tendencies and our desires for humour, love, kindness, simplicity etc. Furthermore, through the eyes of a child we are able to highlight the seemingly obvious flaws in society ; Mafalda to her teacher: “Now, please, can you teach us something important?”. Through a more human medium, (art, humour, story telling), the cartoon is able to incite personal reflection regarding the structures we are living in.  It is interesting to see how art taps into a space and core that we  all mutually understand and relate to. The mediums that incite reflection through personal connection are the most effective in creating change and provoking thought.

The Eternaut was in the form of a graphic novel telling a larger story that had me on the tips of my toes! I loved the art work and medium of a comic/graphic novel because, unlike books, the readers are all inserted in the same visual world. It was interesting to see how the spaces of men and women were clear and depicted in common classifications of Latin culture; the woman helping with the sewing of the suit, counting the food and only acknowledged for her ability to be able to stay composed .

 

Guillermo Gomez-Pena’s excerpt was super interesting to me as Marcos ingeniously inspired the people and constructed his whole persona with the ways, desires and tendencies of the people/media. El Sup observed the structures in which people interact with and create their own knowledge (which in turn create themselves and their own perceptions) and infiltrated  peoples perceptions with relatability and dominating sources of information (with powerful images etc). With an almost dialectical technique, Marcos was both powerful and humble, of the people and of the world, a revolutionary leader and a sex icon, everything people wanted him to be without anyone knowing who he was. As humans, we are extremely dialectical and it was interesting to me how Marcos utilised this human tendency to help construct his identity and his relations/grip on the people and the media. That being said, the love affair with el Sup had to end, just like telenovelas, and the people moved on to the next big thing, as we tend to do with our diminishing attention spans.  In relation to our last reading on hybridity, it was interesting to see how Marcos’ ” sophisticated internationalism” and ability to relate  and be a part of pop-culture (as an exotic sex icon) allowed him to be connected and liked by the people.

“At one point it became hard to draw a line between radical politics and pop-culture, between solidarity and revolutionary consumerism”

Mary C. Beltran explores “the politics of representation” specifically in the case of Jennifer Lopez’ ‘star image’ at the end of 1998. Beltran investigates the sexualization of Lopez  as a ‘cross over figure’ moving into the hollywood mainstream. The question is raised whether the sexualization of Lopez perpetuates the stereotypes of Latinas or is an image of empowerment supporting those with non-model-thin bodies to celebrate their curves. Reading this made me a little itchy as it is a sensitive topic that can deals just as much with the politics representation as a woman as well as a person of a minority. Additionally the comparison between Spanish-language-media vs english-language-media was intriguing. The depiction of Jennifer Lopez could be an indication to what is seen as favourable traits to either culture. In spanish-media there could possibly an emphasis on family and relation to the people and western media– the body and sex. Jennifer Lopez claimed power to her own body by loving and showing off her butt, an asset (pun intended) that is glorified in our current day.

— I wasn’t able to do the full Patria Roman Velazquez reading as essays are piling up but will return to this.

This reading had a similar theme of reinvestigating a commonly used term (hybrid/hybridisation) and deconstructing and critiquing the current and potential application of the term. Canclini’s writing was intriguing as his thoughts and findings are applicable to many aspects of how the world functions in these globalised times.

One thing I found interesting was, the concept of a ‘pure point of origin’ never really existing in this globalised state. This reminded me of an advertisement I saw recently by the travel company Momondo (even though it might be a bit of a tangent in regard to Latin American studies). The ad had 67 participants  take a DNA test that shows their ancestry (click here for video). Prior to showing the participants the results, the people were asked where they thought they were from and a few participants expressed dislike for particular ethnicities and/or superiority of their ancestry through prejudices or their ‘purity’. Upon receiving the tests back most of the participants were shocked humbled to find how mixed their ancestry actually was. Although the ethnicity testing was critiqued amongst people in the field of DNA testing, the point was to depict how we are not as far away or unrelated to one another as we like to think! As Canclini stated “We can chose to live in a state of war or in a state of hybridisation” (xxxi). So, we must chose to embrace the overlaps between cultures, people, societies or we must be in constant collision, fighting for what belongs to whom and not progressing together. But what can be lost and how do we respect the tragedies of the past?

In the context of humans as a whole, the rise of technology (from biological DNA testing to social media)  allows every one in the world to share and be connected on some level.  Globalisation has created a form of mass hybridity to a certain extent, yet we are all still grounded in our own differences –cultures and beliefs. This is particularly interesting to me as  it  is relevant in our ever-globalising world but at the same time, fundamental traditions/beliefs must still be treated with respect and not appropriated as a pseudo hybridisation or just lost.

