On Constructs and Nations

On Constructs and Nations

                One thing I can definitely say about Graduate level classes is the discussions are very interesting and often heated debates over topics. Particularly, today, after reading Myth of Continents by Martin Lewis and Karen Wigen and Imagined Communities by Benjamin Anderson, a discussion exploded through the classroom.

                These books challenged the constructs that have been so ingrained into our education since elementary school. We are taught that there are a specific number of continents and they are Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. But the argument is made revolving around the question of ‘Why?’ Why are these the continents? How do we determine this? What are the distinguishing factors? Are they actually relevant?

                In other countries in other parts of the world, they are taught completely different things. In Russia, there is no distinction between Europe and Asia. They are the same thing. In many views, North and South America are one continent that includes Central America that is often overlooked in the American view. So who decides what continents there are? And does it even matter? Do we need continents? And if we do, then why?

                This argument can even be brought onto a smaller scale. A discussion about borders of countries or states. Essentially they are arbitrary lines drawn around a space and claimed by or given to a specific group of people. Now they are by no means imaginary as that people are often willing to die to defend these borders, but are there really any reasons for where they are?

                Imagined Communities continued this discussion about imagined constructs in society. It is even said that society itself is an imagined construct. That isn’t to say that it isn’t real. But instead that the concept that everyone in the community or society could actually know everyone else in the society is impossible. He goes on to explain that it is perceived connections to other people, things that bind them together, like language, religion, or other similarities, is what creates the sense of community.

                This led to a discussion about Nations and how you cannot be a true community because there is no way for everyone to know everyone, but they are bound together in a perceived or constructed community. From this the discussion of patriotism developed. An argument can be presented that in many ways, especially in the United States, that Nationalism and Patriotism has replaced the binding force that had been the Catholic Church in Medieval and Renaissance eras.

                During these time periods and even up until the 1800s, the argument can be made that what held societies and communities together was the connection to the Catholic Church. People were willing to die for their belief in their religion. Thousands of men traveled out of their countries in order to, as they saw it, defend their community, their religious community, from outsiders. Today, soldiers do the same thing, do they not? They travel away from their homes in order to protect their sense of community, their nation, from the ‘other,’ and they do so under the name of Patriotism. (I know that I have blogged about Patriotism before). Just as Catholics of the Medieval period were passionate about their religion being the best religion out there and that all others were wrong and were willing to die or kill to prove it, so are many today inspired by Patriotism.

                Once again, I have probably offended someone, but these are merely my thoughts after reading the books by Lewis & Wigen and Anderson and after the discussion presented in my class.

"Good Artists Borrow, Great Artists Steal" - Pablo Picasso

In response to a recent discussion with a friend, I felt like I needed to write down my thoughts on the matter of 'plagiarism'. Pablo Picasso supposedly said that "Good Artists Borrow, Great Artists Steal". This leads one to think about the concept.

First, I would like to discuss the idea of owning property. This is a HUGE thing in Western Culture and Capitalism. It is a normal concept to us that you own property. Be it that barbie doll or action figure that your sibling just stole and ran off into the other room with, or a house, or the book you just published. This is a seemingly normal way of life. It seems to just make sense and be the 'correct way'. We go so far as to punish those who do not conform to this idea.

From there we have to understand that this is not what the entire world thinks. In many cultures, in Asia and Africa, the concept of knowledge being 'owned' by someone is completely foreign. In Asia, quoting something from an authority on the subject is considered being the greatest respect that can be owed. Knowledge is owned by the society as a whole.

It is an interesting concept. Something to think about. It can be argued that the concept of owning knowledge, art, and such only adds more problems to society then they aid. Of course it is wishful thinking that society would change enough to allow such a thing. But it is something to consider when we start thinking about people who 'steal' copyrighted items, or download music, books, etc, or share a piece of artwork on a different website than the one it was posted on, or want a copy of a picture from a photo studio but don't have the money to pay 250 dollars for the copyrights to their own child's face that's in the picture.

Dissatisfaction in Government

Ok. As the Presidential elections loom on the horizon, I start hitting the mute button on my TV even more. I hate election seasons. Nothing is ever really achieved. But as that i was just invited to an event on Facebook entitled "Obama leaves office!" I felt like I needed to get something off my chest in regards to this. 

