Racism in Latin America - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1250 Downloads: 5 Date added: 2019/02/05 Category Society Essay Level High school Tags: Racism Essay Did you like this example? While the idea of racial democracy may be an ideology or agenda pushed by the political elite, there is evidence which shows the majority of Latin America is that of mixed or mestizaje lineage, people who aren’t clearly indigenous, black, or white. Racism manifests in Latin America where politics attempts to manipulate culture; divisive politics makes people easier to control and racial lines are easily exploited. According to Peter Wade, and his peers agree, Humans are â€Å"too similar genetically†, and groups so intermingled, that variation is too great to be categorized into races. Race is a set of â€Å"ideas† about human our similarities and differences. (Poole Wade, 2008) Ideas about racial democracy and racism in Latin America span pre-colonial, colonial, to modern times and have evolved to show tension between nature and varying forms of government – and its effects on the populations targeted. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Racism in Latin America" essay for you Create order Pre-Colonial/Colonial race relations The â€Å"social contstruction† of Latin America by Europe started immediately upon arrival in 1492 and by late 1500’s a population of roughly 20 million native â€Å"Indio† populations was reduced to two million. (Gates, 2011) Such a reduction in the native, â€Å" New World† manpower used by the conquistadors called for imports of African slaves en masse to South America, the Carribean, and North America. Thus a caste system or â€Å"sistema de castas† was proliferated throughout the Americas to promoted â€Å"proper† mixing of the races along state sanctioned lines. For such a system to work, the people, brown, black, and even white, had to be indoctrinated to believe that this is how things were, however pseudo-scientific we know such principles to be today. (Nieto-Phillips, 2008) Limpieza de Sangre By end of 17th century interracial marriages were on the rise, the Catholic Church relaxed its former restrictions on race mixing. The Catholic Church allowed marriage between all groups. So as doctrine changed and laws evolved to grant freedom to black slaves and children of white citizens, such propaganda as â€Å"Casta paintings† were painted to show diversity of mixing genes of black people, brown people, and white people. (Las Castas, 2013) Pseudo scientific reasons to make certain people inferior so that they were more easily managed. Convincing certain parts of the population that they are inferior is the key part in such a social manipulation technique; there is ample documentation of the psychological, physical, and emotional abuse that took place to enforce such philosophies. (Gates, 2011) Mestizaje Multiculturalism In modern times, if there is a case to be made for racism in Latin America, it is in the ideas about racial democracy and confusing racial coexistence with racial equality. Many Latin American governments it is the protocol, or doctrine, to push the belief that race is not an issue, that racism is not a problem, that racial discrimination does not exist because everyone is mixed – mestizaje. On the other hand much academic research shows that racism does exist and that racial discrimination does occur/is a factor in peoples’ life outcomes. (Zizumbo-Columbo Martinez, 2017). In our modern era we can observe the effects of what Peter Wade describes as â€Å"social construction†, we have this dual reality; on one hand we have racial democracy, which isn’t just a myth. It is in some respects a reality; Latin America is very much mixed between racial categories of white, black, and brown. (Race and genetics interact with each other; humans, genetically, are 99.9% the same, 0.1% different). For the last few decades Latin American nations have been going through processes of multicultural reform, giving land rights and educational rights to indigenous and black minorities. Such genetic data reinforces the idea that actually, Latin Americans are mixed primarily; this tends to put indigenous and African derived populations on the outer fringes of the modern Latin American societies. There was a period in the early 20th century where racial democracy was widely celebrated. There were national identities built around how mixed populations had become over time, in an effort to manifest a more racially tolerant reality. The lack of black people in political elite; Brazil, Mexico, Colombian elites are predominately white whereas the working class populations are of darker complexions’. (Poole Wade, 2008) The whole idea of racial democracy is, in one sense it’s an ideology imposed by the elite as a kind of idea about what the nation is. On the other hand, it also has certain elements of truth about it because the experience that the majority of the people in the country are mixed, and aren’t clearly indigenous, black, or white. This is an every day reality in Latin America. Particular cultural stereotypes exemplify racial distinction. Current Manifestations of Racism Current president of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, while running for office in 2015, faced criticism for his character â€Å"Black Pitaya† or Black Dragonfruit. Morales, a former comedian and actor caught judgment for his questionably racist blackface comedy bit. (cite). Morales is associated with the least wholesome aspects of certain Afro-Latino stereotypes like narco-traficantes, hyper sexual content, and violence among lower classes. Such characters also exist throughout places like Peru, and Mexico. Morales just happens to be in the spotlight as he now holds the highest office in the land. Like Trump and his followers it appears Morales is no stranger to using polarizing racial rhetoric to gain political and economic advantages. (Lakhani, 2015) Other racist manifestations include cartoons like Memin Penguin, an afro-stereotypical rendition of a primate in popular comic book character form. The argument is that such characters in Latin American pop culture are so dated, coming from a time when such racial mockeries were seen as acceptable, and so they can be laughed about today. Again, an attempt to push a â€Å"we