the Museum of Race and borders

i didn't know where to answer the questions so i decided to anwer them here. First i want to say thank you for professor Jean-Marie and Porsha Childs to make this wonderful project.
The implications of borders:
Are border arbitrary? yes in a way, they are to bring order and a feel of security to the people who live there.
Are they just?How can they be used or misused as a means of exclusion?
I think there just another way to bring goverment and lwa makers in to power. However they are always used to separate one place from another through rebellion, war or colonization.
They borders are might to be crossed by other by means of exploring or excaping.

Shomburg Museum and Library

First and foremost, i would like to say thanks to professor Jean-Marie and Porsha Childs for that beautiful project they put in place for us to expand our knowledge about our ancestors. In the meantime, i would like to state that it is a shame that African people had to suffer such atrocities to get here in America. One may argue i should not say anything if i cannot do anything about the situation. However, i do speak when i can to fellow classmates and others. I believe slavery was not right, but this happened along time ago. However, Jim Crow showed discrimination and fanned the flames of racism and hatred. Blacks like myself, will never be happy until blacks get paid reparations because their forefathers had been and still are treated with inhumane actions. When i went to the Schomburg Museum and Library, i was very excited to see the environment. However, it was not the way i expected it to be, because they do not have all the resources on display for people to see most of the cruelty. At the end i enjoyed the video that was shown, and i plan to go again, but next time, it will be without anyone.

Rony

Race is an essential aspect of the American experience. Metaphorically, it is the apple pie of our socio-political context. And that's why when some people call for the end of racism or racial divide, they are indirectly calling for the end of America; at least the old America which was founded as an experiment upon the division among races. 

How did the concept of race acquire such complexity and carved its space in the minds, hearts, and eyes of Americans? Initially, in previous centuries the distinction was among people of different continents. One was Asian, European, and African. Later on, these distinctions which used to be based upon geographical space acquired classifications such as superior and inferior. The distinction unfolded on the basis of Colonialist and imperialist enterprises. Through the Atlantic slave trade, Africa was divided among European countries and accordingly the people of Africa were classified as superior and inferior. Of course, Christianity played a major role since it is on the ground of Christianity and the need to free Africans of idolatry and backwardness that the Europeans proceeded to invade, control, and diminish Africans.

Consequently, the African became the Black entity, the child of Sham who was damned for seeing their father's nakedness; at least that was the biblical basis for enslaving Africans. So race is a historical concept that has been shaped y the various Imperialist, Colonial enterprises, and slavery. It bears the history of underprivileged people, suffering, and slavery. It is an accident that this concept found its empirical manifestation in skin complexion. One of the reasons is that skin complexion is a perpetual label that one can never take off. Thus one's belonging in the social and global scale is always wrapped around us. We are prisoners of our skin, our race. 

The exhibit aims at exposing the myths, scientific, social, hopefully religious that constituted the concept of race.

A Look At Race

This week we will look at Race and decide how similar or dissimilar we are. I think that many of us would agree that all humans originated from the same stock or species if you will (from Africa). Over time, different groups migrated and adapted (physically) to their new environments. Still, these physical differences have been used and misused over the years.

While our DNA and the very composition of who we are defines us a human beings or homo sapien, there is certainly an identity or a classification we hold more dearly...race. Yesterday I was having dinner with a friend when a young white couple entered the restaurant. The mother was holding an infant in her arms and when she held him up and turned his body so could face his, "daddy" I was shocked to see that the child was Black. Both my friend and I were obviously bothered. Why should we be? Isn't it better that a child have a home and parents to love him regardless of race. In my mind, the simple answer should be yes. However, I can't help but feel that "these people" cannot properly raise or care for a black child. What does a white man know or understand about being a black man? How can he then teach his son to be a black man? I could go on and on but what are your thoughts?

I found the visit to the Schomburg Museum and Library very interesting because it displayed just how fortunate we are to be in America. How people are risking their lives, and in some cases still living like animals. As bad as things get we are still not relegated to living under inhumane conditions it is against the law. It made me want to go and hug someone who is from another country to show a sense of empathy, and also made me want to kiss the ground because I am born American and know matter what their are no boundaries placed on my life.

