Week 6
Taymiya Zaman takes a different route to history writing that focuses on the 'past and the present' of the Global South, rather than rooting itself against imaginary Europe. Her scope is limited to the study of two countries of the Global South, and she uses her lens as a 'Mughal Historian' to trace their indigenous pasts without using Europe as a reference point. With her words and writing-style mimicking free-flowing water, she constantly maneuvered from India to Mexico and showed how both areas were 'conquered and unconquerable' at the same time. For me, this presented a new and unique way of understanding post-colonial societies which have adapted to changing times but also have an unchanging essence. She gave an example from Manan Ahmed's writing on Sindh where certain practices and shrines remained sacred throughout time. Moreover, by tracing the pre-colonial and colonial pasts of both areas, she also highlighted some of the characteristics they have in common. People of both countries not only share the same skin color but also love spicy street food.
By referring to Mexico's past and present, she also showed how the binary between the colonized and the colonizer no longer holds there. The locals use the language of the conquerors and it is often seen as a symbol of power. Her teacher reinforces the stereotypes against African Music and Arab cultures that are present in European literature. She also talked about the pre-modern writings of Muslim writers, who much like the European explorers, saw Mexico as a barbaric land. I found this interesting as rather than tracing the New World through the European Gaze, she used the example of Muslims who were no less than their future colonizers in this case. I could also link it back to the class discussion on Gender, and how within the context of the Subcontinent, it breaks down the binary between the colonized and the colonizer. She also touched upon the issue of Gender during the Q&A, by mentioning La Malinche as an important figure in Mexico's history as she gave birth to Cortes's son. However, she is often unfairly accused of betrayal.
I found her personalized writing style quite refreshing and engaging as it included anecdotes about her own experience with learning Spanish in Mexico. More particularly, her experience showed value the language held for her in San Francisco and Mexico. In San Francisco, it was a signal of safety while in Mexico it became a symbol of power. Towards the end, she also made a fascinating point about the history and use of the marigolds in Mexico and India. Through this example, she beautifully knit together the past and present of the two lands that have a lot in common.
By referring to Mexico's past and present, she also showed how the binary between the colonized and the colonizer no longer holds there. The locals use the language of the conquerors and it is often seen as a symbol of power. Her teacher reinforces the stereotypes against African Music and Arab cultures that are present in European literature. She also talked about the pre-modern writings of Muslim writers, who much like the European explorers, saw Mexico as a barbaric land. I found this interesting as rather than tracing the New World through the European Gaze, she used the example of Muslims who were no less than their future colonizers in this case. I could also link it back to the class discussion on Gender, and how within the context of the Subcontinent, it breaks down the binary between the colonized and the colonizer. She also touched upon the issue of Gender during the Q&A, by mentioning La Malinche as an important figure in Mexico's history as she gave birth to Cortes's son. However, she is often unfairly accused of betrayal.
I found her personalized writing style quite refreshing and engaging as it included anecdotes about her own experience with learning Spanish in Mexico. More particularly, her experience showed value the language held for her in San Francisco and Mexico. In San Francisco, it was a signal of safety while in Mexico it became a symbol of power. Towards the end, she also made a fascinating point about the history and use of the marigolds in Mexico and India. Through this example, she beautifully knit together the past and present of the two lands that have a lot in common.
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