Caribbean Civilisation by Manan Haya https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej Identity in colour en-us 2017-12-02 00:20:26 UTC 2024-10-08 17:01:36 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Balance.png 1. The Danger of a Single Story, November 11th artificialsmileyface https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468403 Chimamanda has summarised the objectives of the Caribbean Civilization course. To teach regional and international students the numerous stories of the Caribbean and its history, otherwise known as revisionism. By doing this we can help make these less talked about stories main stream, narratives that don’t start with when the Europeans arrived. And this is an important first step, to educate the Caribbean region. For how can we begin to succeed if we’re taught that our history only came into existence because of foreign invasion. Keeping us under indirect rule has altered our Caribbean identity. 

This course has the ability to facilitate the appreciation and acknowledgment of a regional Caribbean identity. It can achieve this due to the demographic diversity present in our online plenaries. The danger of a single story as expressed in the video isn’t only how outsiders perceive us but also how we ourselves reciprocate it towards other social groups. For example Annecka Marshall write about homophobia in the Caribbean (which was almost disregarded in this course besides being a subset of masculinity), shows that even within our region we have given people who identify with LGBTQ+ groups a single story. 

To remove oppressive terms from our vocabulary such as ‘Pre-history’, ’Arawak’ and ‘slave’ and replace them with their denotative meaning is an exercise that needs to be taken to a global level. Understanding why the change to ‘history’, ‘Taino’ and ‘enslaved person’ is essential, is because language is an important component of culture. And if our culture is based off of a single story then we can never progress politically, economically, socially and culturally.

My artifact for this objective is the poem 'I come from the Nigger yard' by Guyanese poet Martin Carter. I've chosen this because it captures the reality of what has come from the Caribbean being told with a single story.
]]> 2017-12-02 00:38:41 UTC https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468403 2.Embracing a woman's home. November 20th artificialsmileyface https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468595 Just to preface: I’m living at the all girl’s hall on the St Augustine campus. And 9/10 times that I tell someone this, I am bombarded with archaic sexist comments. And it had puzzled me because the fact that they were present on campus means they were accepted to university so they shouldn’t be that ignorant. However, it proves that the education system merely acts a medium to reinforce gendered value systems(Donald, Athene). 

While studying it allowed me to examine what influences gender and sexuality in the Caribbean and the ideologies that have contributed to people assuming that an all girls dorm is always buzzing with drama. It also served as a reminder that every prejudice I face as a young brown female has been socially constructed, and propagated by a social group whose basis of success relies on mirroring the plantation systems of oppression. 

Learning about the role religion has played in influencing gender roles has allowed me to acknowledge seemingly ignorant comments such as “what do you expect with a bunch of girls living together, there’s always going to be gossip and squabbling”. I now understand that this comment carries the weight from decades of gendered division of labour, that began the enforcement of the subordinate nature of women.(Cunningham, Mick) 

Decades later it remains problematic as stereotypes are cemented and exposed with quips of “wow the place must always be really clean since you’re all girls”. But in the same breath they laugh and ask 'why are you living there it's so ratchet'....Women have timelessly been abused, black women especially have been given a horrible stereotype that has affected them in the educational, political and economic sphere.

Frankly gender and sexuality issues and hegemonic masculinity are not regional issues and it is only the historical significance that this course has placed on it that sets us apart from the rest of the world. To reinforce this topic, I’ve taken the aid of a section speech called “We should all be feminists” by Chimamanda Adichie. This portion of her speech was featured in a Beyonce song. The relevance being; although Chimamanda is Nigerian our histories collide and are yet to be told fully by a Afro-Caribbean or African woman.
]]> 2017-12-02 00:42:34 UTC https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468595 3. "One UWI" October 28th artificialsmileyface https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468630 'I take it that the burden of the work is not to question the fact of there being One UWI, but to determine how that oneness might be projected and operationalised better.''-  
(Sir George Alleyne, Chancellor of The UWI, April 16, 2016)

It is quiet ironic that this initiative is seemingly trying to recreate the entire reason UWI was founded. While simultaneously sharing the likeliness of CARICOM’S free movement of people initiative. 

According to Dr. Beckles 2016:  “Within our UWI there is growing concern about its operational fragmentation and social segregation into campus communities that see themselves as separate and apart. Reference is commonly made to the existence of four separate universities functioning under the guise of campuses.  We must strive to achieve a unity of purposeful action and positive spirit that emanates from the rich cultural and geographical diversity of our region.”

 Following his observations suggestions on how to address them were for example: harmonised technological systems and ethical prerogative. This is because ideally, One UWI must have at its core, ethical values that are interlinked with social human rights, gender justice and equity.  

Particularly some suggestions that are currently trying to be implemented are: Encouraging faculty movement, where faculty members should be encouraged to spend a semester or more at a sister campus. Additionally, an interesting suggestion is to strengthen teaching about the Caribbean by reintroduction, of a common first year course on Caribbean Civilization. That would include material from more than one Caribbean country. 

The manifestation of teaching about the Caribbean has obviously succeeded. I can only hope that further integration of the campuses is made possible. Ideally in ways that aren't forced on students in ways that can affect their grades grades. Doing this will allow for positive memory association with the 'One UWI' initiative; not just 'oh we were forced to do a compulsory course to graduate'

The artifact for this objective was relevant at that period of time and is still relevant now.
]]> 2017-12-02 00:43:23 UTC https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468630 4. Pause. Rewind. December 1st artificialsmileyface https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468667 You know when you’re learning how to ride a bicycle with two wheels you always have someone behind holding onto you, stopping you from falling over, steering you in the right direction. Until one day you’re riding and you don’t feel them behind you anymore and suddenly you’re riding all by yourself. Having the opportunity to study Caribbean civilisation was like finally being let go. The metaphor of old racist ideologies holding onto me and keeping me so oppressed and docile, that I never even considered challenging them. 
 
Caribbean civilisation can be compared to the initial feeling of not only freedom but independence. Being freed from this toxic form of mental slavery that was crammed into me from childhood making me like many- victims of internalized inferiority and self-hate; even if we couldn’t consciously acknowledge it. The independence of riding by myself has allowed me to realize the power that comes with knowledge, especially how it has contributes to the social inequality within the Caribbean. 

Being able to take this course is an opportunity to reeducate the masses who are the least likely to learn this otherwise. It allows for passive advocacy of promoting home-grown thoughts and new realities. Although at times during the course there were thing that seemed quite obvious to me, it might’ve been more difficult for others to grasp. Even though ‘ignorance is bliss’, it is clear the Caribbean is not blissful due to ignorance. I think that if more of our population was informed about the units covered in the course, our regional and national identities would be explored to a fuller extent.

The artifact for this are images that convey my feelings after taking this course.

]]> 2017-12-02 00:44:15 UTC https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212468667 References. artificialsmileyface https://padlet.com/artificialsmileyface/1qka7d8v2pej/wish/212475080 Cunningham, Mick. “INFLUENCES OF GENDER IDEOLOGY AND HOUSEWORK ALLOCATION ON WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT OVER THE LIFE COURSE.” Social science research 37.1 (2008): 254–267. PMC. Web. 2 Dec. 2017.

Donald, Athene. “Reinforcing gender stereotypes: how our schools narrow children's choices | Athene Donald.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 9 Dec. 2013, www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2013/dec/09/gender-stereotypes-schools-children-choices.

Marshall, Annecka. “Homophobia in the Caribbean.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Jan. 2014, www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/01/29/why-is-latin-america-so-progressive-on-gay-rights/homophobia-in-the-caribbean.

Report of the One UWI task force. 2015.

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