This week I decided not to summarise the readings as much, but instead write down my personal reactions to the pieces as a whole:

For both pieces, it was incredible to see the depths at which popular culture can be embedded within a society.  In the case of Latin America, it is embedded in ways that are not detached and languid as seen more commonly within other societies. Instead it is integrated in through greatly personal and emotional attachments to the pop culture (ie. sport/telenovela). Yes, these passionate attachments to a ‘pop-culture’ are also seen within Western and other societies (most commonly in sport, politics, religion music and art) however, these attachments  are not as all encompassing in terms of the mass population. Latin American culture continues to merge and explore the polarities of their people and unite them in a love and passion for something (an aspect of pop-culture),  making that ‘something’ core to everyday life and to what it means to be  from that country.

These readings fascinated me as the lines between  the experience of the mass and the experience of the individual are very shared. On their own accord people are passionate about something and that is shared in the masses making them insanely powerful. The power of the people is seen in the political unease created by the telenovela and the mourning of Brazil’s 1950 world cup loss. It was interesting to see how emotion, passion and simply loving something A LOT, dictate to some extent the political actions, decisions and social order.

 

Ortiz, Fernando & Millington, Mark. 

Reading Ortiz was interesting as it advocated for a liberated, more all encompassing perception on the social, cultural, historical and political aspects of colonisation in Latin America (more specifically Cuba) yet it still exhibits a ethnocentric perception.  This slight racism reflected the common thought in anthropology at the time which was sociocultural evolution. As a result of this context,  I felt slightly suspicious of Ortiz but not as bad as  with Vasconcelos. Ortiz refers to the palaeolithic Indian as having an “inability to adjust himself to the culture brought in by the Spaniards” (99) as well as referring to people as Mongoloids and Negroes and comparing their cultures as less  “advanced” in comparison to Indian and European.  But other than those contextual semantics, Ortiz was arguing for a more attentive perception! Ortiz vouches for a better, more respectful and aware way to address the convergence and collisions of culture throughout Latin America.

Although in theory and on paper this is a positive thing, as seen in Millington’s article it brings up much criticisms as well. Millington critiques Ortiz by bringing up the point that it is not possible to encompass the intricacies of culture in Latin America and instead it just becomes a generalised term, commonly used but not really understood in its historical, political, social and cultural contexts.

And like the snow on the ground, work has begun to pile up and annoyingly poke at my face. So, I was able to read Peter Wade’s piece and only start Vasconcelos’. I will add my response to Vasconcelos once I have finished the piece.

Wade, Peter.    “Rethinking Mestizaje: Ideology and Lived Experience”.

I am a mestiza from the Philippines and the United states but was born and raised in Indonesia. The Philippines was also colonised by Spain and the term mestiza/o is also used very commonly  to describe people with Filipino and foreign ancestry (Initially only Spanish/Filipino but the term broadened).  This mix has led to my many questions regarding identity in relation to blood, experience, environment, location and culture. Furthermore, it made this a very interesting read for me.  I have been given the term mestiza to describe my origin and growing up it was just a term that identified that I am of two lineages, my mother’s and my fathers. I did not think too much of it until I understood the historical implications and connotations as I grew up; but I couldn’t help but feel that many connotations have begun to hold less weight with time (at least in the Philippines). It also really depends on lived experience and individual situations (personal encounters with varying ancestries).

I felt the truth of mestizaje “ be[ing] understood as the interweaving of two processes, both of which have symbolic and structural reality.. at the level of the embodied person and family as well as the nation” (240). Wade recognises that it is important to prfioritize the lived experience and acknowledge the past and the present in order to see the full picture (which is always changing/growing). I agree with Wade in that ideologies and lived experience  influences one another. I also feel that most people will agree with this as well, it might even be quite common knowledge. To me, it will always come down to the individual’s history and experience making it impossible to fully encompass in generalisations.

Mestisaje is powerful in the sense that it can ‘alienate indigenous and black people or as a liberating force that defies colonial and neo-colonial categories of ethnicity and race’.

It is interesting to me that physical attributes are always at the forefront of human interactions until proven otherwise through experience or personal connection.  Additionally, throughout this piece I noticed the importance of expression in times of loss/tragedy. Dance and music expressed history and stories beyond words, that moved souls and bodies. Music and dance transcended skin as it continues to do everyday!

This is the definition I found most accurate: “Mestizo-ness is not simply opposed to blackness and indigenousness; rather blackness and indigenousness are actively reconstructed by mestizo-ness.” (245)

Arguedas, José María.       The Pongo’s Dream

This folktale can be seen as a depiction of José María Arguedas’ perceptions on masters and their serfs in Peru.  Arguedas depicts masters with cruel and merciless attitudes; and serfs, specifically the pongo–the lowest of the low , as the humble, devout and altruistic. This story seems to tell a story of karma, or a ‘what goes around comes around’ idea, revealing that justice will come to those deserving and glory will be returned to the good. Arguedas’ writing style was succinct allowing the piece to deliver it’s message clearly

Asturias, Miguel Angel.

