Author Archives: cynthia lightbody

About cynthia lightbody

Hi my name is Cynthia Lightbody and I am 19 years old! I'm from Vancouver, Canada, and am currently in my second year at UBC.

Unit 6 Post: Guaraní and Pride

The Guaraní group did a wonderful job with their blog lecture! It was organized, informative and engaging. I also loved the pictures! For me, it was especially interesting to learn about Guaraní mythology, and that today, the seven monsters are still thought to be out and about in the countryside. It was also interesting to learn about the relationship the Guaraní have with nature and the environment. In fact, they believe that “more intense contact with the natural world involves a close relationship to the soul or to the respective protector of the being.” To tie in a keyword, the Guaraní ontology seems to especially highlight a non-divide between nature the human. The Guaraní “believe that nature can hear, feel, adorn itself, despair, get tired, get sick, and die” just like a human can.

Though many parts of this lecture stood out to me, there was one in particular that got me thinking: “Despite Guaraní culture and traditions being threatened, the Guaraní are proud of their cultures and continue to live their spirituality and pass on stories as their ancestors once did.” Pride is so interesting to me. Actually, fun fact (or maybe not so fun for those who have also studied lots of psychology), pride (as an emotion) has been a hot topic in the world of psychology for many years. At first it didn’t receive lots of attention because it wasn’t considered to be a primary emotion (such as happiness, disgust, sadness, etc). However, there is now evidence that there is in fact a universal pride expression, and all of this evidence suggests that pride is a basic human emotion. So why all this talk about pride? I just think it’s super interesting to think about the different ways that cultures or groups of people express pride. It’s interesting to think about its stability as well; unlike happiness, disgust and sadness, for example, which can all be switched on and off in seconds, pride seems to me to be slightly more sturdy or fixed. With the Guaraní, despite their culture and traditions being threatened, which would have heavily messed with their happiness and sadness, their pride remained strong until today. And they show this pride by continuing the engage with their spirituality and pass down ancestral stories. 

Week 12: “Bypassing Globalization: Barter markets as a new indigenous economy in Peru”

For this blog post I want to focus on the barter markets that are talked about in Argumedo and Pimbert’s text: “Bypassing Globalization: Barter markets as a new indigenous economy in Peru”. I first want to start by saying that I loved this reading! I found it quite inspiring and it reminded me of what my neighbourhood used to do a while back. We would gather what we no longer used; for example, appliances, furniture, clothing, etc., and we would all exchange our goods. It was always such a fun experience (especially for us kids), and I think it really brought our neighbourhood together! Ironically, later on people started having garage sales instead, and our tradition of setting up our own little market ended there. 

Argumedo and Pimbert describe the barter markets as “not only a material exchange network, but also a symbolic and friendship network.” To tie in a keyword, I think these women at the barter markets must feel such a strong sense of agency because as Argumedo and Pimbert explain, the women who directly participate in these markets are those who make the rules and “administer the use of the foods in the households.” I also think it’s really interesting that the principles of reciprocity and solidarity serve as guides for these economic exchanges. In this (mostly) capitalist world, anything that doesn’t just solely focus on money makes me stop and think. Instead of focusing on profit, the women that participate in these barter markets focus on ensuring that the needs of people are met. I think these women are driven by the natural instinct in them to protect and support their community (the people and the land) by means of creating access to food security/nutrition and local control over production/consumption, as well as conserving the agricultural biodiversity. 

Week 9: “Broccoli and Desire”

For this post I want to talk about the “Broccoli and Desire” reading by Peter Benson and Edward Fisher. Reading about Susan’s trip to Kroger (on the first page of the reading) reminded me of what I see when I take a trip to the grocery store. In fact, as I write this at a friends house, there are three bunches of bananas sitting in the fruit basket, along with a few other fruits. Each of the bunches has a different sticker: one is “Whole Trade” from Peru, the other is “Dole” from Guatemala, and the third is “Chiquita” from Guatemala. In other classes we have talked in depth about the controversy surrounding companies like Dole and Chiquita, and I do think it’s a rather tough situation. On the one hand, these workers need us to keep purchasing so they can stay employed, but on the other hand, it doesn’t feel very good to support companies who exploit their workers, among other things.

