Latin America studies - A Tale of Two Worlds

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Jean-Marc Freuler

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Introduction to Latin American Studies

Professor Lawson

TA: Ana Lorena De La O

Essay #1  September 29, 2003

                  A Tale of Two Worlds

Spanish and Portuguese colonialism has left its imprint in many areas of politics, culture and economy in Latin America. Boundaries and cultural borders were established, identities were erased through slavery, and their geographical roots were excavated. Both economically and politically, Latin America finds itself in a transition and in a moment of self definition, where colonial legacies as well as different development theories have left imprints on the continent’s evolution on an international scale.  

However, there are facets in modern Latin America that are questionable whether they are indeed offspring of colonial legacies still remaining in the region, such as the crisis in Argentina, or the mismanagement of the government in Venezuela. Therefore, not all political or economic issues the continent is facing today can be attributed to past conquistadores and imperialism.

Cultural & Social

Latin America - comprised of South America, Central America and Mexico--is considered a “living museum” of native groups and people of Iberian and African descent. As a result, it is a region of immense racial, cultural, and artistic variety. Among those Latin Americans with African origins, there are still more divisions in traditions and ethnicity. Afro-Cubans, Afro-Brazilians, Afro-Colombians, and Haitian cultures have each made major impacts on the cultural, historical, and daily life of Latin America.

The survival and change of African customs in the Americas has been one of the "New World's" main historical topics at present day. To appreciate the vital role that African populace has played in opposing the ethnically and economically abusive institutions of slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonial endeavor for more than four hundred years, we must explore the affluent historical and cultural legacies of African natives in New World regions. In Latin America, we perceive that they have preserved and sustained independent cultural customs, histories and aesthetics as well as created and formed new and creolized cultures all over this ample geographic region.

For example, we realize that the spiraling gestures and artistic uniqueness of movement of the Brazilian capoeiristas can in essence be traced back and matched to dances in what is present day Angola and Kongo. Furthermore, we can trace the dispersions of Central and West African characteristics of rhythm, beat and creativeness in African American melodic expression, and also the reverse impact of American jazz and blues, Cuban son, mambo and salsa and Jamaican reggae across cultures in Africa during the twentieth century. 0

The borders that were drawn by imperialist rulers caused Latin American colonies to be separated by the Spaniards and Portuguese with no regard to the present cultures, racial and national identities of each ethnic group. Latin America was forced into a "Decentralized Despotism" as the colonists drove the locals, also called “indios”, and the Africans to labor in mining natural resources.1 Therefore, we have to realize that those colonial legacies have left Latin America with unwritten social precepts that have created strong segregation among classes, groups and races, all of which were directly tied with economic and social status. 7 Such is the case in the “House of the Spirits”, where the major characters come from two opposing classes: the landed aristocracy and the peasants. The del Valle and Trueba families represent the land-owning-upper class criollos (a person who is born and lives in South America but is a direct descendant of Spaniards), while the Garcias represent the peasants. Especially in rural areas such as Tres Marias, the upper classes control the entire infrastructure, such as schools, transportation, banks, hospitals, as well as most of the capital. As the upper classes prosper, conflict mounts when that prosperity is not equally distributed.

In present day Latin America, people of color are people of color for their entire lives - there is no chance for change. When they walk into the door, the first one takes into account is their skin color. Consequently they are then treated accordingly. It does not matter whether they are doctors, lawyers, postmen, gardeners, construction workers or state representatives, their skin color is the first issue that arises when recruiting or hiring people of color. Therefore, they must fight through the assumptions and stereotypes long before their socioeconomic status is determined. In this aspect, race is therefore definitely more predominant than race.

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In Brazil, for example, having social unwritten rules eventually evolves into disguised racism, where everyone is treated similarly in daily life; but where this disguised racism comes to surface when it has to confront the integration of a person from a minority group into a "class", management or government position. Most of the times, these people do not get turned down with any racist comments but with a piece of paper, i.e. indirectly and through the grape-vine. This makes racism as such much harder to pin down. 2

Much of the recent apprehension with development is restricted to raising ...

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