Throughout history people have been dissatisfied with the leaders of the world. Athens cycled through every single kind of government, tyranny, democracy (the real kind), republic, oligarchy, aristocracy, and monarchy, and were never happy with it. Emperors of Rome were killed in office, people hated the monarchs of England and France. Tribal leaders were often killed so that someone else could take over leadership. Tsars and Tsarinas of Russia have a bloody history of being murdered by their own people. Even great leaders who wanted to end suffering, like Alexander II of Russia and Abraham Lincoln were killed because some people weren't happy with their policies and changes. 

This is still alive today. People are still unhappy with current leaders. Whether or not they are actually to blame for the faults of the world. Whether or not they are actually trying to influence change. People are still going to be unhappy. No matter what the president or other current leader does, people will still disapprove. People will still complain that the leader is to blame because their lives are difficult and not perfect. It seems utterly impossible for an entire group to be pleased with government and leadership. 

Graduate School Update

I was accepted to a graduate program! YAY! Excitement!
I thought as i was fighting with all the requirements for the application that that was the hard part. I was wrong.

As an undergraduate, financial aid is handed to you. You really don't have to worry in the state of Georgia how you are going to pay for college. There was HOPE, and PELL, and then loans. Graduate School is different. All you have are scholarships that entry level students don't really have access to, and loans. Lots of loans.

but here is the other problem. As an undergrad... its unlikely that you have credit. Not necessarily bad credit... just not enough. Which means that private loaners, banks, etc aren't willing to give you the loans. and if your parents are financially burdened, they can't help you either. You're pretty much screwed.

Also, they don't accept you to these schools early enough that you can get into a decent dorm. So you are scrambling for housing.

My advice... Do everything as early as you can... because then you have more time to scramble...

Graduation/ The Future

As I sit here on the eve of my graduation from college, I can't help but look back on the years I've spent here. I started off at University of West Georgia, then transferred to Kennesaw State University. I've been at KSU since 2007. I've made friends, gotten to know professors and staff. It has been an amazing experience.
 I have learned a lot from my time as an undergrad. How to do research. How to write a paper. How to coherently express my ideas. In the last five years since i graduated high school, I have grown from a shy young girl to a confident, intelligent, young woman. I have learned to stand up for myself and my ideas. I have learned that I can survive on my own. I have a new set of skills and an education that I can be proud of.

As this chapter of my life closes, I look towards the future. It is unknown and veiled in shadows. I await acceptance letters. But I have faith, and hope, that I will receive that desperately awaited letter soon. With that letter, I will be working on graduate work. To gain my Masters and then my Doctorate in World History is my ultimate goal. To spread my knowledge to other people. To open their eyes to new perspectives. To understand that history is still something worth learning. To inspire people to think. To reevaluate what they already know. That is what i aspire to. To through teaching and writing, that people might walk away from me knowing a least a little bit more than they thought they did.

Generalizations

Hello all, this is your friendly neighborhood outspoken historian. I'm here for another blog to put my thoughts out there on a subject that is at least, vaguely related to history. Enjoy.

So I was talking with a friend on Facebook about a group of Christians who are stating that the world will end on May 21st 2011 (which is worthy of a blog all onto its own). She got upset with me and asked me not to generalize all Christians into one group because not all Christians think the same way. So this got me to thinking. Why should i NOT generalize?

As I look around me, I see people generalizing other people into groups all the time. I turn on the TV and I see complaints about Muslims. All Muslims and all countries with high Islamic populations. Even though it is only a small group that is radical. But if you look outside at American Christians, there are radicals who also call for extreme measures.

Also, I see the generalization of all non-organized religions, including Pagans, Druids, and Wiccans, into Cults or Devil Worshipers.

Then all people from China are generalized into a stereotype of 'Chinese.' All Russians are the same. All of the French are rude and unclean. All Canadians are unintelligent. All Hispanics are from Mexico and they are all illegal. All men are loud, dirty, and horny. All women are bitchy, emotional, and nags. All African Americans are lazy, loud, and expect everything handed to them. All whites are racists.

No one likes to be generalized. However, people do it all the time. Sometimes for dramatic effect. Sometimes to prove a point. Sometimes to be mean. and Sometimes because they are ignorant.