are mixed, and past that part of society† mentality. It does not always manifest in the true nature of society. I do not see any reason to believe things will change very much in Latin America, one of the things about Latin America in the last decade or so there has been a move toward official multiculturalism, where states recognize that they are, in fact, more racially diverse than previously admitted. (de la Cadena, 2007) Racism manifests in Latin America where politics attempts to manipulate culture; divisive politics makes people easier to control and racial lines are easily exploited. Should the people of Latin America (and even North America) continue to play into the false rhetoric and political propaganda displayed by media business models securing their profits from consumers, then we should expect the same cycle or manifestation of racial polarization. ? Works cited Casale-Hardin, M. A. (2017, December 07). Mejorar la Raza: An Example of Racism in Latino Culture. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-alejandra-casalehardin-/mejorar-la-raza-an-exampl_b_7558892.html De la Cadena, M. (2007, September 25). Reconstructing Race: Racism, Culture and Mestizaje in Latin America. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from https://nacla.org/article/reconstructing-race-racism-culture-and-mestizaje-latin-america Gates, H. L. (2011). Black in Latin America. Retrieved October 12, 2018, from https://www.pbs.org/wnet/black-in-latin-america/ Lakhani, N. (2015, October 21). Guatemala election puts Latin Americas affinity for racist caricatures in spotlight. Retrieved October 14, 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/21/guatemala-election-latin-america-racist-caricatures Las Castas – Spanish Racial Classifications. (2013, June 15). Retrieved October 14, 2018, from https://nativeheritageproject.com/2013/06/15/las-castas-spanish-racial-classifications/ Nieto-Phillips, J. M. (2008). Language of blood: The making of Spanish-American identity in New Mexico, 1880s-1930s. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press. Poole, D., Wade, P. (2008). A companion to Latin American anthropology. Malden: Wiley Blackwell. Peter Wade, Race in Latin America, A companion to Latin American Anthropology (2008), pp.177-189 Zizumbo-Colunga, D., Martà ­nez, I. F. (2018, September 20). Study reveals racial inequality in Mexico, disproving its race-blind rhetoric. Retrieved October 13, 2018, from https://theconversation.com/study-reveals-racial-inequality-in-mexico-disproving-its-race-blind-rhetoric-87661

Book Review of Aleph by Paulo Coelho

Paulo Coelhos (The Alchemist, The Winner Stands Alone) novel takes readers on an adventurous journey that spans all 9,288 kilometers of the Trans-Siberian railroad from Moscow to Vladivostok, and a parallel mystical journey that transports its narrator through space and time. In his most personal novel to date, Coelho presents himself as a pilgrim seeking to regain his spiritual fire, much like Santiago, the beloved main character of his runaway bestseller The Alchemist. Paulo Coelhos books have sold more than 130 million copies and have been translated into 72 languages. Besides The Alchemist, his international bestsellers include Eleven Minutes, The Pilgrimage, and many other books whose characters grapple with seemingly simple spiritual themes: light and darkness, good and evil, temptation and redemption. But never before has Coelho chosen to place himself as a character so profoundly in the midst of that struggle — until now. In Aleph  (Knopf, September 2011), Coelho writes in the first person, as a character and a man wrestling with his own spiritual stagnation. Hes 59 years old, a successful but discontented writer, a man who has traveled all over the world and become widely acclaimed for his work. However, he cant shake the sense that hes lost and deeply dissatisfied. Through the leadership of his mentor J., Coelho comes to the conclusion that he must change everything and move forward, but he doesnt quite know what that means until he reads an article about Chinese bamboo. Coelho becomes inspired by the thought of how bamboo exists only as a tiny green shoot for five years while its root system grows underground, invisible to the naked eye. Then, after five years of apparent inactivity, it shoots up and grows to a height of twenty-five meters. Taking what sounds like the advice hes written in his previous books, Coelho begins to trust and follow the signs and live [his] Personal Legend, an act that takes him from a simple book signing in London to a whirlwind tour of six countries in five weeks. Filled with the euphoria of once again being in motion, he commits to a journey through Russia to meet with his readers and to realize his lifelong dream of traveling the entire length of the Trans-Siberian railroad. He arrives in Moscow to begin the journey and meets more than what hes expecting in a young woman and violin virtuoso named Hilal, who shows up at his hotel and announces that shes there to accompany him for the duration of the trip. When Hilal wont take no for an answer, Coelho lets her tag along, and together the two embark on a journey of much greater significance. By sharing deeply profound moments lost in the Aleph, Coelho begins to realize that Hilal can unlock the secrets of a parallel spiritual universe in which he had betrayed her five hundred years earlier. In the language of technical mathematics, Aleph means the number that contains all numbers, but in this story, it represents a mystical voyage wherein two people experience a spiritual unleashing that has a profound impact on their present lives. Sometimes throughout the story, Coelhos tendency to describe spiritual concepts in simple terms borders on clichà ©. A life without cause is a life without effect, he repeats, along with other pithy sayings such as Life is the train, not the station. These sayings take on greater depth, however, as this storys narrator travels back in time and returns to the present with experiences that give them new meaning.The tension in Aleph builds as the train nears its destination at Vladivostok, the final stop on the Trans-Siberian railroad. The narrator Coelho and Hilal have become entangled in a spiritual web that must be broken if they are to continue on in their separate lives. Through their delicate negotiations, readers will come to understand the interconnectedness of people throughout time and find inspiration in this story of love and forgiveness. Like many of Coelhos other novels, the story in Aleph is one that will appeal to those who view life as a journey. Just as Santiago of The Alchemist sought the fulfillment of his Personal Legend, here we see Coelho writing himself into the fabric of a novel that traces his own spiritual growth and renewal. In this way, its the story of Coelho, the story of his characters, and the story of each of us who read it. Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

