global sociology

public scholarship, knowledge repository, and archive for SOC 124 Global Sociology

[124globalsociology]

Malcolm X

By Sofia and Kristell

Background

Malcolm X, Muslim name el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz, was born May 19th, 1925, Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. He was assassinated on February 21, 1965, in New York. 

Malcolm X became a human rights activist, spokesman for the Nation of Islam, and one of the most well known Black nationalists. In his activism as a Black nationalist, he often opposed Dr. MLK Jr.’s non-violence approach, but respected him as a fellow leader of the Black community. Malcolm X’s ideas were rooted in Black nationalism and human rights;  Malcom X’s stood against all forms of racism throughout his life, often in ways that were different from other civil rights leaders in the USA. 

IMAGE SOURCE: www.goalcast.com/2018/10/03/malcolm-x-quotes/

#revolutionary  #BeTheChangeYouWishToSee

His Activism

Malcolm X spoke about police brutality, an issue that is still relevant:

“A black man in America lives in a police state,” Malcolm X said “He doesn’t live in any democracy. He lives in a police state.”  (https://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/02/21/malcolm-x-relevant-today-50-years-ago)

IMAGE SOURCE: https://juicyecumenism.com/2014/12/09/christians-can-learn-malcolm-x/

#BeStrong#SpeakUp

Malcolm X spoke directly and confrontationally to change the status quo for black men and demanded a change that we have yet to see today. 

“The press is used to make it look like the black man is the criminal and the police force is the victim” (www.timesheraldonline.com/2015/02/20/brian-gilmore-malcolm-x-as-relevant-today-as-50-years-ago/)

Malcolm X addressed the constant demonization of Black men to show how Black men are the victims of the media using its platform to falsely portray Black men, an issue still relevant today. 

“When we begin to get in this area, we need new friends, we need new allies. We need to expand the civil-rights struggle to a higher level – to the level of human rights. Whenever you are in a civil-rights struggle, whether you know it or not, you are confining yourself to the jurisdiction of Uncle Sam. No one from the outside world can speak out on your behalf as long as your struggle is a civil-rights struggle. Civil rights comes within the domestic affairs of this country” (Malcolm X http://www.electrostani.com/2015/02/from-civil-rights-to-human-rights.html). 

IMAGE SOURCE:http://kalamu.com/neogriot/2015/02/21/history-audio-one-of-malcolm-xs-last-speeches-our-color-became-to-us-like-a-prison/

#WeAreStrongerTogether #ChangeIsPossible

Malcolm X’s Approach

This is how Malcolm X fought for Black peoples’ Human Rights. He gave speeches that revolutionized the narrative of the discrimination of Black people. He created a sense of trust where people followed him. He believed that in order to eradicate racial discrimination, Black people had to fight back. They should not be passive about the way white people treated them, they had to speak and defend themselves.  

His 1965 speech called “Not just an American problem,  but a world problem” changed many Black people’s views. After this speech people realized that  what Malcolm X was saying made sense. They were brought to another country by force, they did not choose to be slaves and to move to The United States. Malcolm X said :

“This is how you imprisoned us. Not just bringing us over here and making us slaves. But the image that you created of our motherland and the image that you created of our people on that continent was a trap, was a prison, was a chain, was the worst form of slavery that has ever been invented by a so-called civilized race and a civilized nation since the beginning of the world” (Malcolm X, 1965:9). 

IMAGE SOURCE: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/complicated-legacy-of-malcolm-x-50-years-after-assassination/

#NoJusticeNoPeace

Before Malcolm X died, he talked about racism and inequality, he said that in order to overcome these problems the Black community had to be united. He said they should not be passive and silent.

IMAGE SOURCE: https://wisconsinmuslimjournal.org/malcolm-x-on-his-1964-pilgrimage-to-makkah/

#NeverSurrender #HaveHope #NoMoreDiscrimination

“No, I’m not an American. I’m one of the 22 million black people who are the victims of Americanism. One of the 22 million black people who are the victims of democracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy. So, I’m not standing here speaking to you as an American, or a patriot, or a flag-saluter, or a flag-waver – no, not I. I’m speaking as a victim of this American system. And I see America through the eyes of the victim. I don’t see any American dream; I see an American nightmare” (“The Ballot or the Bullet’’; Malcolm X Speaks 26 https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1964-malcolm-x-ballot-or-bullet).

CITATIONS

Malcolm X (1964), “The Ballot or the Bullet”. April 2nd 2020,  BLACKPAST  website: https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/1964-malcolm-x-ballot-or-bullet/

Amardeep Singh (2015). From Civil Rights to Human Rights: Malcolm X and the Post-Colonial World. Amardeep Singh website: http://www.electrostani.com/2015/02/from-civil-rights-to-human-rights.html  Accessed 3 April 2020.

