Historical biography constituted the specific scholarly angle we addressed during our study of the Reformation. Cultural representation and the historical imagination will enrich our study of the Age of Exploration. Read below and answer all questions (you must respond by 7:50am on 10/15).
Broadly construed, cultural representation (CR) has to do with how one culture views another culture and why. Cultural views one of/to another can take the form of artwork, sculpture, a poem, a novel, a text, a digital image, a word, a gesture, a song, feeling or sentiment, to name a few, and vary widely over time, place, and context. However, don't let my simple definition obscure the complexity of CR.
Scholars of CR typically study it in terms of power relations: the dominant power in society, those who possess "hegemony," control the terms on which cultural discourse takes place; yet, these specialists point out that those on whom hegemony rests (the "oppressed") also possess a certain kind of power--resistance--that reveals their own codes of discourse and strategies of/for survival. Those who study this dynamic write that the resistance of the oppressed infuses them with agency and that this agency can uncover new meanings about society; in other words history is not some arbitrary force acting upon human beings, but rather human agents act, think, feel, etc. to make sense of the world in which they live. If you took my world history class you may be thinking that this sounds similar to Marx's categories of proletariat and bourgeoisie and the revolution that was part of Marxian understandings of society; many CR scholars count Marx as a key theoretical influence on their work.
Scholars study CR in political contexts, economic contexts, textual dimensions, in terms of gender and sexuality, religious, etc. in order to understand how societies view one another and what exactly constitutes the varied relationships that exist in a given time and place. Stuart Hall is one of the most important scholars of CR and has written prolifically on the topic. Click here to view a very cool yet important slide show by University of Colorado-Boulder professor Robert Craig that details Hall's analytical approach. Read an interview with Hall here.
(James Scott [read here too] is another luminary in the field who writes about "hidden transcripts.")
Listen to this 5-minute segment and respond in the comments section.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: How does Hall define CR? Why does CR matter, and what can/does it reveal about individuals and societies? What still puzzles you about cultural representation?
I want us as a class to think about cultural representation during the Age of Exploration. Consider the Columbus and Cortez readings from your textbook. From the perspective of CR, what new things might we learn from these texts? (Yes, I want you to answer this question, too.)
Visit the amazing on-line exhibit at U. Penn called "Cultural Readings." Read the Introduction to get a sense what it is all about, its aims, goals, etc. Next, take a look at the "Viewers and the Viewed" segment ("chapter") of the exhibit, which focuses on printed images of "Indians." List and explain at least 2 ways this chapter in the exhibit challenges you to see the Age of Exploration in a new way. And the $10 million dollar discussion question for Monday: who is/are the viewers, and who is/are the viewed?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
12 comments:
Cultural Representation matter because it is through those lenses that we view history. Thru cultural representation we look at different societies past and present and see their order. It reveals much about societies and individuals in that it details their lives and it is seen through anther person’s eyes. Whether this person viewing the society or individual is biased or not could come into factor however for an overall view / look at the society in question different peoples opinions matter a lot. There is nothing that puzzles me about cultural representation.
By looking at the age of exploration through new ideas aware of cultural representation and bias, I think we can learn new ideas and thoughts about the lives and motivations of other societies and the peoples involved in the age of exploration whether it be native American or European.
The images of the Native Americans in popular culture in Europe during the age of exploration leave much to be deduced about the actual actions and thought processes of Native Americans. The Europeans made the Native Americans look like savages with no “modern” education or religion or even clothes. However, this was not the case. However different in language and culture native Americans were from Europeans does not mean that the Native Americans were savages and useless to the revolutions of the time. It challenges my thought process by proving that although different from Europe, Native America was not uncivilized and not savage. Also it shows what popular belief of citizens back in Europe thought of them. The Indians never had a chance at survival within a European culture because long before they ever even set foot on European soil they were thought of as uncivilized and primitive.
Who are you, anonymous? If you comment as anonymous please identify yourself somewhere in the post.
Hall defines CR as a means by which the haves of society gain the willing support of the have nots for the status quo. CR is important because it is the "saturating medium" internationally. It is how a society or individual presents itself to the world. CR is a representation of us. It is speaking for us. AS of now, nothing puzzles me about CR. My lack of confusion is probably because I do not fully understand CR right now. The viewers and the viewed images helped me to realize that the images that were circulated around Europe were not very accurate. In addition, the exhibit shows that the images were circulated with a motive. Europeans could easily learn to dislike Indians if they were depicted as savages. The end!
I think that, from what I understand from Hall, CR is a depiction of who we are (weak or strong) and how the stronger gain support from the weaker. I think that CR is important when trying to discover the different "routes" a person or people have taken instead of their "roots". This inspection of how a person becomes who they are is more important than who they become. I agree with Laura, this is still pretty new but not complicated so I'm not very puzzled. Now, in regards to Columbus and Cortez, from the perspective of CR we can learn why exactly the Native Americans and Spanish reacted the way they did. We can also learn the connections these people had before and after these events took place. Overall, CR provides a sense of indentity and the relationships between peoples.
