Blog 6: A Mughal Historian in Mexico City

Humans evolve, cultures and communities evolve, that is to say ways of living and existing evolve- past evolution and progression would not have been possible without cultural change.

Dr. Taymiya Zaman introduced us to her piece of literature called A Mughal Historian in Mexico City.

Whenever I have studied history, I have found that our purpose of study is built on some fundamental questions: how the world works (and has worked) versus how it should work, and if the way it is working is negatively effecting others, is it really 'working'?  One aspect that Dr. Zaman touched upon that intrigued me is the colonized people and the separation or interchange of change and loss. When a community is colonized, all of the indigenous and previously established institutions, cultures and customs are challenged, destroyed and reconstructed.

Language as an institution is primarily affected in colonization. As the colonial language is set as the new prime standard, a gradual shift towards a population that is bilingual emerges, one that is neither proficient in its native or colonial language. So, for the generations to come, as we discussed in class, there is this widespread confusion of not belonging to one particular space, not owning one language completely. This could not only be because both languages could never exist in harmony with each other, what with the violence one brought, but it could also be the lack of acceptance of the colonial language as something that is now (albeit unwantedly) ours. The colonial language is something that even the illiterate speaks a few words of and recognizes when conversing with the elite. To view this forced change in language as a loss may do a community more harm than good as again, efforts to tear down this heavily imposed idea of a superior language would have to be made. If, however, this change were to be taken as a part of the colonized history, that yes we were colonized and yes our native institutions were replaced but the colonial language we have inhabited over the years helps us understand the colonizers better, opens up a doorway into their line of thinking and the factors that led to colonization, in other words, acceptance. Dr. Zaman mentioned her ‘inner European white self’ and her ‘inner brown woman’ and explained the aspects of society and culture that those two distinct parts of her experienced. Similarly, this way, a bilingual colonized has the ability to tap into both worlds and the potential to create his own path forward, a third, new way to exist.