Brian Gilmore. (2015). Brian Gilmore: Malcolm X as relevant today as 50 years ago. The Times Herald: www.timesheraldonline.com/2015/02/20/brian-gilmore-malcolm-x-as-relevant-today-as-50-years-ago/ Accessed 3 April 2020

Brian Gilmore. (2015). Malcolm X as Relevant Today as 50 Years Ago. Common Dreams website: www.commondreams.org/views/2015/02/21/malcolm-x-relevant-today-50-years-ago. Accessed 2 April 2020.

Malcolm X. (1965). “Not just an American problem, but a world problem.” New York: National Humanities Center Resource Toolbox.

[124globalsociology]

Sci-Fi Feminists

By Becky and Claire 

Background

   Science Fiction is all about imagining a different reality. Whether that be spaceships, laser beams, or rights for women. 

   A common misperception is that sci-fi has always been a genre dominated by men and male protagonists; however, this is not the case. There is some speculation in regards to when the science fiction genre was born, yet many consider the creator of the first sci-fi/horror novel to be Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein in 1816, though even before this Margaret Cavendish wrote The Blazing World in 1666. 

   Although not necessarily the first sci-fi writer, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has experienced great acclaim for centuries–and for good reason. Shelley openly explored themes of death, isolation, and moral ambiguity. She has since inspired countless authors, including Ursula Le Guin–whose writing challenges the constrictive social norms of binary gender. Also, like those of her time and before, Octavia E. Butler has succeeded in using gender and race as a means of exploration as well as a call to action. These women’s lives influenced their writing in a multitude of ways, which is why many scholars throughout history have analyzed their personal journeys of growth, inspiration, and loss that led them to new and alternate realities. 

   Here is a good start to the timeline of major science-fiction authors, and here is a list of exclusively female writers.  

Prominent Authors: Mary Shelley

   When Mary Shelley began writing Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus in 1816, she wrote it in response to a challenge. Her father was the famous philosopher William Godwin and it was at a dinner party her father had hosted, with guests such as Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, where the challenge was posed for each esteemed writer to come up with the best ghost story. In the end, Mary Shelley (then known as Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin) won, as her early draft of Frankenstein captivated its first audience. 

   Yet for such a young woman–only eighteen at the time– the themes she wrote about were incredibly complex and macabre. Her life began tragically, as her famous feminist mother died only a month after her birth, a death she would mourn for the rest of her days. When she met and fell in love with the great poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, their romance was only accepted after the tragic suicide of his estranged wife. She continued to experience the loss of three of her four children as well as her half sister. 

   Plagued by death and grief, Shelley’s dark themes were a cathartic release; the juxtapositions of the living and the dead within her work, as well as the question of morality continue to spark debate to this day. The character of Frankenstein’s monster begs the question: what does it mean to be human, to be alive? Moreover, are humans fundamentally good beings? These questions appear again in Ursula Le Guin and Octavia Butler’s brilliant contributions to science fiction, where similarly complex topics are asked, such as: what are gender and race? Why do they exist? [Mary Shelley-Source] [Mary Shelley-Source 2]

Ursula Le Guin

   Usula Le Guin wrote The Left Hand of Darkness in 1969 during the second wave feminist movement in the United States, where gender was a heated topic for almost everyone. 

   Facing her fair share of rejection of publishers refusing to take a woman seriously, let alone a woman writing in the genre of science fiction, LeGuin was determined to share her game-changing novels. As a daughter of a female writer herself, Le Guin knew the value of a good story, and had been inspired from a young age to create her own nonconventional worlds. The Left Hand of Darkness, in addition to the Earthsea Chronicles, are Ursula Le Guin’s best known works. The Left Hand of Darkness and other books in the Hainish Cycle take place in a solar system with many planets whose different environmental factors led to the androgyny and nonbinary nature of the race named the Gethenians. 

   Her mainstream challenging of social norms opened doors previously percieved as closed for other feminist and nonbinary authors to began grappling with questions of identity, morality, social hierarchy, and even religion. By the end of her life, Ursula LeGuin had written dozens of award-winning novels, poems, and children’s books that had changed the science fiction world forever. These issues brought alien distopias down to earth, as it were. [Ursula Le Guin-Source]

Octavia E. Butler

   A facet of science-fiction is the exploration of dystopian worlds that provide insight into the future of our own–no author was more talented at predicting these all-too-real conditions than Octavia Butler. Before her death in 2006, Butler wrote over two dozen novels and short stories that illustrated many scenarios unsettlingly similar to our current political and social climate. From a young age, Butler was surrounded by books brought home from her mother who worked as a maid during the era of segregation in California–books that would transport her to worlds beyond what was possible, at least for now. 

   These books drove her to create stories of her own that imagined protagonists as empowered black women, as gender fluid shape-shifters, and so on. These works, though fantastical, were also rooted in the struggles of society during her lifetime, and provided essential insight into the Civil Rights Movement and second-wave feminism. 

   Of course, life was never easy for Butler, who had to balance many jobs at once, and was often underestimated due to her sex and race. Yet after the modest success of her 1975 novel Patternmaster, which envisioned a dystopian world that brought together themes of hierarchy and unity, she traveled across the country to Maryland, and found even more fame and recognition after she published her next work, Kindred. 