Stuart Hall defines CR as a way that a certain thing is "RE presented," a sort of second opinion of them, not first hand observation. But this "RE"presentation takes the place of the original thing. CR is how we now perceive things. We lose sight of the original context and obervation, taking on this new form of it, no matter the accuracy. CR can only reveal the way an individual or society is perceived, but not how this person or society truly is. It does give insight, though, on the person depicting them in such ways. You understand how they feel about the subject, whether with a positive or negative eye. From this new perspective, Cortes' and Columbus' documents can be seen as a lens of their views, distorting the native peoples in whatever way. Similar to a funhouse mirror, they show the image, but different things are highlghted or emphasized, making the subject look completely opposite. Also, CR plays into our previous discussions of bias. One must really examine the background of the one who creates the descriptions to determine the true image. An discerning eye must always be opened. I really like how Laura said that the Europenas created their pictures of the Native Americans with a motive. They didn't want other Europeans to see the native peoples as they truly were. This is manipulation at its prime.
And, no, I am not really confused about CR. I would have to admit that I am not educated enough on it to be confused yet. I am just very curious as to why there was a picture of Michael Jackson in Hall's segment...
Hall defines CR as a representation of what we are, regardless of power or position. This concept is vital when examining history and the perspectives from which the described are perceived. This concept, as stated by the previous posts, is simplistic but mandatory when trying to gain a multi-faceted understanding of the past. The case of Cortez and Columbus is intriguing because CR shows that the reactions by both the natives and explorers were obvious given their concepts and predicaments. By employing such a logical framework to history, one can gain a better understand of not only a certain group, but also their significance in recorded history.
I agree with John’s comment; Hall defines CR as who we are. It is a direct representation of the society we live in. CR is important because once we fully comprehend this term we will be able to see our culture in new light. Our own opinion of society will be challenged with somebody’s entirely different opinion; thus, by understanding our culture through various lenses we will be able to discover new ideas that otherwise we would have been blinded to. Once this point has been reached, we will truly be able to see what kind of people we claim to be.
Furthermore, I agree with Hailie’s comment on Columbus and Cortez. Can we really understand the culture of the Native Americas by looking at a painting done by a bias European? The artist is telling the viewer what to believe about a subject he probably knows very little about except what the explorers have told him; even then the explorers’ stories have been molded to depict how they wanted Europe to view the indigenous people.
In addition, the online exhibit made me think that about the hidden messages in paintings. During the Age of Exploration the Indians were portrayed as barbaric humans while the Europeans were depicted as very sophisticated. The exhibit allows you to realize that the Europeans had a motive when they drew the Native Americans – they wanted to show a deep contrast between the noble Englishman and the wild Indian.
Hall defines CR as the way a society presents itself in a historical context. The lower classes of society gain a position in CR, and it shows the true way a civilization is viewed and understood. It can reveal a lot about societies and show how they are perceived and how and why they reacted in certain ways in certain situations. The idea of CR parallels the idea of bias, and with a full view of the lower and higher classes, one can have a better idea of the past for certain areas. I am not currently puzzled about CR. From the Columbus and Cortez readings from my book, I better understood the acitons taken by the Spanish and the Native Americans because of the skewed message being portrayed about each of them. The events are foreshadowed by the statements in these documents even though historical analysis outside of CR would make one think something else. The bias is obviously very important in this situation.
Karolyn
Hall essentially says that CR is what is society essentially is. Cultural representation allows us to fully comprehend multiple viewpoints such as Cortez and Columbus and their interactions with the native peoples. The issues of race, gender, and class in our society are all interconnected. And the question of how did we become the way we are in society is important and we can only discover the correct answer to that question by looking at various different representations: the media, culture, and ourselves.
Hall defines CR as a way for the mass media to gain willing support for the “haves” by the “have nots.” CR is important because it helps us view our own society and other societies around us. CR is a representation of people and society. CR gives us insight into people’s thoughts and feelings at the time of the event. It is better to examine someone’s “routes” instead of their “roots” because the journey is what makes a person. I think I understand the basics of CR; however, I’m not sure I understand the complexities of it at this time. I agree with Hailie’s comment on the Cortes and Columbus documents. With regard to CR, Columbus’ and Cortes’ documents explain how they could easily give the native peoples a negative image. Columbus and Cortes could distort the truth in whatever way they wanted to. The “Viewers and the Viewed” segment of the exhibit made me consider the Age of Exploration in a new way. First, I had never questioned why the native people were depicted as savages and rudimentary. Europeans wanted to disassociate themselves from the native peoples. Second, I never considered the possibility of people during this time criticizing the Spanish behavior toward the native people. Not everyone agreed with the treatment of the native people. Bartolomé de Las Casas stood up for the native people. I think the viewers are the people looking at the artwork. The viewed are the people in the artwork and the people responsible for the artwork. –Meagan Smith
Comcast was giving me the run around last night, so i had to do it in mrs white's room, sorry.
CR is the way we can view different historical events from the perspective of different cultures. it gives us the opportunity of understanding history in a much more objective way. when we can look at the same event from a few different points of view, we can see what is universally true and what is subjective to the culture. from the provided documents, the points of view are obviously bias, esp because they are coming from the explorer's own pen. if we were to look at the account of the events from the words of the native americans, we would have a very differnet understanding. im sorry i could not answer last night, but the internet was not working. thanks.
-dan
My internet was down all last night after i got back into town, I apologize.
Hall reveals the effectiveness that CR has in observing history from a more bipartisan and objective lens. CR succeeds in that in grants every individual a voice and allows all different perspectives to be equally represented in society. The articles concerning Cortes and Columbus reveal how aspects such as race and ethnicity affect their interaction with the Native Americans. The articles demonstrate how CR factors into every author's personal bias and perspective.
Post a Comment