LINES OF THE DAY

". . . But the past does not exist independently from the present. Indeed, the past is only past because there is a present, just as I can point to something over there only because I am here. But nothing is inherently over there or here. In that sense, the past has no content. The past -- or more accurately, pastness -- is a position. Thus, in no way can we identify the past as past." p. 15

". . . But we may want to keep in mind that deeds and words are not as distinguishable as often we presume. History does not belong only to its narrators, professional or amateur. While some of us debate what history is or was, others take it into their own hands." p. 153

Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History (1995) by Michel-Rolph Trouillot

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Today's Questions

Do we understand the definition of post-colonial as it is understood in the sf/f communities? What are the differences in how these communities understand the term and how it is used in academia? Does it matter that these communities understand the term differently?

What is non-colonial narrative?

Is such a thing possible? If so, would Patricia Wrede's The Thirteenth Child be a non-colonial narrative since there are no peoples to be exploited in the alternate New World, despite it having been first found by Columbus for Europe and settled by Europeans -- and evidently Africans too?

Is there a place for a creole identity in a non-colonial narrative?

What do we mean by assimilation, creolization, cultural mis-appropriation?
Can we list titles of works that illustrate any or all of the above?

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