I deeply enjoyed Asturias’ writing style in throughout all this stories; it was vibrant and dense; allowing readers to be fully immersed within the essence of what is being told as well as the images. Asturias’ themes seem to explore the dialectical realms of commitment (both physical and spiritual), nature and man/woman.

The Legend of the Singing Tablets: Each sentence was so beautifully poetic and filled with thick layers of imagery. ~~ “… the swelling moon which suddenly would no longer be contained either in their mouths, or their eyes”~~ I am still unsure of the full meaning of the story I would have to read it again more attentively, however I feel it has to do with the ephemeral moments of glory and success and the cycle of that moment disappearing too.

cycles of love–commitment– hardship–success–love–and back again and again!~

The Legend of the Crystal Mask: This story had a more ominous and lingering tone than the first one. Additionally, this story evoked the senses much more and immersed the reader through this technique and less imagery (compared to the last). As a creator/artist as well, the concept of creations taking on their own life intrigued me and begs me to ask more questions to the meaning of it all!

The Legend of the Silent Bell was intriguing as it showed the explicit differences and perceptions of european and native peoples. Meaning was muffled within symbolism for me but hopefully that will be cleared up soon in class.

I also enjoyed The Legend of the Dancing Butchers. This story was a beautiful exploration of death and layers in many possible morals.

 

Late post due to catching the wretched flu floating around!  :

This piece the beginning sections of this reading struck a cord in me because of my personal experiences travelling throughout Peru and also my time spent with indigenous peoples from Sungai Utik Indonesia.

Having lived on the other side of the world my knowledge on the influence of colonisation within Latin American indigenous communities, and popular culture for that matter, was very basic.  So, learning the depths at which adaptation and merging of cultures occurred was fascinating to me.  The acknowledgment that the convergence of cultures did result in a new form  of culture (although in unjust circumstances) gives me slight reassurance when grappling  with the hardships indigenous peoples go through in the face of modernity.  It gives me reassurance as culture continues to persevere in times of pressure.  “The search for purely Indian expression is romantic and anti-historical” was an interesting point as it calls people to the present reality and gives space for contemporary indigenous life to evolve and continue through whatever influence. Additionally, this loosens the ties of modernity colliding with tradition and allows all dimensions history to be acknowledged.  This piece emphasised the avoiding superimposition by analysing and understanding the convergence of many cultures in Latin America as opposed to a romanticised history.

Jorge Luis Borges

Borges writes in the format of a conversation. Through the format, broken grammar and vulgar language we are able to get an intimate feel for who this character is and where he is from (even though I had to remind myself this kid was not from the US due to his slang). The piece was confusing in the sense that I did not know the context very well and was slowly uncovering who the character’s were and what they were doing. Having little  knowledge on Peronism and the military acts against Jewish people, this piece was shocking. I am glad that this excerpt was my one of my first encounters with text about this history, as it depicts the depths of the men’s experience within the horrific actions. This excerpt shows how the young men passively struggle with the desire to leave and their newfound obsession with violence. The men both hate and admire their superiors; both want to escape but it seems to have become a game and where else would accept the violence they have become accustomed to? The internal dilemmas of the youth forced into service are clear in the nonchalant, chaotic but thorough way in which the character tells his story to the mysterious Nelly.

Evita Perón

This extract was articulate and passionate  however it was also contradictory and somewhat self centered. I truly admire Evita for her commitment to the people and to change. She represented the voices that were never felt or heard in a system that failed in standing for the people. She opened the eyes to many that felt powerless in the face of oligarchy and preached the immense power of the people and manipulation of the wealthy/government. Although I do agree with many points and aspects that Evita brought to light, I am also sceptical due to her endless love for Perón and her contradictions. I question how much she believed in due to his perceptions of the world. Additionally, this excerpt seems to promote Perón and keep the people on his side even in Evita’s death.

Kyra Fay– I grew up on the islands of Indonesia but my mother is Filipina and my father is from the US. Being a third culture kid (TCK) has allowed me to view the world through the many lenses of “cultures” including the culture created within TCKs .  This has lead to my innate curiosity with culture and human relationship to it.

I am one in the sea of many undeclared arts students; but I am leaning towards Visual Anthropology with a minor in Visual Arts. I enjoy photography, music, art, travelling, and existential angst.

I took a gap year last year where in I worked and then travelled to 4 countries in Latin America! My personal experiences in travelling have brought me to the LAST 201 class in UBC to understand Latin  American culture further.

Con mucho gusto.