Reflective Essay

Reflective Essay

Over the course of this semester I have learned a lot of new key concepts and terms. Some ideas that we discussed this semester, I had already learned in other courses, but relearning them in this course allowed me to see them in a new way. For example, I have taken criminology courses, so I had already learned about the different forms of justice that are in place, but not in a global context. I only learned about them in a strictly legal, Canadian sense, and not how others in the world may have used them. For me, I found the most important concept or terms that I did not know before that were the most influential were the ideas of  “bracketing” and “debunking”.

Although these may be basic terms, for me they had more of an impact. Bracketing is defined as “suspending whatever preconceived notions, knowledge or idea one may have about a given subject or phenomenon one is about to investigate” (Quist-Adade, 2011, p.15). I already gave an example of how this is applied through the different forms of justice that we reviewed this year. There were other concepts where I tried to apply this tool, for example when we looked at the different theories of social justice via Karl Marx or Weber. I had already studied these gentlemen in other fields (anthropology and sociological theory classes), but not seeing them as justice seekers. I only saw them as people who helped develop sociology as a discipline but not how they may have influenced other aspects in the world around us.

The other key term for me this year was debunking, defined as “looking at both the obvious and surface-level explanations for social behaviour and less obvious and deeper explanations” (Quist-Adade, 2011, p.14). When we watched the video by Alan Johnson, on privilege and power, I feel that without knowing it, I was using this critical thinking tool. I really enjoyed that video, because he provided a different perspective on privilege and it was very honest. I like how he said that racism, and sexism and any other ‘ism’ word was created not from those affected by it but those who tried to enforce it. Sexism most of the time, affects a woman but it is a male problem and same goes for racism. Racism most of the time is seen as only affecting those of coloured skin, but it is really a “white man’s” problem. Those who have the power, want to keep the power and in order to do so, they have to put all the other people down. This is not something I would have thought about before. We learn about privilege as being something that we have earned, when after watching this video, it makes me think did we really? Did we really earn it, or did we take it away from someone else? I think this is the point of power and privilege that Allan Johnson is making in his book and in the video, (Allan Johnson, 2003).

European Food Crisis

Class Video: European Food Crisis

Affective Reading Method

We watched a very short video in class concerning the European food crisis that has been ongoing for several decades. I am not aware of when this video was made, but I’m sure it was pretty recent.  In the video a woman described living in Africa, and how most people there depend upon global food aid to live. The main reason for this is because the World Bank told them they could no longer produce their own crops/food. The World Bank told them it was simply cheaper to buy it from international food markets than to produce it themselves, but this is not the case.

The World Bank insisted that the stop all production and to stop growing crops. How can a place like the World Bank have so much control over several different countries in Africa? How is it that they can control the food distribution of the world and expect that everyone will just accept it? The woman in the video was not too happy about their situation, as I am not. The World Bank basically made them dependent upon international companies and countries, to buy food, when in the world market, it cost too much. The reason they are on food aid, is because the countries cannot afford the food products at the international cost, it is just too high. If they were allowed to produce their own food, and not forced into this situation, I bet that we wouldn’t see countries in Africa always looking like they are poverty stricken. I think they were forced into poverty, so they could be exploited. After all, the World Bank then told them to make only certain crops, which ‘come from Africa’ so that Europeans could buy and enjoy them. They could only then produce crops and make items that were favourable of Europeans and not keep or sell it to countries within Africa.

The World Bank seems to think they can control and exploit innocent people at any cost. Of course this will never change, because the top percent of people who dip into and contribute to the World Bank are either from America or Europe. The head of the World Bank is from Europe, and all the seats of people who decide what needs to be done, are from Europe or America. They do not see the problems that they are causing, because they are profiting from it, and it is absolutely disgusting.

African Russians

Class Video: African Russians

By: Charles Quist-Adade

Affective Reading Method

I was appalled after watching this video made by Dr. Charles Quist-Adade during his time spent in Russia. He made this movie in 1992, that was only almost twenty years ago, and there was so much discrimination it is disgusting. His video was about African- Russian children in Russia being discriminated against because they were African, or because their skin was black. Though many of the children were actually born in Russia, many people did not consider them Russian.

He displayed stories of ‘white’ woman who were either married to or had relations with a man from Africa. These women were thought of as prostitutes or told that they must have aids, because who in their right mind would sleep with a ‘black’ man. I thought racism was bad in the western hemisphere, but apparently I was wrong. It is much worse in Russia, especially since they deny every bit of it; they claim to not have any racial issues. Today is much worse, it is 2011 almost 2012 and they are openly negative towards other races in Russia, so much so that it is broadcasted on their televisions and their radio networks.

Children that lived in Russia would fear going to school because that was where they were ridiculed the most. I could not imagine what it must feel like to be so hated by your peers, but something you cannot control – the color of your skin. Some children were exceptionally good at sports but could not be on the school teams, because the teams were “white teams” and no ‘blacks’ were allowed.

