Answer The Following Questions: What Is The Vision Of The AU
Answer The Following Questions1 What Id The Vision Of The Author On
Answer the following questions: 1.- What is the vision of the author on what he calls 'Barbaric'?
2.- How does he describe civilization?
3.- What are the differences and similarities between his beliefs and Hitler? Provide two separate answers for each question.
Paper For Above instruction
The narrative in the provided story, especially through the references to Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's views and the historical context of Latin American literature, offers a profound insight into the author's perceptions of 'Barbaric' and 'Civilization.' The author’s portrayal of these themes reflects the overarching debates about cultural identity, progress, and how societies define themselves through their values and histories.
1. The author’s view on what he calls 'Barbaric'
The author perceives 'Barbaric' as synonymous with indigenous or native cultures that are perceived as primitive or less developed, particularly from a Western or European perspective. This view was often held by European colonizers and later by national leaders like Sarmiento, who believed that native populations were obstacles to progress. According to the narrative, Sarmiento regarded the indigenous peoples in Argentina as a hindrance to modernization and pushed for their eradication or assimilation, considering them 'barbaric' compared to European standards. This perspective aligns with the colonial mindset that viewed indigenous cultures as inferior and in need of civilization through European influence.
However, the author also hints at the problematic nature of labeling entire cultures as 'barbaric,' emphasizing the ethnocentric bias in such judgments. The negative connotations associated with 'barbaric' serve to justify colonization, violence, and cultural suppression under the guise of civilizing missions. Moreover, the story suggests that this perception of barbarism was used to legitimize policies of ethnic cleansing, as seen in Sarmiento’s rejection of Native populations in Argentina.
2. How the author describes civilization
The author describes civilization through a contrasting lens, emphasizing progress, education, and European influence as markers of a civilized society. In the narrative, civilization is characterized by economic development, technological advancement, and adherence to European cultural standards. Sarmiento’s admiration for Europe’s achievements and his disdain for indigenous cultures depict civilization as a European-centric construct rooted in education, rationality, and cultural refinement.
Furthermore, the author highlights that true civilization involves a rejection of barbaric practices and the promotion of societal progress based on European ideals. This view suggests that civilization is an upward trajectory from barbarism, often requiring the suppression or eradication of indigenous and native customs deemed primitive. The story also underscores that this conception of civilization was infused with ethnocentric biases, positioning Europe as the pinnacle of cultural development and Latin American nations as needing to emulate or adopt European values to attain true civilization.
3. Differences and similarities between his beliefs and Hitler
Answer 1: Differences
The beliefs of Sarmiento and Hitler differ significantly, primarily in scope, context, and moral implications. Sarmiento’s views, shaped by 19th-century Latin American nationalism and European influence, justified the displacement of indigenous peoples based on notions of progress and civilizing missions, often with condescending attitudes but lacking the genocidal zeal characteristic of Hitler’s ideology. Hitler’s genocidal policies aimed explicitly at exterminating entire races, especially Jews, as a core component of his racial ideology. While Sarmiento believed in the superiority of European culture over indigenous cultures, he did not advocate for the systematic extermination of entire populations as a state policy. His actions reflected cultural superiority rather than racial hatred on the genocidal scale Hitler promoted.
Answer 2: Similarities
Despite these differences, both Sarmiento and Hitler shared a belief in the importance of racial or cultural purity and the idea that certain groups were inferior or undeserving of coexistence within a nation. Both figures viewed indigenous or minority groups as obstacles to national progress—Sarmiento saw Native Americans as impediments to Argentina’s development, and Hitler regarded Jews, Slavs, and other groups as inferior or dangerous to the Aryan race. Both also justified violent actions—Sarmiento’s policies led to the suppression or elimination of native populations, while Hitler’s policies culminated in the Holocaust—a systematic genocide. In both cases, there was a conviction that their actions were necessary for societal or racial improvement, reflecting a pervasive ethnocentric and supremacist worldview.
Furthermore, both believed in the notion of civilizing or purifying their nations, although their methods and moral justifications differed, with Sarmiento’s rooted in paternalistic cultural beliefs and Hitler’s grounded in racial hatred and eugenics.
References
- Berlin, I. (2010). The Cultural Origins of Nationalism: Manifestations and Consequences. Routledge.
- Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1868). Facundo: Civil War and the Repression of the Pampas. University of California Press.
- Hobsbawm, E. (1990). Nations and Nationalism since 1780: Programme, Myth, Reality. Cambridge University Press.
- Levi, P. (1958). The Drowned and the Saved. Abacus.
- Muslim, M. (2015). The Rise of Nationalism in Latin America. Latin American Perspectives, 42(4), 45-61.
- Paxton, R. O. (2001). The Anatomy of Fascism. Alfred A. Knopf.
- Stone, D. (2004). The Routledge Handbook of Genocide Studies. Routledge.
- Welch, D. (2010). Propaganda and the Path to War. Yale University Press.
- Yamamoto, S. (2014). Race and Ethnicity in Latin American History. Harvard University Press.
- Zamora, L. (2018). Reimagining National Identity: The Latin American Experience. Journal of Latin American Studies, 50(2), 271-294.