While looking through all of the new keywords this week, my attention was drawn to Mestisaje. From what I understand, it is essentially a term used to describe a person of mixed Latin American origins. It seems to me that this term is mostly a product of colonization, considering its prerequisite is the racial mixing between Latin America and other regions of the world.
Growing up, I – and most of us – were taught about European imperialism. My own racial identity is Scottish and Afro-Caribbean, where I can trace my African side back to the Trans-Atlantic slave trade when my ancestors were brought to Jamaica. Through my background, I can begin to understand the term Mestisaje in Latin America, where people who identify with this word could have been a product of Spanish or Portuguese colonization.
With that being said, I appreciate how Mestisaje has seemingly evolved in meaning over the years. In the beginning, as highlighted by the keyword post, it used to signify the impurities of “hybrid” individuals, creating a very clear division between their Latin blood and European blood. It made sure that though they were partially European, their Latin American heritage would keep them inferior to “pure” Europeans. Today, from what I can see, Mestisaje is now a more positive term, which reflects the unique backgrounds of mixed individuals that are something to celebrate and not feel shame for. Though the wounds from colonialism are still very much apparent in many communities, I think this is a great reclamation of a once negative term.
Hi Grace! I really enjoyed reading your post. I found it interesting how you brought up that many of us were taught the history of European imperialism and colonization. This is true for me as well, but it made me think back to when I did learn it in high school. For me, a lot of the emphasis was on the act of colonization and what the colonizers did, but it did not focus on the indigenous groups that were subject to these acts. I just wanted to comment on that, since that line to me was very thought-provoking and made me reflect on my past experiences in school.
Thank you so much for your comment! I also hadn’t thought of it that way. You’re right, I’ve always learned from the point of view of the colonizers and their actions. I hope I can begin to understand the Indigenous points of view as well!
Hi Grace!
I really appreciate how you view Mestisaje as a positive term, I agree with you. I believe that the negative connotation has slowly been erased and is just the name of a new ethnicity. I really like that it’s possible that with time, things can change. I fear that this is not believed widely enough though. I feel like society likes to “stick” with the negative connotation of terms, and refuses to look forward and accept that things evolve.
Hi Andrea, I appreciate your comment! Since I am not from Latin America it’s not my place to truly determine if it’s a positive term or not, but it seems to me that more and more people are seeing it as so, which makes me happy! I think the evolution of the word is great 🙂