I admit to generalizing on occasion. Often to prove a point or a trend over time. Though never, in my experience, have a I heard people complain more about it all then I have heard Christians. It amazes me at how vehemently people will object to the generalization of Christians than any other. Its ok, in so many people's eyes to claim that all Muslims are terrorists, but saying that Christians over time have predicted the end of the world over and over again, that is worthy of objection. That is an interesting fact.

My take on Current Events.

Last night at about 11pm EST I got the news. We came in from our Beltane celebration (a pagan festival of prosperity and fire, details of which are information for a different blog entry) and rushed to turn on the news. Then, honestly, I went to bed without giving it much thought. I awoke this morning to a news station that believes that nothing else important could have happened today or over the weekend, and my Facebook friends posting all about it. I guess you can say that I am jumping on the bandwagon with this blog, but as a historian and a scholar I just felt that I needed to put my thoughts out in the mix with everyone elses.

10 years ago I was 13. It feels like most of my life has been lived under the shadow of 9/11, Bin Laden, and the wars in the Middle East. It seems a little surreal. Like a child learning that the Boogie Man that you have lived in fear of coming out from under your bed for years... is now dead. Over the years, I have come to know people who have fought, people who have waited for those to come home, and I have been lucky enough to not feel the loss that many others have felt.

I admit to being critical over the last few years. I still am very critical. I will be the first to admit that. I will also state that I have studied history. I have studied wars. I am critical of every war, past, current, and future. For example, in many ways, the Revolutionary War can be viewed and treason. It is all in the perspective. But I digress. This blog is about the death of Bin Laden, not about perspectives on war.

Today I wonder what this death will truly bring us. Today I wonder if it is a good thing that the man is dead. Today I ponder the moral issue of murder. Today I wonder if whoever will take over and fill his shoes will be worse or easier to take out or manipulate. Today I wonder what the backlash will be. Today I wonder if it was worth it.

No one can say for sure right now. It is a bit like we are between a Roc and a hard place.Sure he was bad, Public Enemy #1 or something like that, but there is the uncertainty of his successor. It is like a new chapter that is beginning and all we have to go on is the last sentence of the previous chapter. "And Bin Laden is dead." Like reading a suspense thriller that isn't finished. All we have this the chapter heading of the subsequent installment.

I can hope that this means the end. I can hope that with the head cut off that another will not grow back. But I have to admit that am not too optimistic. Wars have been happening in this area for centuries. And the United States' current position in the World's Political Sphere does not easily provide peace. There are many reasons for opposing groups to hate the USA. There are many reasons that are even logical. And unfortunately, while we were retaliating (after 10 years) against a crime against Americans, the horrible cycle of revenge is just as likely to continue as it is to not.

We can praise his death. We can celebrate. But we also have to understand that a whole new can of worms has been opened. And consequences for actions must be accounted for no matter what noble intentions the actions may have been carried out under.

And those are just my thoughts on the matter.

A Controversial Topic

I try to avoid massively controversial topics, but today I cannot hold back. After conversations with friends, people on forums, and things I've seen around my campus, I have to say my piece and this is what this blog is for. For me to state some facts and then my opinion.

What is this controversial topic you wonder? *sighs* I'm talking about the issue of Israel and Palestine.

First, a short history lesson.
Lets go back, and I mean WAY back. Before the Middle East was the middle east, even before it was the Near East, or the Holy Land, before the Roman Empire, or the Greeks or the Persians, it was Mesopotamia. The Cradle of Civilization. People have lived in this area since around 3000BCE. That is over 5,000 years! Great empires grew out of this region. Including the Babylonians and the Assyrians. Later the Israelites would arrive in the area and build up a kingdom after, as the story goes, an exodus from Egypt and wondering around for a while. The Assyrians made a habit of relocating the Israelis to new parts of the Assyrian Empire. But it was the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 597BCE and took a massive chunk of the population back to Babylon, this would be known later as the Babylonian Captivity. Some 70 years later, the Persian Empire would defeat the Babylonians and send the Jews home. However, when the Israelis arrive at where they used to live, it was inhabited by new people! The Arabs.

Now to back up just a little. I need to take a moment to say something of religion here. At this point, we are talking about almost 500 years before the birth of Christ. These Arabs are not Muslims. Also, after running into several people in a recent class that did not know this. Christianity developed out of Judaism (and for those of you who don't know, this is the religion of the Jews) around 33CE. Then in about 622 CE, Islam was developed out of Christianity. Islam was, in essence, considered to be a continuation of the Abrahamic Tradition. It is one of the beliefs of the Arab Muslims, that the illegitimate son of Abraham and one of his servants, Ishmael, is the forbearer of the Arab race.