Traditions and Encounters, 2/e
Jerry H. Bentley, University of Hawai'iHerbert F. Ziegler, University of Hawai'i
A WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS
Table of Contents
I. The global economy
A. Economic globalization
1. Global economy evident after collapse of communism
a. Expanding trade, foreign investments, privatization of industry
b. Free trade: free of state-imposed restrictions
2. General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
a. Formed in 1947 as vehicle to promote free trade
b. In 1994, 123 GATT members created Word Trade Organization (WTO)
c. Dramatic growth in world trade, 1966-1990
3. Global corporations symbols of the new economy
a. Multinational businesses operate apart from laws and restrictions of any one nation
b. Seek cheapest labor and resources; prefer lax environmental laws
c. Pay less in taxes in developed world than formerly
B. Economic growth in Asia
1. Japan's "economic miracle"
a. Postwar Japan had few resources, no overseas empire
b. Benefited from U.S. aid, investments, and protection
c. Japan pursued export-oriented growth supported by low wages
d. Began with labor-intensive exports, textiles, iron, and steel
e. Reinvested profits in capital-intensive and technology-intensive production
f. Rapid growth, 1960s-1980s; suffered recession in 1990s
2. The Little Tigers: Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan
a. Followed Japanese model of export-driven industry; rapid growth in 1980s
b. By 1990s highly competitive; joined by Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia
3. The rise of China since the death of Mao Zedong
a. Late 1970s opened China to foreign investment and technology
b. Gradual shift from planned communist economy to market economy
c. Offered vast, cheap labor and huge domestic markets
d. China joined WTO in 2001
4. Perils of the new economy: vulnerable to global forces
a. Investors withdrew support from Thailand in 1997
b. Ripple effect: contraction of other Asian economies
C. Trading blocs
1. The European Union
a. Begun in 1957 with six nations, now includes fifteen
b. A common market, free trade, free travel within the Union
c. Eleven members adopted a common currency, the Euro, in 1999
d. Expectations of a European Political Union eventually
2. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
a. Cartel established in 1960 to raise global oil prices
b. After Arab-Israeli war of 1973, OPEC placed embargo on oil to United States, Israel's ally
c. Price of oil quadrupled from 1973 to 1975, triggered global recession
d. Overproduction and dissension among members diminished influence, 1990s
3. Regional trade associations formed to establish free-trade zones for member states
a. Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1967, five members
b. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1993: United States, Canada, Mexico
4. Critics of globalization
a. To supporters, global economy efficient, best path to global prosperity
b. To critics, widens gap between rich and poor, destroys environment, threatens local and traditional crafts and economies
II. Cross-cultural exchanges and global communication
A. Global Barbie
1. Western consumerism becoming a global phenomenon
2. Sara versus Barbie in Iran
a. Barbie seen as a threat to Islamic values, symbol of cultural imperialism
b. Iranian dolls, Sara and her brother Dara (an Islamic cleric), are modest alternatives
3. Barbie in Japan
a. Image of Barbie unsettling, Mattel created a younger doll for Japanese market
b. Whereas Iranians reject image of Barbie, Japanese adjust Barbie to their aesthetic
B. Consumption and cultural interaction
1. Global culture of consumption
a. Satisfies wants and desires rather than needs or necessities
b. Homogenization of global culture: blue jeans, Coca-Cola, McDonalds
c. Western icons often replace local businesses and indigenous cultures
d. Brand names also identify local products, for example, Swiss Rolex, Perrier, Armani
2. Pan-American culture competes with United States
a. Eva Pe_on (Evita) has become a pop icon in Argentina and beyond
b. Latin American societies blended foreign and indigenous cultural practices
C. The age of access
1. Globalization minimizes social, economic, and political isolation
2. Preeminence of English language
a. Critics: mass media become a vehicle of cultural imperialism
b. Internet is an information colony, with English hegemony
c. China attempts a firewall to control Internet information
3. Adaptations of technology in authoritarian states
a. Zaire television showed dictator Mobutu Sese Seko walking on clouds
b. Vietnam and Iraq limit access to foreign servers on Internet
III. Global problems
A. Population pressures and environmental degradation
1. Dramatic population increases in twentieth century
a. Population increased from 500 million in 1650 to 2.5 billion in 1950
b. Asia and Africa experienced population explosion after WWII
c. 5.5 billion people in 1994; perhaps 11.6 billion people in 2200
d. So far, food production has kept pace with population growth
e. Fertility rates have been falling for past twenty years
2. The planet's carrying capacity: how many people can the earth support?
a. Scientists and citizens concerned about physical limits of the earth
b. Club of Rome issued "The Limits to Growth" in 1972
c. Dire predictions not borne by facts: prices have fallen, food has increased
3. Environmental impact
a. Urbanization and agricultural expansion threaten biodiversity
b. Gas emissions, coal burning contribute to global warming
c. In 1997 at Kyoto, 159 states met to cut carbon dioxide emissions
4. Population control: a highly politicized issue
a. Some developing nations charge racism when urged to limit population
b. UN agencies have aided many countries with family-planning programs
c. China's one-child policy has significantly reduced growth rate
d. Other cultures still favor larger families, for example, India
