10) Responding to Leslie's Question #9

Leslie's post:

9) Chapter 18 contains some powerful images. Why do you suppose Strayer chose to include these specific images? How do they illustrate concepts introduced in this chapter? Choose one image and a) describe it, b) explain how it illustrates a concept from the chapter, and c) give your general thoughts about the image, as you might do in the context of a small in-class discussion group. The images you can choose from are (your version of the textbook may use different titles and page numbers):

            An American View of British Imperialism (p.790)

            European Racial Images (p.791)

            Map 18.2 Conquest and Resistance in Colonial Africa (p.796)

            Colonial Violence in the Congo (p.803)

            The Educated Elite (p.815)

            It might be cliché, but I think it is true. A picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that Strayer chose to include these images to really drive home points about the brutality of colonialism, racism, slavery, and the Europeanization of the world. Experiences impact us in on different levels. I have seen people wounded and killed. That’s what I’m going to call the top level of spectatorship here. Next, is images of that event, and then hearing about it. 

            I chose Colonial Violence In the Congo from p. 803. This image shows two boys, both missing their right hand. They were cut off as a punishment for their village not meeting demands of their colonial overlords. This image is representative of forced labor and how Europeans coerced free labor from people in Africa, essentially carrying on the European tradition of slavery. The image is very powerful. I already knew quite a bit about the history of Africa as a result of a Swahili immersion program I studied in for a year in Washington DC. Congo is slightly outside of that area of specialization, but many of the impacts of Europeans were similar. The man from who I learned Swahili grew up colonial Tanzania. He spoke of growing up malnourished, never having enough food, and having very little opportunity. Despite all of this, he went on to have a PHD in Social Science, and even serve under President George Bush Senior assisting in the American response the East African AIDS crisis. When I see the little boys in this picture, I think of Mzee. What if he had been a victim of one of these camps. Beyond the humanity of treating another human this way, we all would have lost so much from not ever hearing what he had to say. Imagine what the world was robbed of by never hearing the smothered voices of all the lost Africans. 

In response to Leslie's post:

I find what Leslie said quite interesting; she sounds very well-versed in this topic because of what she studied in Washington DC.  This image definitely puts things into perspective for me, and makes me realize the things we take for granted.  I'm sure there was also an enormous amount of diseases and not a lot of resources for antibiotics and medicine in order to prevent diseases, so they suffered greatly.  Even finding the tools to help deal with such wounds and suffering was also probably a nightmare and so sad and painful to deal with.  I find it so awful that these children were the victims of such crime.  I don't know how anyone in their right mind could do such awful awful things.  I'm also devastated that I have only heard of this after reading it in this textbook.  It should be a much more talked about issue, and shown in textbooks at an earlier age.