Modern Latin America 2020

History 216

Abby

The Motorcycle Diaries

What is the symbolism of Mate and how is it mentioned throughout the book?

Mate is a traditional Argentine drink. It is a tea-like beverage and sees its first mention on the third page of the book. It continues to be mentioned throughout their journey in different contexts.

For the most part, Mate is mentioned after the pair have reached their destination for the night and are preparing food for themselves. In this situations, I believe that Mate is meant to symbolize part of their culture and a reminder of home. It is important to carry something that reminds you of home on a journey and in this situation it seems to be Mate.

In other situations, Mate is mentioned as a cultural difference. When Che and Alberto are in Bolivia (99), they are trying to find more mate but they are unable to. It is not commonly found in the north and so they have to adjust to the unavailability. They also used the mate to bond with others throughout the book, using it as a way to connect to others by sharing it with those on their travels (116).

There are other situations in which others are curious about Mate and the ways that it is made which shows the diversity in cultures in Latin America and provides a learning opportunity for all.

Overall, Mate plays a big role in this book even though it is often only mentioned briefly but it is clearly an important part of Alberto and Che’s culture and provides a good reminder of home even when they are far away.

Azuela

What role do women play in the revolution? How does their role reflect the Spanish ideas of honor that we learned about in the colonial era?

In The Underdogs, the role of women is primarily a domestic one. The novel begins in a domestic setting in which Demetrio’s wife helps her husband hide from the Federales who later demand that she feed them. After they leave, Demetrio sends his wife and their child to his father’s house while he goes to join the revolution. This decision illustrates the gendered ideas of honor that were present in colonial Latin America and beyond where the man is expected to fight and stand up to any injustices especially if they include his family while the women are meant to remain in the domestic sphere.

After Demetrio is shot, he comes into the care of the women in the town they are residing in. They are depicted as care givers but not as genuine players in the revolutionary even though they are helping the rebels. Camilla is also an interesting example of gender because she clearly loves Luis Cervantes but she “belongs” to Demetrio showing that she does not have much agency in her own partnerships.

In part two, we are introduced to the character of War Paint who is described as having a “provocative gaze”. She plays a larger role in the revolution than many other women as she is the one who introduces the men to the idea of “pillaging”. She certainly has more agency than other women but she is still defined at times by her relationship. Camilla also returns and begins to travel alongside Demetrio and in some cases convinces him to help others when he was going to ignore them.   
There are many instances where we can see the different roles that women were supposed to play in the revolution and the idea of “honor” being illustrated in this novel. Overall, women were not seen as soldiers or rebels but rather as caretakers and people who needed protection. Their roles were minimal and limited mainly to nursing men back to health and housing rebels with the exception of a few.

Narrowed Research: The Casta System

For my research project, I want to look at the racial and social hierarchies or the casta system created by the Spanish in Latin America and the long term affects it had on Latin American countries. Racial hierarchies are a social construct created to make one group feel like they are naturally superior to another, creating more class distinctions and leaving some disenfranchised because of their skin color. The casta system in Latin America is particularly interesting because the hierarchy was very complex. There were indigenous peoples, Africans and Europeans and later mixed races living in Latin America creating multiple levels that are at times confusing. The Spanish in control did not just distinguish people based on their race but also where they were born making the casta system even more interesting. This system was damaging to many people and created issues far into the future. My research question is: “How did the casta system effect mobility and social status throughout Latin American history?”

Primary Sources

Casta Paintings- I need to find the exact source for this.

Secondary Sources

Bustamante, Adrian. 1991. “”the Matter was Never Resolved”: The “Casta” System in Colonial New Mexico, 1693-1823.” New Mexico Historical Review 66 (2) (Apr 01): 143. https://search.proquest.com/docview/1301803384?accountid=15131.

 Katzew, Ilona, John A. Farmer, Roberto Tejada, Miguel Falomir Faus, and Americas Society. Art Gallery. 1996. New World Orders: Casta Painting and Colonial Latin America. New York: Americas Society.

Stone, Samuel Z. 1992. The Heritage of the Conquistadors: Ruling Classes in Central America from the Conquest to the Sandinistas. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Twinam, Ann, 1946. 2015. Purchasing Whiteness: Pardos, Mulattos, and the Quest for Social Mobility in the Spanish Indies. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press.

Vinson, Ben, III. 2018. Before Mestizaje: The Frontiers of Race and Caste in Colonial Mexico. Vol. 105. New York, NY, USA: Cambridge University Press.

Research Ideas: Hierarchies in Central America

For my research , I am interested in looking at the “caste system” and how that has impacted the political structures throughout history, even reaching into recent times. This system was originally put in place by the Spanish and was very complex with many categories. I thought it was interesting to see how little social structures changed after independence and it seems like that has had long lasting impacts on the region. The political structures in Latin America have not always been stable and it seems that class structures may have played a role in this. I am also a political science major so looking at the changes in government throughout history is particularly interesting to me. I think this issue is complex and worth looking into more.

