Hi all. For this week’s blog entry, I will discuss some elements that caught my attention while listening to this week’s lecture from Jon Beasley-Murray.

To commence, one thing that I find interesting about Empires and Imperialism is how such empires believe that conquest and territorial expansion will prove their culture and nation as victorious and superior, although such a thing is in itself an oxymoron. In fact, as briefly mentioned in the lecture, Spain has always had (at least) a dual identity, composed of a Christian European and a Muslim Arab heritage. It is all made even more heterogenous when considering the presence of people of Jewish background, immigrants, and other minority groups as part of the mix. Additionally, such a conquest and expansion only served to open Spain’s borders and cultural identity, rather than isolate it.

Another thing that I found fascinating was the introduction of some Casta paintings, originating from Spanish colonial Mexico and Texas. To elaborate, I noticed that although the racial and ethnic differences and similarities were purposefully highlighted, there were also significant similarities between the types of clothing worn by individuals and families, no matter their racial or ethnic background. For instance, some Whites were wearing clothes that could be perceived as part of a “lower class” denomination compared to some Mixed, Black or Indigenous peoples that were part of more apparently affluent families. Thus, society would also be divided on wealth rather than only on race and ethnicity.

Finally, I could also relate to this kind of ethnic and racial divide on a personal level, as it is highly present in all three places I have lived in before moving to Vancouver, namely Quebec, Lyon and Chiapas. In Quebec, we almost only rely on three ethnic groupings: White (also called Pure laine or Pure wool), Metis (referring to a mix between White and Indigenous or First Nations), and non-White. Although a lot of people are mixed, we usually call them according to their non-White half. There is also still a lot of work to be done to integrate Africans, Middle Eastern peoples and Asians into society, although Latino peoples are usually better integrated, as they have a easier time learning French and have similar values to that of Quebecois people. France has a very similar problem. To conclude, most individuals in Mexico (especially the part of the population that is university-educated, White, and/or part of the economic and political establishment) still associates higher social and economic status with whiteness. Indigenous or mixed populations, it is important to note, also usually have a harder time finding work, housing, getting loans, being protected by the state and police, and so forth. Thus, although more than a century has passed since slavery was abolished and these practices were abandoned, there is still a lot of work to be done regarding equal rights and opportunities for all ethnic and cultural groups in our modern societies.

Joseph