So back to the story. The Arabs had moved into what the Jews had considered to be their homeland during the time that the Jews were away. This is the beginnings of the issues that we see today. The Jews thought that land was their homeland and did not like that there were other people there. And on the other hand, when the Arabs moved in, there was no one there to tell them they couldn't. So by the time the Jews returned, the Arabs had made the land their own. This has led to one conflict after another between the two groups. But Jews have consistently been the minority through the centuries.

Now we reach the 19th and 20th centuries. A time of globalization. Of Imperialism. Exploration, and Colonialism. Britain had colonized the area in the late 18th century. Then World War II happened. No one can legitimately denied the atrocities that were inflicted upon the Jews (and many other groups) by the Nazi regime. A certain amount of guilt over a feeling of not doing enough to save those Jews, the World Powers decided to give the Jews their own state.

Now this seems like a great idea! Lets give this minority  group who has traditionally been persecuted, particularly by Christians, and were extremely persecuted during the war, their own space. It would be like a sanctuary. This sounds like a great idea. Except for the fact that there were already people there. There was already a country there. People who did not take lightly to all but being displaced themselves. These people are the same Arabs that were there over 2000 years ago! But now the Jews are excitedly moving into the area. To the land that they feel has been given back to them.

So that is the background of the conflict in Israel. I don't think many people know that. They just fall on one side of the debate or the other. People are either for Israel while others are supporting Palestine. I saw stickers around campus proclaiming the Israelis as invaders and call for the freedom of Palestine. While others claim that the Israelis were there first and deserve the land because of the persecution they have suffered over the centuries.

No matter what side you fall on, it is near impossible to solve this problem. There is no easy solution to fix this situation. No matter what, someone is unhappy. No matter what either the Israelis or the Muslim Arabs are going to feel like they are not receiving the fairest deal. No matter what, the conflict is unresolved.

April Fools Day

I have never liked April Fool's Day. I'm not someone who likes to be tricked or humiliated, which seems to be the norm for the people who like to celebrate the day. I remember one April 1st where a husband of a friend called her telling her that the draft had been instituted and former military were going to be the first to be called. She nearly had a heart attack in the middle of the mall and I thought she was going to kill him when he called back to tell her 'April Fools!' But I digress...

Today, after looking at some of the other holidays this year, I thought I would see what I could find about the history of April Fools Day. I admit to having been a little disappointed. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information on the internet about April 1st other than the next great prank that you can play on your friends. And what I did find has some uncertainty in its validity.

The popular story tells of the shift of the calender from the Julian Calender to the Gregorian Calendar. Many people did not automatically accept the Gregorian Calender so some people had shifted their dates, while others did not. So a person traveling from one area of Europe would leave on one date and arrive at his destination a week before the date he left. There was a lot of confusion at the time. That much we know to be true.
The story of April Fools says that the original New Years Day was celebrated on April 1st. However, the Gregorian calender changed this date to January 1st. Either the new did not spread very quickly or people refused to accept the change. Supposedly, the people who continued to celebrate New Years Day on April 1st were considered 'April Fools.'

However, there is some fault in this idea, because the Gregorian calender did not reach some areas until much later but the tradition of April Fools Day was already well established.

The other explanation for the holiday looks to the tradition of spring festivals in Europe. Spring was a popular time to have festivals dating back far before Christian dominance in Europe. April Fools Day could just be a product of the evolution of these fun spring festivals.

Whatever the history of this holiday, no one can deny its popularity of the holiday.

St. Patrick's Day

“Happy St. Paddy’s Day!”

Someone responded to me this morning with “Happy Religious Persecution Day” and I got to thinking. I had never really done any research on one of my favorite holidays.

I have Irish Heritage. I can trace my ancestry back to a Patrick Murray who arrived in Elis Island and settled in New York in the 1890s. So I feel that I have a connection to this holiday. And well, I really do like the color green.

So first, I set off to do a little research, admittedly not particularly scholarly research, but enough to get a general idea of where the holiday came from and why we celebrate. And between History.com and several news articles, I think I have a fairly good idea about this holiday that I had celebrated since I was in kindergarten.

