I have been at UBC for a couple of months now (although it feels a lot longer), and in my ASTU 100 class, we have been thoroughly discussing topics regarding history, memory, and how it all forms a person’s unique identity. More recently we’ve been analyzing Marita Sturken’s book Tangled Memories, but we’ve just been only exploring her introduction, rather than the entire book itself. Marita Sturken is a communications scholar who coins the term “technologies of memory” she says that these “technologies” are where memories reside, and these objects can be “shared, produced, and given meaning”. (Sturken, 9) Sturken is interested in how these objects can be seen in films, in art, and even books, and how collectively they paint a picture of how a nation, or culture views themselves, and at times it can be selective, so, for example, a culture can choose to remember the good events and forget the rest, which really says a lot about a culture. Last year Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recognized the physical, sexual, and emotional abuse that approximately 150,00 children had to go through in Residential Schools. By acknowledging that these horrendous occurrences happened, he’s making it so that Canada can progress together, as a united nation. Accepting one’s mistakes, and acknowledging that they happened, is the first step in progressing.
To me it’s interesting to think about how books are created by memories but to learn about other cultures, that’s when memories begin to be created by books. Then, it’s even more difficult for someone to understand a culture if the book they’re reading chooses to dismiss the horrible events that happened in that culture. For me, I came to Canada when I was eight, under the impression that it was a multiculturally diverse, and welcoming country, and I naively thought, that Canada had no skeletons hiding in its closet. This idea that Canada is friendly, and has done no harm is still taught in schools. In my high school, we briefly touched on the subject of the abuse that indigenous people have undergone since Canada was colonized. These textbooks failed to mention the harsh realities of the indigenous history, and also the racism that the Chinese experienced when they first came to Canada. History is told by the victors, but we as a progressing nation have to begin to acknowledge past occurrences, and how they have led to the social and economic injustices, and prejudices that are very prevalent today.
A couple weeks ago in my Latin American studies class, we discussed Christopher Columbus’ diaries, he describes the people as “islanders” as poor because they weren’t wearing clothes, who have can be easily persuaded into the “Holy Faith” (The Journal, 94). As soon as Columbus stepped off the boat he thought the Spaniards were better, and it was their job to assimilate the people, while also taking everything they possessed and destroying their culture. He completely disregards the well-being of the indigenous people, and their way of living, he was more concerned about how to expand the Spanish Empire. Christopher Columbus’ finding was influential in history books, that if written in a certain way can make others perceive his actions in a positive light. When I was growing up in Costa Rica, I was made to memorize Columbus’ three boats that he used to come to America (La Pinta, La Nina, La Santa Maria), there was even a rhyme to remember them, then I was told to colour pictures of stereotypical “happy” looking, indigenous people, and at the end we were supposed to partake in a play, which played tribute to Columbus. This can all impact the way that a child perceives Columbus, and how they interpret his actions as either positive or negative. Which can, in turn, shape their perception of how they identify as Latin American.
Of course, nowadays I’ve been exposed to many cultures, and have seen that history plays a large part of how a culture identifies itself. Which makes me wonder: where does my identity come from if it’s been tainted by people who’ve exploited the land for their needs, who’s own cultures influenced mine? Although history is written by the people in power, who disregarded others, it’s important to always consider the alternative side to every story, as every story has more than one point of view.