   Butler envisioned worlds that validated and brought to the forefront the struggles of everyday black people, while using fantastical backdrops to tell their complex stories. Today she is known for her afrofuristic themes, with many of her novels being read in university classes regarding queer theory, Black feminism, and disability studies. [Octavia E. Butler-Source 1] [Afrofuturism]

Use of Utopias and Dystopias

   These women, and countless other authors, have used their writing to develop the idea of utopian and dystopian worlds. By imagining a world with true, universal human rights, or a society without gender and racism, these women strove to prove that anything was possible. 

   A utopian world is one that is perfect in every way–but in the process of creating those perfect worlds, dystopias are often born instead. For all the fantastical characters and settings they describe, they are ultimately commenting on our current world and it’s ugly realities hidden beneath the surface. They further present the question, is a utopian world possible? What makes our current world dystopic? As Ursula Le Guin says in her interview with “The Nation’’, “The future in science fiction is just a metaphor for now.” For More information on utopias, check out this TedEd video.  

Sci-Fi in Politics

   As women and authors, Shelley, LeGuin, and Butler along with countless more feminists work not just for entertainment, they write for the larger community of activism. Activism is a way to gain support for a cause but rarely is it done alone. Margaret Kick and Kathryn Sikkink elaborate in “Transnational Advocacy Networks in International Politics” (from Activists beyond Borders: Advocacy Networks in International Politics, 1998). 

   Authors in sci-fi are like the transnational networks that Keck and Sikkink discuss, in that they also use the four typologies of persuasion: 1) information politics, 2) symbolic politics, 3) leverage politics, 4) accountability politics. When authors like Shelley, Le Guin, and Butler present the issues most prominent in their lives, they present the information “where it will have the most impact” (p. 281). That space is the public who has the power to influence society. 

   Furthermore, they use symbols in their writing to make the point that utopias or dystopias really aren’t that different from where we are today. When using leverage politics in writing, authors tend to “call out” major actors such as state regimes, as Margaret Atwood does in her “Handmaid’s Tale”. This can be done explicitly as Atwood does or implicitly as seen in some of LeGuin’s work. Similarly for accountability politics, authors don’t have the power to hold states to their policies; however, they are able to conjure public support behind an issue. For example, if a government claims to have eliminated all racist and sexist language from its governing documents but has not, then an author may use that in a novel to push the government for change.    

Sci-Fi for the Real World

   When imagining a better world, a world where governments and organizations are held accountable for their actions towards people of color and female-identifying people, we can look to these feminist writers for inspiration. These women paved the way for visionaries from all walks of life to have hope for a better future. Science fiction is an instrument of societal rebuilding, and it can have enormous impact on the way people choose to engage in the world. 

   Science fiction also has the capacity to challenge racist, sexist, and heteronormative norms that hold our society back from unity and prosperity. In promoting feminism, authors like Le Guin and Butler normalize equality of the sexes, and even allow future generations to take the reins, as it were, and normalize gender fluidity, androgyny, and non-binary people. 

   As we grow in awareness and knowledge throughout our transformative years at college, we can harken back to these trailblazers and the messages they left in their books. These messages tell us we are powerful in our femininity, that humans are infinitely complex and changing, and that change is necessary for a better future. We can build many aspects of the better worlds laid out before us–and we can learn from the dystopias as well. Our story as humans is far from over, it is not too late for us to embark on a new chapter.  

Links used above:

https://www.bl.uk/people/mary-shelley#

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_vzSgkjBEI 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6a6kbU88wu0 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach/writing-the-future-a-timeline-of-science-fiction-literature/zjfv6v4

https://library.sdsu.edu/scua/new-notable/early-female-authors-science-fictionfantasy-0

http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20200317-why-octavia-e-butlers-novels-are-so-relevant-today 

https://haenfler.sites.grinnell.edu/afrofuturism/

https://www.ursulakleguin.com/biography

Bibliography: 

Keck, Margaret E., Sikkink, Katheryn. “Transnational Advocacy Networks in International Politics”, Activists Beyond Borders:Advocacy Networks in International Politics, 1998. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.  

[124globalsociology]

Activism Through Art

By Eva

Francisco Goya

[Image Depiction: Self Portrait of Goya, 1826]

Francisco Goya was a 18th century Spanish painter who criticized the Spanish government, war and imperialism through his art. Throughout his lifetime he worked independently and in the 1770’s began to work for the royal court and under Napoleon during the French invasion of Spain in 1808. He did not let fear of government criticism stop him from making his provocative art. He remained an activist for the people of Spain and made himself vulnerable in order to spread the truth about Spain and France.  

Types Of Art 

Canvas Paintings: Goya has a vast collection of oil paintings of various styles. Different styles of his canvas work include romantic art, focuses on lighting and contrast, all black paintings, graphic and violent art pieces. 

Sketches: These sketches were not as detailed as his canvas paintings. Goya used these to protest politically and to create art that was filled with thought. Considering these took less time to make there are many sketchings and etches. 