B. Economic inequities and labor servitude
1. Causes of poverty
a. Inequities in resources and income separate rich and poor societies
b. Attendant problems: malnutrition, environmental degradation
c. Legacy of colonialism: economic dependence
2. Labor servitude increasing
a. Slavery abolished worldwide by 1960s
b. Millions still forced into bonded labor
c. Child-labor servitude common in south and southeast Asia
3. Trafficking of persons across international boundaries widespread
a. Victims, mostly girls and women, lured with promises of work
b. Often in sex industry; hugely profitable though criminal
C. Global diseases
1. Many epidemics now under control
a. Last major pandemic (1918-1919): flu epidemic that killed twenty to forty million
b. Smallpox and diptheria eradicated
2. HIV/AIDS identified in 1981 in San Francisco
a. In 2000, 36.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, 21.8 million in Africa
b. Kills adults in prime; many children in Africa orphaned
c. Threatens social and economic basis of African societies
d. Many cannot afford treatment
D. Global terrorism
1. The weapon of those out of power, of anticolonial and revolutionary movements
2. Difficult to define terrorism
a. Deliberate violence against civilians to advance political or ideological cause
b. Rarely successful; often discredits potentially worthy causes
3. 11 September 2001 focused international attention on terrorism
a. Coordinated attack on World Trade Tower and Pentagon
b. Source identified as Islamic militant Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda network
c. Angered by U.S. presence in Saudi Arabia; proclaimed jihad, holy war
4. Islamic State of Afghanistan was established 1996 by Taliban
a. Imposed strict Islamic law: regulated dress, entertainment, media
b. Women barred from education, work, health services
c. November 2001, U.S. forces invaded Afghanistan, drove out Taliban, al-Qaeda
E. Coping with global problems: international organizations
1. Many global problems cannot be solved by national governments
2. Nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)
a. Red Cross, an international humanitarian agency, founded 1964
b. Greenpeace, an environmental organization, founded in 1970
3. The United Nations, founded 1945 "to maintain international peace and security"
a. Not successful at preventing wars, for example, Iran-Iraq war
b. Cannot legislate, but has influence in international community
c. More successful in health and educational goals: eradication of smallpox, decrease in child mortality, increase in female literacy
4. Human rights: an ancient concept, gaining wider acceptance
a. Nuremberg Trials of Nazis established concept of "crimes against humanity"
b. UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights: forbids slavery, torture, discrimination
c. NGOs such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch
IV. Crossing boundaries
A. Women's traditions and feminist challenges
1. Feminism and equal rights
a. Status of women changed dramatically after WWII in industrialized states
b. Women demanded full equality with men, access to education and employment
c. Birth control enables women to control their bodies and avoid "biology destiny"
d. U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 forbids discrimination on basis of race or sex
2. Gender equality in China
a. Communist states often improved women's legal status
b. Despite legal reforms, China's women have not yet gained true equality
c. One-child policy encourages infanticide or abandonment of baby girls
3. Domesticity and abuse restricting rights of women in developing world
a. Women in Arab and Muslim societies twice as likely as men to be illiterate
b. Most Indian women illiterate (75 perecent in 1980s) and confined at home
c. "Dowry deaths" common in India; burning of wives in Pakistan
4. Women leaders in south Asia
a. Effective political leaders: Indira Gandhi (India) and Benazir Bhutto (Pakistan)
b. Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga became president of Sri Lanka, 1994
c. Democratic activist Aung Sang Suu Kyi received Nobel Peace Prize in 1991 when under house arrest in Myanmar
d. UN launched a Decade for Women program in 1975
B. Migration
1. Internal migration: tremendous flow from rural to urban settings
a. Part of process of industrialization; in western societies 75 percent of population is urban
b. Urbanization a difficult transition for rural people
c. Crowded in slums (barrios) at the edge of cities; strain urban services
2. External migration: fleeing war, persecution, seeking opportunities
a. Thirteen million "guest workers" migrated to western Europe since 1960
b. Ten million migrants (mostly Mexican) migrated to United States since 1960
c. In oil-producing countries, foreigners make up half of working population
d. About 130 million people currently live outside their countries of citizenship
3. Migrant communities within host societies
a. Migrants enrich societies in many ways, but also spark hostility and conflict
b. Fears that migrants will undermine national identity, compete for jobs
c. Anti-immigrant movements (xenophobia) lead to violence and racial tension
C. Cross-cultural travelers
1. Mass tourism possible with more leisure and faster travel
a. First travel agencies: Thomas Cook and Karl Baedeker in nineteenth century
b. In 1800s, tourism fashionable for rich Europeans; adopted by working people later
c. By the twentieth century, leisure travel another form of consumption
d. After WWII, packaged tours took millions of tourists across the world
2. Effects of mass tourism
a. Now travel and tourism is the largest single industry on the planet
b. Low-paying jobs; profits go mostly to developed world
c. Tourism exposes cultural variations and diversity of local traditions
d. Tourism leads to revival and transformation of indigenous cultural traditions


