Month: March 2021

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Week 12: Comics

I’ve always found comic strips similar to Mafalda interesting because of the variety of readers they can appeal to. Both children and adults can enjoy them and get different meanings from the text, and Mafalda seems to be quite similar. However, what Mafalda seems to focus on is the middle class of Argentina, and in doing so we as readers can get a better idea of the culture that the middle class in Argentina lived in.  Like Cosse said, the comics brought to light the social, political, and economic issues that were unique to the burgeoning middle class, and in doing so we can learn a lot about what matters to a culture, and what sets them apart. As well as the use of humor in exploring social dynamics and identities.

For the first page of the Mafalda comics, I had a hard time fully understanding the concepts, possibly the humor was lost in translation. But in particular, there were two that caught my attention. Number 4 and 5 on page 2, the first which I believe was a humorous look at the more progressive aspects of middle-class social thoughts on gender roles, and the conflicts that still occur in society with these new interpretations. And the second, which I can relate to my own family experiences in many ways of the generational divide when it comes to patterns of consumption, especially in the case of the father in the comic who probably did not grow up middle class.

Taken from our readings. “humor operates ‘‘in a sociopositive way to solidify a group’’ and favors ‘‘social self-reflection.’’

Along with humor, what are some other aspects of social life that you believe can operate in similar ways? Possibly there are some in the previous topics we discussed.

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Week 10: Soccer in Sun and Shadow

Firstly I want to say that the format that Galeano uses is quite interesting and makes the reading quite accessible, even for someone who is not that interested in football such as myself. What I found interesting from the very start is the distinction that was made between what is the shallow popular culture view of football players and the lives they live, while giving another side to the story of what reality can look like for many players. Whereas the game is so simple and grounded, Galeano draws to attention how at the high level, the actual playing of football gets ever smaller. With the cameras, sponsorships, expectations, and business interests “buy him, sell him, lend him”.

Learning about the origins of football was quite intriguing and in many ways, I believe football’s status in culture even today is quite closely linked to centuries ago in England. With Football being considered “riotous and plebian” in early English society, we can see similar class connotations of football that exist in many places even today, with football being considered a working-class sport while sports such as rugby or cricket have quite the opposite reputation. I think we can also say that football is such a part of popular culture in so many parts of the world exactly because it is accessible to even the working class parts of society.

Were there similar class associations with sports where you grew up? Did you find yourself pushed in a certain direction with participation or opinion due to those connotations?

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Week 9: The Fighting Cholitas

The clip about the fighting Cholitas was quite a refreshing view on what I understood as a mostly male-dominated sport, as the image that comes to mind when I think of wrestling are usually the very commercial WWE events with mostly men performing, while media depictions of wrestling in the Latin American context are those of male luchadors.

What I found to be particularly significant was the pride with which the women performed and spoke about wrestling. There was definitely a sense that everything such as the style of their clothing being something very cultural to them as Bolivians as well as the wrestling being very connected to their identity. In many ways, it seems that they see the wrestling of the good vs bad as symbolizing some of the challenges that they have faced in their own lives.
There also seems to be fighting back against the cultural norms that have existed as obstacles to them expressing themselves as wrestlers and performers. I also thought the makers of the documentary did a good job in showing the women as more than just wrestlers and interviewing them to find out their entire identities, rather than just by their relationships or professions.
A question that comes to mind is how big a part does sports play in your own life and the cultures that you grew up with?
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Week 8: Religion (Sarita Colonia & Maria Lionza)

This week’s readings gave me an interesting look at the origins and modifications that can occur in religious tradition and practices. Although I have read briefly about how the major religions of today were formed themselves as having many elements derived from previous pagan religions, I did not quite know how recent many of these evolutions are still occurring. With the case of the Cult of Maria Lionza, I found it really fascinating to learn about how cultural forces can combine the Catholic, Indigenous, and African religions into one.  And more so as to how Maria Lionza herself has more than one portrayal in her appearance, possibly changing based upon the group who are worshipping her. There are also the more recent cultural forces that have been introduced into the Cult of Maria Lionza such as the association of Hugo Chavez, whose political actions seem to resonate with many of the followers of Maria Lionza. In the case of the Sarita Colonia reading, I found it fascinating to see how a person who lived such a normal life came to be so venerated and worshiped, it seems like a stark contrast from many of the other public figures we seem to look up to who are quite the opposite. If I’m honest I could not figure out the meaning of the story itself, the allegory and messaging flew right over my head, although I have a feeling the snake is of importance as is with Christianity. But I hope I can read some of the other entries and get a better idea!

The figures that culture seems to hold in high regard such as Sarita Colonia can tell a lot about what they value. What are the cultural factors and induces that might affect who we idolize in such a way as students in Vancouver in 2021?

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