Examples of Romantic Style Canvas Paintings

The Holy Family With the Infant Saint Joseph

[Image description: The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist,1775 - 1780, Goya]

This image is an example of a more romantic style with an emphasis with light and shadows. The infant and mother are engulfed in light remarking on their purity and innocence. Goya used the concentration of light in order to highlight the meanings of his paintings

La Maja Desnuda (The Naked Maiden)

[Image description: La Maja Desnuda, 1795-1800. Images has soft colors and gentle features are beautifully illustrated.]

Examples of ‘Dark Pieces’ on Canvas

Saturn Devouring His Son

(Image description: Saturn Devouring his Son, 1820-1823)

This piece shows the Roman god Saturn devouring his own son and is an example of graphic style and uses darkness in order to create a violent image. A closer read on the story of Saturn and an analysis can be found here. This can be interpreted as the Spanish government eating its own people in order to stay in power, just as Saturn did. 

Two Old Men

    [Image Description: Two Old Men , 1820-1823]

Another example of a “dark piece” is this image of Two old Men. This could be interpreted as the devil whispering into the government leader’s ears or simply how the devil finds ways to whisper into everyone’s ears.  Interesting fact: Goya painted this on the wall of his home.

Example of a Political Sketch

El Sueño de la Razón produce Monstruos (Dreams of Reason produce monsters)

[Image description: Goya, Date:Unknown, El Sueño de la Razón produce Monstruos]

This is a pencil and paper sketch showing a man sleeping and dreaming, while owls and other monsters perch on his shoulders and get ready for attack. A man simply dreaming for reason and independence then gets attacked by monsters shows the corruption and violence of the Spanish government. Goya had to be careful about directly saying his beliefs that critiqued the Spanish government because that could have put him in danger.  So, he had to discreetly be a political activist. 

Goya’s Activism 

The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid or “The Executions”1814

[Image Depiction: The 3rd Of May, 1808, Goya]

The 3rd of May Analysis

This piece is one of Goya’s most famous works because it shows a direct account of the French violence inflicted on the Spanish. This was during the time of the invasion of Napoleon and the French troops were cruel as Goya demonstrates in his art. 

Goya wanted to portray the French as evil by cloaking them in darkness and shooting an unarmed man that is the focus of the painting. The man getting executed dressed in white represents the innocence of the Spanish people who were brutally murdered by the French. The use of light creates a contrast and tension for the audience to look upon. The Spanish are cowering in the corner in the darkness as their companion gets executed, this man stands in the center frame engulfed in light, illustrating his innocence and the brutality of his execution.

The 2nd of May 1808 in Madrid or “The Fight against the Mamelukes”1814

[Image Depiction: The 2nd of May 1808, Goya]

The 2nd of May Analysis

This painting shows the Spanish and Turkish soldiers who were on the French’s side killing each other in the battle for independence. This graphic image shows these men getting killed in detail. 

Goya painted so graphically so the viewers of his art would clearly see all of the violence that was caused by the French. He wanted to show that the Spanish have endured pain and cruelty throughout the war. Once again Goya toys with light and the focus of the painting is the man being stabbed on the white horse. As the focus shows the Spanish man killing the Turkish man, he seeks to demonstrate Spain’s strength and the violence of this time. 

Big Takeaway

Looking at Goya’s art throughout his lifetime there is an obvious shift. He begins with art that is soft and gentle in a romantic style. These include family portraits and still lives. As he ages and sees wars that Spain endures, his art becomes violent, dark and graphic. He paints demons, murder, and violence. He isolated himself in his home and began to make his “black paintings” that were gruesome and frightening 

Goya then became an activist for the people of Spain after he saw the French violence and Spanish government’s greed. He was not afraid to critique the corruption and violence that constantly abused the Spanish citizens.

Sources

“Francisco De Goya.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 12 April 2019, www.biography.com/artist/francisco-de-goya

“Goya’s Caprichos.” NGV, www.ngv.vic.gov.au/essay/goyas-caprichos/

“Saturn Devouring His Son (1819-23).” Saturn Devouring His Son, Goya: Analysis, www.visual-arts-cork.com/paintings-analysis/saturn-devouring-his-son.htm

Shovava, and Deskx. “6 Of Francisco Goya’s Most Famous Masterpieces.” My Modern Met, 12 Aug. 2019, mymodernmet.com/francisco-goya-art/ 

“The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters - The Collection.” The Collection - Museo Nacional Del Prado, www.museodelprado.es/en/the-collection/art-work/the-sleep-of-reason-produces-monsters/e4845219-9365-4b36-8c89-3146dc34f280.

[124globalsociology]

Indigenous Rights & Genocide

By Johnny, Chayne, Dylan

Introduction

Both the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) have roots in colonization. This post critically analyzes the connection between the two crucial human rights achievements. 

