two worlds meet

I like the idea of history as non-linear, as events that we in the present have put together in order in a certain way that leads us to here and now, even though it never actually happened that way.
I don't remember learning specifically about Columbus in elementary school except as a quick "this guy discovered this place" sort of deal and most of the social studies courses I took in high school were very Canada-forward (which makes sense in a Canadian high school). I don't believe I ever read anything particular about him until this course.
Most of what I know about Columbus is information given to me through a very liberal perspective; people denouncing Columbus Day in the US and different states changing the day to Indigenous Americans Day.
From the information I gathered in this week, Columbus himself was not a villain, but he is where today's current villains got their start from. This was the beginning of a very long war against indigenous peoples and racism that continues to persist up until today.
I particularly like the idea of history as extremely fickle, as well. Had Columbus found Asia, what would be different in the world? On one hand, I'm grateful that the Americas were stumbled upon during this voyage, or else what would I be studying right now?
I never considered viewing Columbus as an allegorical story, but it certainly works and I enjoy thinking about it as a myth. The myths I'm familiar with are largely Greek and it helps to see Columbus as a type of deity because, in all, the Greek gods were fairly problematic themselves and it helps to mesh the two figures. Sometimes, the gods are stupid and rash and make poor decisions. However, they still do important things, just like Columbus did important things but started a very racist chain of events.

Comments

  1. Unknown13 September 2017 at 11:11

    As wicked as Columbus was, he discovered a route from the east to western world. We'll never know if had columbus not existed that someone else would have found the western world, but I doubt that it would be a chance anyone would wish to take. Regardless of his evil behaviour, if not him someone else would be to blame for terrorizing the indigenous peoples.

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  2. Unknown13 September 2017 at 18:44

    Your point about Columbus not being a villain is interesting. Focusing instead on the context of his explorations and how his arrival in the Americas triggered a whole series of historical events (a majority of them unfortunate, such as the racism and oppression against indigenous peoples that you pointed out) that are still part of our everyday lives can help us analyze the situation with a bit more nuance.

    - Livia (http://blogs.ubc.ca/last100livia/)

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