Within the Trask readings the author mentions colonialism, and the process of colonization of the native peoples. In what ways did this misrepresentation of Hawaiian culture facilitate the colonization process, and what were the consequences for the Hawaiian people’s relationship with their land and heritage? Can the understanding of language and local customs alone fix the misconceptions of history or is taking an objective, evidence-based stance towards historiography more important and effective in understanding history.
In Pratts “Art of the Contact Zone” Benedict Anderson is mentioned and introduces the idea of ‘imagined communities’ and their importance. He argues that ‘Communities are distinguished,’ not by their falsity or genuineness, ‘but by the style in which they are imagined.’ According to Anderson and other scholars, printed text and literacy among people played a crucial role in helping bring to life national awareness and, consequently, revolutions. Therefore, our modern nation states are simply a grand version of the imagined community. Literacy has proven to be a powerful force in driving a new evolution in “imagined communities”. This begs the question as to how will electracy, in our current generation and those to come, reshape the concept of “imagined communities” in our globalized world?
Hey Jetmir,
I really liked how you used electracy for Pratts, “Art of the Contact Zone” reshape our globalized world and the impact our current technologies will have on it in the near future.