Attachment †Word Count 1466 Free Essays

Word count 1466 Introduction: Attachment theory can be useful to highlight core and basic human needs for social interaction and proximity to others. Used as a model of human development, it can help us consider how relationships between infants and their caregivers forge and underpin the development of fundamental areas of our lives; our self beliefs and constructs of the world around us; of ourselves and expectations of others; our abilities to self regulate our emotions and feelings; our sense of curiosity, motivation and confidence to explore and learn and how we are able to relate to others and tasks/activities. In this paper I will firstly be discussing the major theorises of attachment these being John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. We will write a custom essay sample on Attachment – Word Count 1466 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Secondly I will explain how attachment informs in social work. ‘Among the most significant developments of psychiatry during the past quarter of a century has been the steady growth of evidence that the quality of parental care which a child receives in his earliest years is of vital importance to his future mental health’ (Bowlby. J. p11. 953) Attachment is an emotional relationship that involves comfort care and contentment. The roots of attachment were thought to be from Freuds theory’s about love, however John Bowlby is accredited with being the fore father of attachment theory. Bowlby shared the psychoanalytic view that early experiences in childhood have a major influence on development and behaviour later in life. Our early attachment styles are established in childhood through the infant/caregiver relationship. Kennhell and Klaus said that sometime attachment is confused with the natural bonding process that takes place between mother and child, and we should be careful not to mix these too up. Bowlby believed that attachment begins in infancy and carries on throughout life, resulting in several behavioural systems that are required for survival and reproduction. Bowlby suggested that there are four central characteristics of attachment; these are proximity maintenance, this is when the child strives to stay close to the care giver enabling the child to stay safe. Safe haven, this is when the child feel scared or afraid turning to the caregiver for support and comfort. Secure base, this is when the caregiver gives the child a protected place to discover the world from. Separation distress this is when the child get upset or distressed when it is absent from the caregiver. Bowlby suggested that attachment was an element of selected relationships throughout the lifespan, even though most of his research focused on infancy. Mary Ainsworth created a method called the strange situation. The method that Ainsworth had created was to examine that bond between the care giver and the child. The method is to examine the child playing for approximately twenty minutes while the care giver and the person who is unknown to the child enters and exit the room. This method creates a familiar and unfamiliar situation for the child. For some children this type of situation can be very stressful. The case of ‘Genie’ was an extreme example of a child that had no attachment or social contact resulting in her being a feral child. She was unable to talk dress herself or toilet herself, when support was implemented within a few days progress was seen to be made, showing that even though no attachment had been made the child was still able to learn new behaviours. A striking example of adult attachment to a parent is the comment made by a 40 year old lady who had lost her mother; I never realised, until she was gone, how much my own sense of confidence depended on knowing that if I ran into trouble I could always turn to her for help and advice. Goldberg 2000 p10)in my own experience of working with adult services, I gained an understanding of how separation could have affected an elderly couple’s health. After 60 years of marriage social services where call in to assess their situation as they where no longer able to cope due to the fact the wife had senile dementia. Initially the was talk of them being home together however a standard care home would not have met the need of the wife, a nursing home was needed for her. This was seen as being detrimental to both their health due to separation. Therefore, it was seen to be better to provide them with support in their own home. In conclusion children who are securely attached tend to have trusting, long-term relationships in their adulthood. As adults and being securely attached, these same individuals have a great understanding and perspective on important relationships in their lives. They demonstrate a forgiving attitude toward their mate and tend to show compassion for others. They tend to speak of how their past experiences have influenced their present feelings and relationships. References Bowlby, J. (1953) Childcare and the growth of maternal love. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books. Feeney,J. Noller,P. (1996) Adult Attachment. London: sage publications. Goldberg, S. (2000) Attachment and Development. London: Arnold publishers. Howe,D. (1995) Attachment theory for social work practice. London: Macmillan press. Smith, Cowie, Blades. online. ‘The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Understanding Children’s Development’. York College: Homepage, (http://www. ycc. ac. uk/yc/new/HUMSOC/psycho/unit1/adultatt. htm), (5 December 2008) How to cite Attachment – Word Count 1466, Essay examples