Meeting 18 • 07 March 2013 • Thursday
Week 9: Societies & outlooks

Version:
3/13/13

pictures of the week

Humboldt showing Indians how to use a sextant

Cargueros (native porters)

thought-bite of the week:

"'I knew,' said the young Indian girl coolly, 'that the crododile would let go when I stuck my fingers in its eyes.'"

(Humboldt, "Personal Narrative", from Jaguars and Electric Eels, ed. & trans. Wilson, p. 67)

mini-text of the week (start):

"'…but the zambo would expect to be treated as an equal, and that I cannot do with a man of his colour.'"

Humboldt, "Personal Narrative", from Jaguars and Electric Eels, ed. & trans. Wilson, pp. 47 (read more)

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(10') More about the thought-bite and mini-text of the week: a) the "zambo" passage – how does AvH feel about Europeans (back in Europe; in the New World? b) How does he feel about indigenous peoples? Controversies about adoption / cultural identity in our own time? (Hint: Russia). c) Which kind(s) /cultural groups of people do you look up to / look down on? d) When have you (not: Have you ever) treated someone else as a member of a group rather than just an individual? ("HERR Fischer"; "brain"; "carrot-top"; "lefty"; "Missouri Sinners"; "fundamentalists" [either kind]; members of political parties [Nebraska joke: "Democrats"])

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(25') Contact of cultures, class of civilizations:

1) A very different kind of "contact": "First Contact" in science fiction – what problems come up?
2) Humboldt's pictures of Europeans in the midst of indigenous peoples, compared to his pictures of "natives" (see pictures of the week above). The real test: the carguero issue: what were the likely attitudes and arguments of - need to identify these - the several parties involved in that situation? What have you done in similar situations? (But first define "similar situation.") How could this be part of learning materials and experiences for Humboldt-named schools? The definition of "human" then and now - according to law, philosophy, science, culture, emotion, _____? The "Noble Savage" and the salvaje-orangutan of Jaguars & Eels p. 84. Picturing the Tropics (see Stepan, Nancy Lee, Picturing Tropical Nature, Ithaca: Cornell UP, 2001).
3) Contant controversy about tabu words ("zambo"?!) related to group identity (race or otherwise). This issue in the news right now: a NASCAR who spoke an ethnic slur. Topics for discussion:

a) example: t-shirts about the 2013 BCS football bowl: "Catholics vs. Cousins";
b) some examples from other cultures / languages: "bistek"; "Saupreußen", "Fratzen", "Ami", "Ivan";
c) from other times: roundhead, Yankee (1776, 1861-65);
d) is there a "statute of limitations" on tabu terms? (roundhead vs. squarehead; bog-jumper; limey, frog, kraut) If so, how does that imaginary statute run out? What about limits on the self-isolation of social sub-groups? (AP/Oregonian March 5, 2013, Idaho law) And then there are the constitutional issues of free speech and association… This issue is right now in the new: the Supreme Court is deciding whether the Voting Rights Act should continue or else be modified because racism in the management of elections is now a less serious problem. Beyond this is the issue of "collective guilt": can a group be held responsible for the actions of individuals in it? over how much time (how many generations) does guilt extend? (example: guilt of today's German for the offenses committed their ancestors during the Third Reich)

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(20') Still more about acquiring and judging data and knowledge. 1) Small groups: Where do you get your citizen information, opinions, conclusions, solutions, and how do you check it out? If you are into "think globally, act locally", where do you get your local info (neighborhood, city, county, state)? What "signs" are there that your sources are reliable? 2) Still more advice about "educated citizen" reading; example (with free samples: New York Review of Books)

(15') Now a more systematic view: The world Now and in 1600 (-1900+): your probable individual fate, and what you, transported back to then, would find very different (very absent, very present); standards of living for the (decile) range of population; What caused the change, and what did the change cause? How does that relates to social responsibility (activism?) and sustainable environmentalism? See also handout from 2012 SINQ: pictures from Lesy, Wisconsin Death Trip; article from The Economist, about malnutrition in the present.

(5') Announcements, Checkups & Previews:

1) one focus of "interpreting the past" to the present during the rest of the course: land and water allocation (the great survey expeditions) and use in the American West, including Oregon, and how Humboldt played an important role in that;
2) presentation of group projects (1/2 hour on T and R); suggestions for things to cover: a) title/summary; b) audience; c) intended outcome for that audience; d) notable feature (gimmick?); e) whine / shine
3) news about the Humboldt Canoe SINQ event;
4) background info about sextants
5) maybe: sample reading text for final exam (Preston