Both international instruments - and the international system as a whole - are often misunderstood. International law relies on the “salt water thesis,” which obscure the way colonialism continues to shape the world in the form of settler colonialism. Fanon hoped that the “colonial peasantry” would be able to shatter the “chains” of colonial rule with revolutionary national level liberation movements (Ritzer 2018, p.568). Many of these liberation movements have happened but they did not destroy the power structures of colonialism especially for Indigenous groups that are living under settler-colonial rule. The continuance of settler colonialism has limited the scope of both United Nations Declarations. 

United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is a declaration of 46 articles that serves as a revolutionary force for the discipline of international relations (a declaration is a formal statement that is said to be aspirational). According to Lightfoot, this declaration forces the rethinking of the state, decolonization, liberalism, diplomacy, and Westphalian sovereignty (2016). The declaration is crucial to the restructuring of classic ideologies of international studies. Lightfoot explains that the Indigenous rights movement is a global struggle to secure and realize the rights of Indigenous nations to exist as self-determining entities internationally and domestically (2016).

Lightfoot also argues that the declaration is a “transformational norm vector” that starts a reimagining of the global order (2016). The declaration receives significant pushback from the CANZUS (Canada, New Zealand, United States of America) states because of its potential to reimagining of the system and the legitimacy of settler-colonial states. CANZUS states now “support” the Declaration in the smallest way possible by adding caveats, qualifiers, and exclusions on how the Declaration should be interpreted (Lightfoot 2016). This “support” is what I describe as a “veil” that expresses the opposition these states have for the Declaration based on their colonial rule and the threat of a new global order to existing power structures. 

Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide is a treaty that makes genocide a crime under international law and defines it as “a crime of intentional destruction of a national, ethnic, racial, and religious group, in whole or in part.” The convention (a convention is a formal agreement and treaty between states) is crucial in providing a baseline for cooperation that is required to combat genocide in the international community. 

Schabas is a salient thinker who critiques the convention thoroughly.  Schabas points to the exclusion of cultural genocide from the scope of the convention, saying this essentially removes “ethnic cleansing” from the scope of the definition (Schabas 2008). I once again reference the “veil” when it comes to the exclusion of cultural genocide. The definition refers to physical destruction of groups that do not account for attacks that are structural and institutional (i.e. assimilationist policies). 

Schabas and his interpretation of the exemption of “cultural genocide” in the Genocide Convention is crucial to understanding the connection between the convention and the declaration in our framework. The Declaration of Indigenous Peoples Rights cannot be truly be upheld without the protection of cultural genocide. Article 8 of the Indigenous Rights Declaration says that, “Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to forced assimilation or destruction of their culture” (UN 2007). This gives Indigenous peoples the right to contest their own cultural genocide. 

Why would “cultural genocide” not be included under the Genocide Convention? It is not under the convention because too many states have policies in place that violate article 8 of the Indigenous Rights Declaration. 

Recognition politics in colonial states has made endorsement of both. This is a large part of deflecting the criticism that has come from the obvious resistance to the frameworks presented to change the status quo. They are great wins in social justice but cannot be implemented fully without support from nations that may be harmed by social change. 

Conclusion

The connection between the declaration (technically aspirational) and the convention (an actual agreement) in international sociology is undeniable. Both are formed under the right to life and both are contested in ways that support the colonial structures in many powerful nations. Both are incomplete because of the omission of elements that can truly change norms more effectively. Both are worded in ways to protect Westphalian nation-states, including settler-colonies, and both create many questions to be answered by future generations in order to truly break down colonial structures. The declaration needs to continue to be utilized by non-governmental organizations and activist groups to put pressure on governments. The convention needs to be enforced on member countries more effectively. The enforcement of utilization of both form a symbiotic relationship. They are mutually beneficial movements for the future of human rights. 

Works Cited

Lightfoot, Sheryl. 2016. Global Indigenous Politics. New York: Routledge. https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=XgIzDAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&d q=global+indigenous+politics&ots=FiRRRo-hJQ&sig=pMEBcJSO4U-EZ5EgJdVgPT-_3FE#v=onepage&q=global%20indigenous%20politics&f=false [accessed April 20, 2020].

Ritzer, George and Jeffrey Stepnisky. 2018. Sociological Theory. London United Kingdom:Sage Publications. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Sociological_Theory/u2PgDQAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=0 [accessed April 20 2020].

Schabas, A. William. 2008. “ Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.” United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law 1-5. https://legal.un.org/avl/pdf/ha/cppcg/cppcg_e.pdf [accessed 20 April 2020].

UN General Assembly, Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 9 December 1948, United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 78, p. 277, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3ac0.html [accessed 26 April 2020]

UN General Assembly, United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples : resolution / adopted by the General Assembly, 2 October 2007, A/RES/61/295, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/471355a82.html [accessed 26 April 2020]

Further Reading

Bruce, Heidi and Dina Gilio-Whitaker. 2014. “Implementing the UN Declaration on the  Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Nation-by-Nation and State-by-State.”  Fourth World Journal 13(1):83-92. https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Implementing-the-UN-declaration-on-the-rights-of-Bruce-Gilio-Whitaker/14a4c2102afff2b0d78d2f2b0c730c96af48c718

van Krieken, Robert. 2004. “Rethinking Cultural Genocide: Aboriginal Child Removal and  Settler-Colonial State Formation.” Oceania 75(2):125-151. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/261892125_Rethinking_Cultural_Genocide_Aboriginal_Child_Removal_and_Settler-Colonial_State_Formation

[124globalsociology]

Genocide Convention

The Art of Avoiding Human Decency 

 By Andrew and Greg

Horror in Rwanda

On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying the Rwandan president was shot down shortly after take-off. This tragic incident sparked a horrific genocide of a group in Rwandan called the Tutsi. Unfortunately, the genocide lasted for 100 days. By the end, more than 500,000 Tutsis were killed, more than three-quarters of their population (Kuperman 2000). 

