Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Then to Now
When I returned from class I found this story on Yahoo News: http://news.yahoo.com/mexican-ape-woman-buried-150-years-002722588.html. The gist of it is that "An indigenous Mexican woman put on display in Victorian-era Europe because of a rare genetic condition that covered her face in thick hair was buried in her home state on Tuesday in a ceremony that ends one of the best-known episodes from an era when human bodies were treated as collectible specimens." As we come off the conversation about "Exotic Ethnic" and "Freak Shows", it is sometimes hard to see this in a contemporary point of view. With the repatriation of Sarah Baartman's remains as recently as the early 2000's, the extent to which this fascination with the exotic has carried on is very evident in the reluctance of "1st world countries" to return the remains of the "Exotic Ethnic" suspects of old. In conclusion, I think we need to analyze the way in which Western Civilization handles difference.
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This reluctance to return the remains indicates not only a continued fascination with the exotic, but perhaps also a shame with the way they treated these individuals in the past. It's possible these countries are having trouble confronting their pasts and coming to grips that they indeed committed some terrible acts. Hopefully by returning these relics they can redeem themselves somewhat. As for the aspect of difference, it is interesting that other cultures do not celebrate their differences with other cultures as much as Westerns cultures do. Why this is I'm not sure. Maybe we do it simply because we are in a position of power to do so, or at least were.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your statement Justin. I remember taking Victorian Britain with you and remember talking about the struggles that civilizations such as Victorian Britain civilization. They were struggling with adjustment to new ideas and new things.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to contemporary time, I think we can be easily adjusted to change. And if I can relate to Sara Baartman's case, we see Sara Baartman's body as something normal it today's society. I feel that in the contemporary age, we are used to change and different things going on at once. Things that used to be stange then are completely normal now.
I think it's important to keep in mind that Sarah Baartman was from South Africa. Granted that her ethnicity was the reason for her "unusual" features, I think that it may have also been the cause for the interest she drew. I've heard the story of Sarah Baartman before we discussed her in class and I've often wondered if a woman of white descent would have been viewed the same way. Certainly her third world origins contributed to her exhibiting, as if she were some African beast, but I doubt the situation would have been similar if she was a white woman.
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