exam season means procrastination
My flatmate moved back to India. I have two more exams left. I CLEANED today, instead of doing any productive academic masturbation. I realized that I am actually quite a clean person. Perhaps not to the extent of some people, but overall, i like things to be organized and generally bacteria free. In many ways, I'm turning into my father as his rules on "everything has its place, and belongs there, so you must always return things to their place" rule is rubbing off on me. I got really angry at my flatmate because i couldn't find the torch after she used it, and the scissors because she had moved them out of their place and didn't replace it. I didn't use to be like this, i use to like chaos, I would have a better memory though. my excuse to my father was always, it might not be in its place but i still remember where i put it! But now, no. I think this is an age thing, I can't remember anymore. I know this is kind of wrong, but the whole 'everything has its place' notion really makes me think of what I should be studying. There should be a question on "race" in both of these exams *one is on African history the other on "cultural encounters", so yea 19th century development of race is a big concept. Africa class concentrates on the Victorian conceptualization of race through its contact with Africa, Cultural Encounters seeks to look at race in a broader perspective via the European experience with the Other in the 19th century vs. prior experiences. The missionaries and explorer travelogues, Kiplings novels they all portray this "other" - slightly dangerous, always heathen, never fully clothed, and in so many ways mysterious. This Other has traits that the Victorian suppresses, cough sexuality. Natives with their nakedness, and thus 'innocence' are seen or described promiscuously. This sexualization of the "native' is inherently a type of epistemic violence, and tells much more about the masculinity of imperialism. But also, other than this mental level of dominance, there were real 'fears' involved with the contact between the European and the Other. Explorers idealized and painted a portrait of the "oriental' or the African but settlers faced real issues of proximity. Here, we have issues of land and labor - need to be able by in large to dominate/own the land, and make its prior inhabitants your labour force. So, how do you justify such actions? Will the whole concept of European superiority should already be there, but it is furthered by the racialization of natives. "they" are the children of Ham, "they" are damned by God. "They" are stupid, uncivilized and we are here to teach them how to make use of the land.. properly. What's the largest difference between us, or at least the most easily noticed? Physical features. "they" are darker, they are not like "us". Or in plantation societies, where color becomes a characteristic in the division of labor. Of course, Darwin comes into the picture about now as well, and evolution turns into social darwinism. "Science" the new religion starts supporting this justification of the power relationship. It must be said that science plays a large part, not only as it gives a new vocabulary to conceptualize race, but it is through secularization of Europe that the Christian emphasis on the unity of mankind starts to wane. It is in this way as well that the previous stories/imaginations of the Other, the projection of European tension starts to become more complicated. Savagery is then superseded by "Blackness" (African context); Blackness doesn't equal the sole attribute, but other characteristics, usually negative, become associated with it.
blah blah blah. i need to read some more.
In other news,
I traded my phone for a watermelon...
I bought a watermelon and lost my phone, most likely loosing the phone in the process of either buying or carrying the pregnant thing. I love watermelons but hardly ever buy them, as they're really heavy to carry home. I miss LA in such instances, where i can buy multiple heavy fruits and just put them in the trunk. But not here, i have to take them on public transport and all that lovely stuff, not very cool. And plus, the watermelons here all have seeds. It's not as if I don't know how to spit the seeds out, but rather, I really do like seedless melons... it makes life so much easier.
blah blah blah. i need to read some more.
In other news,
I traded my phone for a watermelon...
I bought a watermelon and lost my phone, most likely loosing the phone in the process of either buying or carrying the pregnant thing. I love watermelons but hardly ever buy them, as they're really heavy to carry home. I miss LA in such instances, where i can buy multiple heavy fruits and just put them in the trunk. But not here, i have to take them on public transport and all that lovely stuff, not very cool. And plus, the watermelons here all have seeds. It's not as if I don't know how to spit the seeds out, but rather, I really do like seedless melons... it makes life so much easier.