Photo by Jon Warren of a Tutsi pastor and Hutu teacher visiting a Rwandan cemetery where 6,000 genocide victims were buried (Reid 2019). 

After this horrifying genocide, many questions were left unanswered; Why did international institutions and international powerhouses such as the United Nations and the United States, respectively, not act in the face of the genocide on the ground in Rwanda?  What were the circumstances surrounding the overall consensus not to intervene soon in the Rwandan Genocide?

Genocide Convention

The Genocide Convention was signed by many countries in the United Nations in 1948.  The Genocide Convention lays out 19 articles, recognizing that genocide is a crime that is punishable under international law (Genocide Convention, Article III).  Countries that signed the Genocide Convention, including the United States, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, ratified that they would “undertake to prevent and to punish (genocide)” (Genocide Convention, Article I).  Members of the UN Security Council have signed the Genocide Convention, as well as many other countries in the UN, have confirmed their acknowledgement that they have a duty to prevent and punish genocide.

.

Image: The picture above comes from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and shows delegates from countries that signed the Genocide Convention in 1948 (image source and article). 

What actually happened during the Rwandan Genocide flew directly in the face of the ratification of the Genocide Convention.  The United Nations, at the time, was very concerned about using the word “genocide.” According to the UN Genocide Convention, genocide is defined as “…acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group…” (Genocide Convention, Article II).  During the time period where Tutsi people were being killed, the UN tried to avoid using the word “genocide.”

The “Genocide Fax”, authored by UNAMIR commanders led by Roméo Dallaire, was written after UNAMIRE commanders witnessed first-hand the growing situation on the ground in Rwanda.  In paragraph seven of the fax, UNAMIR officials state they have received information from an informant who “disagrees with anti-Tutsi extermination. He supports opposition to RPF but cannot support killing of innocent persons” (UNAMIR1994).  

United Nations officials received this fax at their headquarters in New York. They knew that the situation on the ground could be described as a “genocide”. While Dallaire did not use the exact word, what he was describing was an upcoming genocide.  

As agreed upon in the Genocide Convention, countries had an obligation to act if they knew a genocide was happening.  By avoiding the use of the word “genocide”, the UN was able to deny their responsibility to act. One blatant example of this avoidance is showcased in a speech by US official Christine Shelley in 1994.

Avoidance of Responsibility 

In a April 28, 1994 press conference, United States’ State Department spokesperson Christine Shelley tip-toed around using the word genocide to specifically describe the current situation in Rwanda.  

Since the United States is a member of the UN Security Council, using the word would acknowledge the fact that the United States and the United Nations had an obligation to stop what was happening in Rwanda.  This obligation was ignored. 

Describing the press conference, journalist Alan Elsner recalled “The answers they were giving were really non-answers… These are all artful ways of doing nothing, which is what they were determined to do” (in PBS, Triumph of Evil). 

The US, and other members of UN, refused to connect the situation on the ground in Rwanda with the specific word “genocide.”  If this did happen, efforts to stop the genocide would have been required by international law, something that the UN and its members seemed to be against in every possible way.

Image: United State’s State of Department spokesperson Christine Shelley in a press briefing on the situation in Rwanda on April 28, 1994 (Link to video)

Works Cited

United Nations, “Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, 1948, https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.1_Convention%20on%20the%20Prevention%20and%20Punishment%20of%20the%20Crime%20of%20Genocide.pdf

UNAMIR. Request for Protection for Informant (Genocide Fax). 1994. Available at https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/816325-19940111a2-unam-rwdp.html#document/p1/a138279

Reid, Kathryn. “1994 Rwandan Genocide, Aftermath: Facts, FAQs, and How to Help.” World Vision, 19 Aug. 2019, www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/1994-rwandan-genocide-facts.

Kuperman, Alan J. "Rwanda in retrospect." Foreign Affairs (2000): 94-118.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, www.ushmm.org/genocide-prevention/simon-skjodt-center/work/ferencz-international-justice-initiative/transitional-justice/the-legal-framework.

PBS, Triumph of Evil, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/evil/ and selections available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRVUSed0zvM&feature=youtu.be.

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Saara Särmä: Art as Public Scholarship

Saara Särmä: Art as Public Scholarship

By: Aleks Matthews 

Saara Särmä: 

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Saara Särmä is an activist, feminist, artist, and scholar. She has received her doctorate degree from Tampere University located in Tampere, Finland and is currently working on her postdoctoral project at the same university. She is most well known for her works; Congrats, You Have an All Male Panel, as well as her collages that tackle important global issues. 

