Colonialism

Does Spain come to terms with its colonial history? Is that something that they talk about and grapple with? Because dealing with the aftermath of colonialism is the way of life here – there would be no Chile without it, after all.

Even being in Chile for just 3 weeks, the “coming-to-terms” with colonization is everywhere. Literally. It shapes the very existence of Chile (and all of Latin America), as well as their modern versions. After these three weeks, I find myself almost constantly wondering how Spain deals with the psychological repercussions that their colonization had on the communities of Latin America. Is it taught in school as something “of the past” and “far away,” or do they deal with the weight on their country’s consciousness?

I ponder all these questions as I take classes such as “Geography of Chile”, “History of Contemporary America” and “Historical Memory and Human Rights in Chile.” There is just no way to talk about any of these subjects without referencing how the Spanish used this land for years, the hardships that the indigenous people had to endure and the subsequent inequality of development that hangs on to most parts of Latin America like a cold that you just can’t seem to overcome.

Of course, there are no answers to my questions. Historians and anthropologists have been asking them for years. Colonialism shapes our world in a way so complex that it is difficult to fathom. While Latin American residents are well aware of their colonial pasts and they have come to terms about how it affects their present, I wanted to bring these thoughts to light for people who take active part in this colonial history, yet may not have been taught in those exact words: our collective US history is a colonial one.

I do believe that part of the reason that I ask such questions is because I come from a “formerly colonized” country who itself became a colonizer (see How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States), and while the great U. S. of A. regards its colonized status as a point of pride, it vehemently denies its role as a colonizer. The break from the hardships that the rest of the American continent had to endure under a Spanish/Portugese colonial rule and the development of a relatively successful democracy has lead to the idea of “American exceptionalism.” As a concept, this teaches US citizens (however subtly) that we are morally superior to our neighbors on the American continent.

The disdain of said exceptionalism is apparent in every conversation with Chileans. I can practically hear the scorn towards our own hypocritical ways when my professors here talk about the US. As they should, honestly. I admire the ways that Chile (and Latin America as a whole) has dealt with the aftermath of Spanish rule more and more every day. Even though Chile has a long way to go (and I still do not know how Spain deals with their colonial history), I do think the US could learn some things about developing a more inclusive, collective identity and building a future from Chile/Latin America, instead of deepening our country’s divides further (something we seem keen to do in this day and age).

This post is in no way an expression of opinions set in stone, but simply some reflections of my first impressions of Chilean society and world history. I would love to hear your thoughts about colonialism as a concept, the Americas, the US’ role, etc, etc! If you do have opinions you want to share about any of those (or something else), please post a comment, message me on WhatsApp, or use some other form of communication. I want to hear different perspectives!!

As always, thanks so much for reading.

Lots and lots of love to all,

Cecilia