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The exhibit that we shall see on Friday consists of pictures of African migrants in Europe. Specifically, the pathos, predicament, and challenges that they encounter as they try to migrate illegally in Europe. Why is that relevant to us, at MEC? For several reasons.

First of all, the exhibit presupposes some familiarity with the concept of border among countries. Borders have several implications. The first is to be found in the Hellenic distinction between Greek and barbarians, which encompasses all who were not Greeks. By the way only Greek males can be citizens. the same concept remains among the Romans; the Roman borders were meat to keep the Barbaric tribes such as the Goths and other tribes that invaded Rome several times to conquer it and secure citizenship. The notion of borders as a means of distinguishing citizens versus invaders makes its way throughout the centuries and became more potent among European nations in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. As a result of the numerous wars among European nations, establishing specific borders to separate the kingdoms was a necessity. That was carried out via the various treaties (versailles, Westphalia, etc..)  

In the USA, the concept of border is maintained through Homeland Security. The border between USA and Mexico attracts a lot of media attention. The concept is nevertheless the same, inclusion and exclusion; those who are legitimate members of a specific state or territory and the invaders. But here is more than geographical space at stake in borders. The included members are entitled to the protection and privileges of the states, the invaders are threats. 

So, in the exhibit in Europe, Africans are perceived as the invaders, threats, and the contemporary barbarians. The exhibit is meant to invite reflection about whether the treatment of Africans in Europe is arbitrary or just? especially, since Europeans invaded African countries without qualms and still do. The dilemma consists in the fact that Europe has the duty to protect its territories and the safety of its citizens, but yet the continuous invasion of Europe by Africans is the outcome of Colonialism and the slave trade. Ponder and be prepared to respond during the exhibit!