Latin America in the News (February 5, 2020)

Over the past few days, 47 people have died, 4 are missing and 18,000 people have been forced to flee from their homes because of severe weather. In the state of Minas Gerais in southeastern Brazil, landslides and floods have caused environmental and humanitarian damages. The power of the water in some areas has been so damaging that it caused pavement to explode, creating geysers.

These rains have been damaging particularly to the mining industry as it has caused flooding and threatened collapses. It has also been especially damaging to those living in poverty. There has been a housing deficit in the area which cause many to build homes on dangerous slopes which were wiped out by landslides. The Governor of Minas Gerais states that in the future they hope to prevent this from happening by enacting housing policy that will build homes in safe neighborhoods.

The deaths from the rain, floods and landslides is tragic and the reasoning for them is scary. José Carlos Carvalho, a former environment minister said that these severe rains are a clear sign of climate change stating “The first signs of climate change are extreme events,” he said. “There is a transformation of our climate pattern.” This is some of the first evidence of a change in climate patterns which means that these rains and their effects such as flooding and landslides could get worse over time putting more people and places in danger.

I was not aware of the powerful storms and their effects until I started doing research for this project and I think that is very telling of the media attention that this issue and many other issues in Latin America. A former environmental minister said that these rains and the deaths that have occurred because of them are direct consequences of climate change. The fact that this story has been under reported is scary for those reasons. People should be aware of the changes in weather due to climate change and the disasters it can cause.

At first, I wasn’t quite sure how to connect this event to class but the article stated that mines and miners are especially at risk because the landslides could collapse the mines putting people’s lives and livelihoods in danger. Mining began in Brazil in the colonial era, in fact the state Minas Gerais where this tragedy is happening literally means “General mines”. The Portuguese began mining in Brazil in the 1700s, collecting almost 180 tons of gold during that century alone. There are still a lot of mines in the region which shows a colonial legacy through industry.

The introduction of mining  by the Portuguese did not just create an economic legacy in Brazil but also an environmental impact. Mines create many environmental issues but the ones that relate to this issue are landscape degradation and erosion. These make the landscape less secure which makes landslides and flooding even more severe because the land is not as stable as it should be.

Bibliography:

Andereoni, Manuela and Letíca Casado. “Powerful Storm Kills 47 in Brazil.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 27 Jan. 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/27/world/americas/brazil-flood.html.

Other Links:

A video by a Brazilian News Source that shows examples of the flooding and geysers:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV7OCyIr7vI

A history of the Brazil mining industry

https://brazilian.report/business/2018/08/20/brazil-mining-industry/

 

 

Class Notes 1/24/2020

Class Notes 1/24/2020

  1. A one or two paragraph summary of the day’s activities.  What historical questions did we discuss in class?  How did the assigned readings for that day hold together?

We began class today by taking our Modern Latin American Map quiz before moving on to our workshop on digital history. Our main discussions for the day were about public history and how we can best execute our digital timeline projects. The historical questions asked were:

  • What is public history?
  • In what ways might the work you do for our digital timeline be different from a primary source essay?
  • How can you use this work as part of your digital profile?

These questions helped to aid our discussion on public history and how we will be using it in our projects.  Public history is a form of history that is meant for a more general audience than normal academic history. The goal of public history is to make it more accessible so that everyone is able to enjoy and comprehend it. We then discussed certain things that we need to consider when making our timelines to ensure it can be enjoyed by the public, here are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Choose sources/images that will be appealing to a general audience and not just scholars
  • When creating descriptions avoid academic language and make them as short and concise so people don’t loose focus.

We then discussed our timeline projects and what we would be doing. For each entry we have to pick a primary source that represents your country during that time period and then write about 2-3 paragraphs (250-400 words) that analyze your source. You will then upload them to the timeline website: www.cowlatinamerica.voices.wooster.edu

For finding sources, we went through a lot of reputable options that have many primary sources available for our use, some of which will be linked bellow.

Due Dates:

1/29: Upload pdf to moodle with a draft of your first entry and ideas for 2 more (do not need to be done in order of the timeline)

1/31: Peer review the entries of 2 classmates before class

2/3: In Class workshop on how to upload entries to website.

  1. Transcribe at least one passage that we talked about in class, and explain how it related to the main point.

Before class, we had to read the “How do we define Public History” page on the National Council on Public History website. Since our class period isshort, this reading allowed us to get a more in depth look into the definition of public history as well as some examples of the many forms it is able to take. It also explains the connection to the general public that is unique to Public History, there are many projects in which public historians are in discussions with community members and the general public about their project and taking suggestions on how to best present their material. We will not be doing consultations with the public but it is important for us to remember that our timelines are meant for public consumption so we should keep that in mind when choosing and describing our sources.

  1. Key terms that came up in class, plus a definition.
  • Public History: history geared toward a broader audience and not just scholars
  1. Three (or more!) links to reputable websites or scholarly sources that, in some way, clarify, extend, or correct something that was said in class.
  1. Three or more potential examination questions.  These questions should encourage analysis, synthesis, and interpretation (not just asking for the repetition of facts).
    1. What does Public History contribute to the field of history as a whole?
    2. What do we need to keep in mind when creating work for public consumption?
    3. Why is public history important, not just to the field of history but to society as a whole
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