Art as a form of Scholarship:

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Särmä’s work has been particularly important in transforming the way the world views public scholarship. She produces a type of scholarship, in the form of collages and memes, that allows people to experience academia in new and more diversified ways. In fact, Särmä, herself, explains, “I think that if we want our work to be accessible to a wide audience, we need to work with issues and materials that are familiar in the everyday (e.g. various pop culture artifacts) and we need to experiment with modes of expression which could draw in different audiences” (Collage…). 

Saara’s Specific Style: 

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Särmä has created and expanded upon a particular style of public scholarship. She writes, “…I focus here on internet parody images as a source for studying laughter in world politics and an art-inspired methodology – collaging – I have developed for this purpose. The circulation of internet stuff and the seeming randomness of our encounters with such stuff makes it challenging to engage with such material with standard social scientific methods of inquiry” (Collage…).

 Särmä uses creative forms of art to engage the world in learning about global news and politics. Particularly, in regard to her use of memes as a form of scholarship, she elaborates, “By paying attention to laughter and internet parody images and wondering what they might have to do with world politics, I have noticed that because everything circulates so fast and memes are born instantaneously, we sometimes come by a parody first and then find out what actually happened” (Collage…).

All Male Panel:

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Art as a form of scholarship allows individuals to critically think about what they are learning. Särmä’s goal is for her scholarship to function as an easy entry point to her work for those who are not familiar with academic theorizing (Junk Feminism 95).  This is becoming increasingly important because most people do not have access to the academic journals that house many types of scholarship. 

Through her use of memes and art to create scholarship, Särmä is able to circulate her work by relying on the spread of her graphics through the internet. For example, Särmä uses a sticker of actor, David Hasselhoff, giving a thumbs up, in her collection “Congrats, You Have an All Male Panel”. This sticker can then be circulated across the internet in order for various individuals to highlight examples of all male panels under a common tag. This is both a comedic and artistic way in which she highlights gender inequality throughout the world. 

Saara’s Symbol:

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Throughout most of her works, Särmä has been working to reclaim a Finnish symbol that usually signifies female genitalia. Särmä explains, “It [the symbol] has a few names that translate directly as ‘church boat’ or ‘a spider upside down’. This figure is something that most likely young boys would rebelliously draw in their school books or as tags in various public places. In a sense, the figure I use as a prominent feature in my work can be read as a feminist symbol also to denote the communal and co-operative nature of feminist thinking and scholarship. Or rather, I have assigned it this kind of meaning through reclaiming the figure for my own use as discussed below” (Junk Feminism 92). 

Särmä has been working to reclaim the meaning of this symbol (pictured above) for almost 20 years. Särmä elaborates that, “This project is similar to some feminists reclaiming the word bitch or cunt” (Junk Feminism 93). The symbol is usually the final touch that Särmä adds to her pieces and has basically become synonymous with her signature. 

 The Power of Laughter: 

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Särmä believes that laughter is important because parody images can circulate quickly and people often come by a parody first, which leads them later to discover the true significance and meaning behind an image. Artwork acts as an avenue for access. Laughter, in particular, plays a key role in accessibility and in Särmä’s work. In fact, she states, “Laughter in its multimodal manifestations frames and constitutes the relations of ‘us’ and ‘them’. While there can be no universal definition of what is funny, it is important to pay attention to what we laugh at and how laughter is always tied up with power. Laughter can both invert and sustain power relations. Treating laughter as a political sentiment…directs attention to power hierarchies among and between political bodies in those moments when we laugh at something/someone” (Collage… 3). 

Utilizing laughter, as a means of comprehending subjects (that are usually very serious), is a revolutionary technique that Särmä is legitimizing through her work. Särmä’s work contributes to a more accessible and understandable form of public scholarship. Her ideas and style embrace modern trends and help keep public scholarship relevant in today’s ever-evolving world. 

Conclusion:       

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Global public-scholarship can come in an array of forms and mediums. Oftentimes, when people hear the word scholarship, they automatically envision lengthy documents written by professionals that are published in peer reviewed journals. However, this is not always the case. These forms of scholarship can be inaccessible and unapproachable to a wide portion of the population.

 Public scholarship encapsulates a wide range of diverse methods that can be employed to spread information through communities across the globe. Saara Särmä is a perfect example of how public scholarship can take shape through an array of forms. 

