Columbus -- Discovery or Invasion?
The lens through which world events are viewed is pivotal to one's immediate perspective and to later interpretations of circumstance. The activities of Christopher Columbus have point and counterpoint points-of-view that naturally reflect both Native American and European (and American) perspectives. Inarguably, the first epic voyage accomplished by Columbus revealed territories and cultures that differed starkly from the European experience. Framed in this way, Columbus made a discovery, an event that people naturally tend to celebrate -- within the framework of their own society. However, implicit in the word discovery is that of a first encounter or an accomplishment, absent any previous or similar activity. Referring to Columbus' discovery of a new land is an absolute rejection of global context. Rather, when Columbus' activities are viewed from a global perspective, the consequences of Columbus' journey to new lands were the result of an invasion, not a discovery. A discovery can be thought of as a snapshot in time. An invasion necessarily involves action subsequent to discovery, or arrival, or landing, or any other term that portrays the imposition of one culture on another. Moreover, historical records reveal the actual and structural violence that occurred in the New World as a result of the encounter and clash with the Old World. The historical experience of the encounter between the Old and New Worlds -- and the conquest that followed this encounter -- underscores the critical contribution that mindset has to interaction and reactions to domestic or global events. The cultural disparity or culture class between people from the two hemispheres was acute -- and a seemingly endless stream of similar situations can be found throughout history. That the juxtaposition of cultures frequently has violent and destructive repercussions is evidence of what anthropologists refer to as the perception of the other. Anyone outside of the familiar bounds of a society or culture is viewed as foreign, in the least, and subhuman, in the extreme. Categorically, both labels permit treatment of the other in ways that are not acceptable with those who are considered the people -- the group of one's origin. Evidence of the rationalization for distinguishing between people in this way can be seen in the casta systems that institutionalized differentiation, resulting the establishment of whole classes of people as slaves.
The second case of cultural reaffirmation that Huntington discusses is that of Muslim societies which have followed a different path towards the reassertion of their cultural identity. In these societies, religion has been the main factor of cultural distinctiveness and influence. Huntington argues that religion is the main factor which distinguishes Muslim societies from the others, and that the resurgence of Islam "embodies the acceptance of modernity, rejection of Western
So who is an American and what an America can or cannot do are questions which are critical to the issue of legalizing immigrants. Does being an American mean you cannot show allegiance to any other country? The images of people raising and waving Mexican flag had enraged many but it need not have. It should be accepted that people who come from different countries would forever hold in their
crusades on the west? Effects of Crusades on the West For centuries, the Muslims had been attacking and usurping Christian lands. With no real boundaries differentiating territories, it was impossible to fathom any measure of cordiality to exist between the two The wars that then raged, The Crusades, as the western world sought to exact revenge have altered the present and the future so much that the effects are being felt even
Aboriginal Activism in Australia The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries were the centuries of new exploration; the scientific discoveries had allowed Europeans to build better ships and navigation system and to explore the new worlds. The French, British and Spanish explorers were more successful in these endeavors. They not only found new lands but were able to exploit the small local population of Natives to control the land. North America is perhaps
political framework of EU and OCT European Union (EU) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are in association with each other via a system which is based on the provisions of part IV of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU), consisting of detailed rules and measures which are laid down in the document issued on 27th November 2001 title Oversees Association Decision. The expiry date of this
Post War Iraq: A Paradox in the Making: Legitimacy vs. legality The regulations pertaining to the application of force in International Law has transformed greatly from the culmination of the Second World War, and again in the new circumstances confronting the world in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War. Novel establishments have been formed, old ones have withered away and an equally enormous quantity of intellectual writing has
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