I was thinking about a pun involving a ruse and water here, but Jean-Jaques already started whitewashing again. Well, noblesse oblige, I assume…
[Edit: this is probably the most far fetched combination of a pun and a gif I did so far on BBS, but I am not ashamed.]
My point is more that it’s still a part of the functioning of the world today. Comparing it to the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century or the Mongols only serves to obfuscate the very real problems of the world that is rooted in European colonialism and continued western hegemony. It’s not just calling out white people for no reason, it’s examining historical forces that are still shaping the world we live in.
I can totally agree with what both you and @Kaleberg are saying here - I do think Hawaiians were active agents. But this sort of thing is often used to justify colonialism. Let’s not pretend like we brought the poor benighted brown people Christianity, highways, and supermarkets and they have no reason to be pissed about how things have turned out. Both can be true.
Again, as someone who is about to have a phd in modern American history, I’m really aware of the complexity of history and agency.
I do sometimes wonder how different your experience here would be if your screen name were Martinsan33 instead.
Me too. If I cared enough, I’d try it and find out!
There are plenty of books that deal with colonialism that used travelogues. I think that Christine Skwiot might have used some in her book on Cuba and Hawaii:
I haven’t read this one, but it looks good:
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