Referring to Benson and Fisher’s idea of “needs” versus “desires”, apart from being a great example of globalization, being able to buy fruits and vegetables year-round, fresh or frozen, is what being driven by desire looks like. And that’s not to say it’s intentional or that it comes from a place of greed, but it’s the reality. When it comes to food, privileged people like me and Susan always have a choice, and we use our desires to make these choices. If we’re craving watermelon in January, we can easily get it. But as Benson and Fisher state, this is only possible because of the “low returns and high risks” that farmers face. As Benson and Fisher state: “There is much more at stake in Pablo’s relationship to broccoli than Susan’s” (801). Susan’s is driven by desire, whereas Pablo’s is driven by need. I’m running out of words, but the last thing I want to say is that the ways in which Benson and Fisher explain and compare “desires” and “needs” are very interesting and really got me thinking beyond the basic surface-level definition of these two words.

Week 6: Combined Reflection and Keyword Post

This week I want to focus on Hall’s text, “Honduras’ Ereba Makers: Garifuna Foodways as Grassroots”, but I also want to connect it to two of the keywords: testimonio and appropriation. The first paragraph of Hall’s text quotes Nigerian novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie when speaking about the “the danger of a single story” (27). I think this is one of the most important things to keep in mind throughout this class, not just when speaking about ereba makers, but with all other “groups” or peoples. I put the word “groups” in quotation marks because I think sometimes human beings have the tendency to want to categorize and label everything; and while this may be useful in some cases, in others, like for example grouping the ereba makers together and creating a single narrative, it is harmful. As human beings we are also always searching for answers and for some reason we always want to find “the answer” or “the truth”, as if only one exists. We tend to label groups and assume that there is a single story that defines the entire group, but there are different voices, different perspectives and different narratives that exist within these groups. Of course, it is also important to note that there is a difference between the Garifuna peoples referring to themselves as a group, and us grouping them together. I think that the keyword “testimonio” fits well into this discussion. Firstly, as Hall mentions, the Garifuna people tell a different version of history than that which is typically told: “they identify themselves as one of a few (or the only) African descendants in the Americas who evaded enslavement” (28) And with respect to the ereba makers specifically, as we can see from the first two pages of the reading, there is no single story or single feeling tied to ereba traditions, and the stories that are told by ereba makers themselves are going to be different from those (or quite possibly a single story) that might be told to us by a professor or somebody who has studied them. This is precisely why it is important to include their voices, just like our professor has done. Back to the keyword “testimonio”, the keyword group defines the term as: “the firsthand narrative from a marginalized group who has experienced or is experiencing oppression or unjust circumstances.” To relate this definition to ereba makers, and the Garifuna people in general who have been oppressed, each maker has different thoughts, feelings, experiences and stories connected to ereba traditions, and is entitled to their own narrative. I also want to talk about the keyword “appropriation”. The keyword group defines this term as: “taking property from someone, cultural or intellectual, without their knowledge or permission”. I think the word “property” is quite interesting as it can include so many different things, including people’s own experiences and stories. With respect to the ereba makers, it would be wrong (and downright impossible) for someone to tell a single story that aims to encompass the thoughts, feelings and experiences of all ereba makers.

Also: I just assumed that we could make the combined posts a little bit longer, so I hope that’s okay!

Week 5: Interview with Guillermo Arrévalo

For this blog post I want to talk about the interview with Guillermo Arrévalo – I found this interview to be so interesting! There are a few things I want to point out. Firstly, my aunt is a psychologist who works in Toronto, and last Christmas I remember having a conversation with her about ayahuasca, and how many of her patients raise the topic with her asking for her advice on whether or not it’s a good idea for them. Some of them struggle with severe depression and anxiety, and others see her for a variety of other reasons. My aunt said she, and other psychologists, have had to look into ayahuasca more and more in the past few years as it has become quite a popular topic. It’s interesting to me that Arrévalo sees it essentially as a money grab: “… most of all this is a type of commercial shamanic done in order to extract money from people.” The reality is, like Arrévalo says, “the community lives from tourism”. My aunt seemed to share the same views as Arrévalo. Some of her patients express their interest in going down to Peru for months at a time, sometimes even longer. This is excellent for the tourism industry! Perhaps the most interesting part about this interview was when Arrévalo describes the reasons why tourists go to Peru. He says that the most popular reason is to resolve social problems, but people also go to look for spiritual responses. Arrévalo even suggests that in North America there exists a spiritual and psychological crisis, where many people are suffering from depression, are slaves to their work, have a bad relationship and/or are consumed by materialism. I think that Arrévalo is right, but I also think that for some people, ayahuasca is just a subject of curiosity. The problem is, what happens when this curiosity dies down? Just like Homan says, trends come and go. How will this effect the local people? I suspect that the local people will be greatly effected in many ways, mostly negative.