#saarasärma #art #collages #allmalepanel #finland #globalsociology #publicscholarship #globalissues #accessibility 

Bibliography and Additional Readings: 

Adkins, Lisa and Dever Maryanne. “All Male Panel: Interview with Saara Särmä”. Australian Feminist Studies 30 (15) 2015. Available: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08164649.2015.1107943 

Särmä, Saara. “Collage: An Art-inspired Methodology for Studying Laughter in World Politics”. E-International Relations. Internet. 2015. Available: https://www.e-ir.info/2015/06/06/collage-an-art-inspired-methodology-for-studying-laughter-in-world-politics/#_ftn1 

 Särmä, Saara. “Congrats You Have an All Mail Final”. tumblr. Internet. Available: https://allmalepanels.tumblr.com/

Särmä, Saara. “Junk Feminism and Nuclear Wannabes”. Tampere University 2014. Available: https://trepo.tuni.fi/bitstream/handle/10024/95961/978-951-44-9535-9.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y 

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Submitted by Kristell:

I chose this picture since it describes how the Unites States did not care about how many people were dying. It shows how they were focused on gaining power and control. Not focusing on how many people were hurt.

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Submitted by Stefan:

WW1 US Propaganda Poster. I first saw this poster in my AP US History textbook, and it stuck out to me as a really brutal example of how even on “our side” the propaganda was just as polarizing as it was on “their side”.

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Saving Private Ryan

Submitted by Lucia: A lot of media, such as the film Saving Private Ryan, glorifies war and American involvement. These films feature hero narratives and vilify the countries that the United States is fighting. It makes me think of the rhetoric used for recruitment: that you could be a hero, improve your life, and provide for your family. The brochures, like the media, do not speak of the trauma of war or the horrors inflicted on other countries and their civilians. These films provide an incomplete, romanticized image of war.

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Submitted by Aleks: This image is a painting depicting the War of 1812. I selected this image because I believe it portrays the glorification of war. Throughout history, war has been seen as an act of patriotism and heroism, but in reality it is an act of violence and bloodshed. I believe that this image not only glorifies the War of 1812, but it also highlights that throughout history, war has been viewed as an act worthy of praise. In this particular portrayal of war, the artist selectively chose to use bright colors to invoke positive emotions. The setting of the battle scene is portrayed on a sunny day, near picturesque shores, with two opposing sides proudly waiving their flags. In reality, this was no positive event. The painting invokes a false sense of honor around the concept of war. It is one of the graphic examples that help illustrate why modern society is so attracted to war. 

Image Source: smithsonianmag.com 

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Submitted by Becky:

Star Wars drew inspiration from the myriad of countries who fought in WWI, WWII, The Vietnam War, and The Cold War. Palpatine was based on Napoleon, Hitler, and Nixon. In any time or place, the information given to the public can be so misleading as to make us all wonder who is good and who is evil? Who are we supposed to believe? All propaganda is a powerful weapon. (Image found through Pinterest, original creator not available)

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Submitted by Tommy: I thought this was a good poster of what appears to be Uncle Sam. Usually I only see him on the traditional, “I WANT YOU” posters.

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US labeled Mandela a terrorist until 2008

#mandelamedia

“Until 2008, the United States had placed him and other members of the African National Congress on its terror list because of their militant fight against the apartheid regime." 

-quote from a 2013 CNN article titled, "Nelson Mandela, anti-apartheid icon and father of modern South Africa, dies”: https://www.cnn.com/2013/12/05/world/africa/nelson-mandela/index.html

This article reflected the rhetoric of most of the media covering the breaking news of Mandela’s death. News sources that I found all emphasized that he was inspirational, that he fought against apartheid, that he was imprisoned for many years, and that he served as the President of South Africa. Consistently, the media presented Mandela in a positive light. 

This quote stood out to me because the US stance that Mandela was a terrorist stands in stark contrast to the rest of the worlds’ interpretation of him. In fact, Mandela was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. While the US appears to have tolerated Mandela after 2008, this quote reveals how the US supports racist regimes and sees freedom fighters like Mandela as a threat. 

For me, it also calls into question the use by the US of the label ‘terrorist’. Are other 'terrorists’ actually morally-sound freedom fighters like Mandela? Are they using militant strategies, as Mandela did, because they’ve been left no other option in the struggle against oppression and US imperialism?

Submitted by Dunya

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I found this to be very interesting. How can this happen with such a significant person who continued to be a inspiration outside the walls of his jail cell? Is this a way that black martyrs and symbols for the struggle against racial oppression are trivialized? Or a common mistake?

Submitted by Preston

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News of Mandela’s death in the UK media.

- submitted by Laetitia

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What stood up to me the most is how all of these journal papers are portraying him as an hero or saver but yet, Mandela was on the U.S terrorism list.

#mandelamedia

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New York Times Coverage of Nelson Mandela's Death

https://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/06/world/africa/nelson-mandela_obit.html?ref=international-home

“Except for a youthful flirtation with black nationalism, he seemed to have genuinely transcended the racial passions that tore at his country.”

When I was reading this New York Times article on Nelson Mandela's death I found the statement above, in particular certain wordings used to be interesting. Wordings like “Flirtation with Black Nationalism” “racial passions that tore at his country" seems to covey even though he was a black nationalist in his youth, he moved passed the nationalism to fix the racial tensions of South Africa or "passions." 

In putting his Nationalist past and racial passions together the New York Times suggests both Black and White south Africans were to blame for the ethnocentrism, racism, and nationalism during Apartheid. 

- Submitted by Enku