St. Patrick, an Englishman, was sold into slavery in Ireland at 16. Later in life, he was able to return to England and went into the service of the Church. He eventually went back to Ireland and proceeded with a campaign to Christianize the people of Ireland.

This was actually common practice during the early centuries of Christianity. Catholic priests and monks would go into an area that was predominately occupied by people of Pagan religions and Christianize the practices in order to help people convert. This is why there are many parallels between Christian holidays and traditions and ancient pagan ones.

Documents state that St. Patrick died on March 17^th 492 and the Feast Day on March 17^th was developed in his honor. At first this was particularly a normal Feast Day, much like others within the Catholic Church. Later, particularly in the 15^th and 16^th centuries, as the Irish left Ireland, either through religious persecution or famine, their traditions were spread around with world with them. St. Patrick, being the patron saint of Ireland, grew in popularity with the Irish in countries abroad. Celebrations on this day were an attempt to show people in these new worlds, that the Irish were a proud race; that they were cultured and unafraid to show their religious beliefs.

So I guess in some ways, it can be argued that today, March 17^th, is Happy Religious Persecution Day. St. Patrick did convert Ireland to Christianity, eliminating the majority of the nature based pagan religion that was there previously. Also, the day gained popularity due to the persecution of Catholics in England, Ireland, and even after the moved to the United States.

However, I will point out that is true for most holidays. Christmas and Easter are a massive synthesis of pagan traditions that were used to help convert the pagan population to Christianity. In addition, many holidays increase in popularity due to oppression or distance from their country of origin.

Therefore, I say, wear your Green. Celebrate the Irish. Too often they are a forgotten nationality, not only in America but around the world. Use this day, and the entirety of Irish History month (march) to learn more about Ireland, and Irish Heritage, both in Ireland, and after their immigration to America.

Graduate School

As I near the end of my undergraduate collegiate career, I am gearing up for graduate school. I would like to take a few moments to discuss how difficult this process is, for all of you who might be thinking about taking this route.
First, some background information. I am in my last semester of my Bachelors’ Degree in World History. Therefore, I am working on all of the senior work that is part of achieving this degree. Plus three other classes that were needed to maintain full time status. Then I had to take the GRE. You can’t get into a graduate program in history without taking it. And you can’t do well on this test unless you study. Then the application process involves a collective effort between you and your advisor, as well as other faculty.
It is a lot of work just to get into the graduate school. And with everything else that a senior in college has to get done, its no wonder that most people stop at the undergraduate level. I guess this process is to weed out the faint of heart.

History Months

Living in the south presents many problems for a scholar, as I like to consider myself. One faces problems with race, political correctness, and the uneducated. It is difficult to express an opinion in the south without raising the ire of someone. However, I feel that opinions need to be expressed.

The current opinion that I feel needs to be expressed deals with this month of February. Technically, every month is supposed to be dedicated to celebrate the history of a particular group of people. February is Black History Month. March is designated as Women, Greek, and Irish Heritage Month. May is for Asian Pacific and Jewish Heritage. June for Caribbean Heritage. September is designated for Hispanic heritage. German, Italian, and Polish are supposed to be celebrated in October. Finally, November is Native American Heritage Month.

This sounds like a great idea, but living in the south you come to recognize a serious disproportionate amount of attention being placed on February. Every channel from ABC, to NBC, to CBS, to Disney, to the History Channel, they all pay special attention to Black History Month. I can’t turn on my TV without seeing some special segment highlighting some figure in African American History. This is wonderful. I am not saying that it is a bad thing to learn about the contributions of African Americans on history, the world, and America.

Not only is the whole month dedicated to one group but what about all the other months? Rarely do I see a special in March about great Women how have contributed to history, much less the contributions of Greek or Irish Americans. I cannot think of a time where I saw a commercial while waiting for a show to come on in May that highlights Asian Pacific or Jewish contributions. Or the Germans, Italians, or Polish in October. Nor do I see hardly anything besides Thanksgiving propaganda in November, rarely anything about actual Native American history or heritage.

Why do we put such emphasis on African Americans in the south and this country? Why is their history so much more meaningful and important than all the other groups in this country? Why can’t we teach and celebrate history as a whole? Why do we have to segment it in order to celebrate it and do it justice?