Keyword: cultural appropriation

For this post I will reflect on the keyword “cultural appropriation”. I think in the past few years, issues revolving around cultural appropriation have gained more attention than ever before. I really like the paraphrased definition that this group came up with. They key part of their definition is “… without permission or without acknowledgment to the cultural meanings …” Many people don’t seem to have a problem “taking aspects of a certain culture, such as practices, or aesthetics”, but its the lack of permission and acknowledgment that’s the problem. The last paragraph really stood out to me and reminded me of many celebrities: “cultural appropriation can also be broadened to resources such as clothing, and food.” I like the example this group gave about Madonna; another recent example I can think of off the top of my head is Adele who was accused of cultural appropriation over her Instagram post where she appears dressed in a bikini with the Jamaican flag and wearing a traditional African hairstyle (Bantu knots). With Halloween coming up, I was reminded of many times in highschool when students would wear very offensive costumes, and they were rarely called out for it. One of the most common costumes that was worn at highschool parties was an “Indian” costume, specifically a “sexy Indian” costume. The truth is, back then (2013-2016), these sorts of costumes were only called out by a few people. Fortunately nowadays, it is a completely different story. I am curious to know if Halloween stores (like Spirit Halloween) still uses offensive labels to categorize their costumes. One point I would like to make is that the line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation can, in some cases, be very fine. I think many times people have good intentions and don’t mean to offend anybody, but that’s exactly what they end up doing, usually because of lack of acknowledgement to the cultural meaning behind what has been taken/used. This is precisely why it is crucial for everybody to understand the term “cultural appropriation” in its entirety.

Week 2: Reflection

Chapter 1 of Belasco’s book, “Why Study Food” made me think a lot about the ways in which the food is approached as a topic of study in the academic world. Belasco suggests that food is taken for granted in academia, partly due to the fact that intellectuals tend to participate in what he refers to as a “classical dualism that prizes mind over body”. Although I myself am fascinated by food behaviours across cultures, I think that this ‘mind over body’ tendency in the academic world definitely plays a large role in discouraging topics like food from receiving lots of attention. The topic of food has definitely appeared in some UBC courses I have taken, but has been approached differently depending on the area of study. Many of the Spanish courses I have taken talked about food in a way that drew attention to its positive aspects, such as exploring the large role it plays in nourishing the human body as well as fostering and maintaining a strong sense of community and connectedness. In contrast, I took a health psychology course which also included some talk about food, but the major focus was on the harm that certain foods are capable of causing to the human body. There was also a focus on eating disorders. Interestingly, Belasco states that there may be more research that targets women’s eating disorders versus women’s positive connections to food. A study done by Kolar, Rodriquez, Chams and Hoek (2016) suggests that while the prevalence of anorexia nervosa is lower in Latin America than Western countries, the prevalence of bulimia nervosa is higher in Latin America than in Western countries. They claim that “some facets of Latin American culture might be protective for the development of anorexia nervosa and increase the risk for bulimia nervosa” (Kolar et al., 2016). It is super interesting to think about how different cultures have distinct ways of engaging with food.

Kolar, David R.; Rodriguez, Dania L. Mejía; Chams, Moises Mebarak; Hoek, Hans W. Epidemiology of eating disorders in Latin America, Current Opinion in Psychiatry: November 2016 – Volume 29 – Issue 6 – p 363-371 doi: 10.1097/YCO.0000000000000279

“I am from” poem

“I am from” by Cynthia Lightbody

I am from barley

from the mountains, maple trees

and the Okanagan Lake.

I am from cherry tomatoes

sweet, round

acidic.

From lessons about poisonous plants and understanding tide schedules,

From Opa

and Brenda.

From chamomile

and blackberries.

I am from the long wooden spatula

stirring,

garbanzo beans,

rhododendrons,

and Sunday night dinners.

My name is Cynthia and I am in my fourth year at UBC. I grew up in North Vancouver, and still live there now with my parents and two younger sisters. I was originally planning to major in Psychology, but switched my major to Spanish. I decided to take LAST303 to learn more about a topic that I discovered I am super interested in! I am very excited for this course 🙂