I cannot believe that this kind of behaviour is around still and stronger than it was back in 1992, when Dr. Charles was there. Not only do the children have to fear the outside world, but their entire family are considered outcasts from the rest of their communities. There were not too many instances of ‘white’ males and ‘black’ females being married, or together. This may be because they were hiding it really well, or it just wasn’t so.

Danger of a Single Story

Class Video: “The Danger of a Single Story”

By: Chimamanda Adichie

Affective Reading Method

I really enjoyed the video “The Danger of a Single Story” by Chimamanda Adichie. It was nice to watch a video about someone’s life, who did not grow up in America, or Canada, and see how she realized something that a lot of people in the western world do not see, the power of a single story. It was also interesting to watch the story through her eyes and see how she did not grow up too differently in Nigeria than those of us in Canada.

She talks about when she was a little girl, she read stories written by Europeans, and they were always about little white girls. Then when she began to write her own stories, she wrote them about white girls, instead of girls who look like herself. She would also write about eating an apple or other types of food, that she had never seen herself, but she had read about them. She could not read about families that were similar to hers because they did not exist.

She could see at a young age, the power of stereotyping and living through a single story, and the struggle of trying to get past it. She grew up with the knowledge of other places, and learned to accept and not judge others. When she came to America to study, she was judged by her roommates because they thought all people from Africa were the same. Chimamanda herself did the same thing when she met someone from Mexico, because she had only heard a few things about Mexicans and they were all bad stereotypes. She caught herself and saw that she too, even though she was highly educated was still judging other people.

For a class she had attended in America,  she wrote a story about African people. Her American professor told her that she had to change the characters. The main characters, who were African, were too much like American people and it was not true. Her professor told her that she had to write more authentic characters, instead of what she was writing. Truth is people who were born in Africa, the type of people she was writing about, were just like Americans. Unfortunately her teacher was so immersed in the specific stereotype of how African people are and act, that he could not see that maybe, the student from Nigeria would know the true, authentic African person.

This is why her story is affective at teaching to live outside of the single story. She knew what she had done to Mexican people, as the American’s had done to her. This also teaches us that stereotyping and being closed minded are bad things that hurt people. We need to learn to be more open to experience, instead of just what we hear.

F.A.C.E Presentation

Guest Lecture

George A Piprah, Ghana Consul-General – F.A.C.E

Affective Reading Method

I learned a lot of new things after this presentation in class. We had the Ghana Consul-General, George A. Piprah join our class to talk to us about his organization, F.A.C.E or Foundation for African Children’s Education. The goal of F.A.C.E is to help children in Ghana to go to school. They fundraise and collect donations, as well as volunteers to make it possible for children in Ghana to gain an education.

Every year F.A.C.E organizes a trip to Ghana, with their volunteers. Each person has to pay their own way because they want to make sure that all donations go straight to the children in Ghana. They buy backpacks, uniforms, books and school supplies for the children. The money they receive also goes towards providing lunches while they are at school. There is also an option of sponsoring a child all year long people here can send $150 annually to help one child for the whole year.

I think it is unfortunate though that they cannot help all the children. They can only help a certain number of children every year. This depends upon how much money they actually get and if the child meets all criteria. I know that F.A.C.E would probably love to accommodate and help provide for all the children, but they cannot. Although the number of children is rising in recent years, it’s still not enough to help them all.

It is also very said that the children have to walk to a long way to school. One school for multiple villages is all there is available. The kids also have to walk with their chair to and from school, because their schools do not have windows or doors. Anything left at the school would be stolen so they have to carry everything.

I am glad that there is this organization and others who are willing to help internationally when we do not have to. There are great people in the world that are so altruistic who just help others because they are in a position where they can. There are a lot of people who have the power and status to help unfortunate people and do not do anything, because they are too greedy or wrapped up in their own worlds. It would be nice to see education being readily available to all children across the globe, and not just for those who can afford it. There should be universal education and universal health care for all people, everywhere in the world.

Under the Same Sun

Guest Lecture

Under the Same Sun Presentation

Affective Reading Method

After hearing this presentation from two of the people from the organization “Under the Same Sun”, I was left feeling appalled. Under the same sun is a group in surrey that is helping people in several different parts of Africa who suffer from albinism. They have banned together to bring awareness, education and protection to those with albinism and for people who do not fully understand what it is. The reason they need protection, is because there are many people in Africa, who go missing and die when they have albinism. This happens because many people in different parts of Africa believe that those who have albinism must have magical properties and having parts of their body will bring forth luck and fortune.

I had heard about this before this class and before this presentation in another class I took. In my anthropology course, entitled religion, witchcraft and magic, we had read and heard about these killings. Many witch doctors or people, who perform ‘black magic’ or voodoo, would convince people that with parts of the body of a person with albinism, they could perform magic to help in whatever way the person needed. Naturally people would try to find body parts or find the people themselves and either kill them completely or just take a leg or a hand.

When I had heard about this in my anthropology class, I thought of course this was horrible and I couldn’t believe people did this. I did not know that this was still continuing to happen today. People in Tanzania are the most affect right now by people going missing or being brutally murdered for their body parts. This is the area of Africa that is most being targeted by the group Under the Same Sun, because, obviously they want this to stop.

I am really glad that there is a group like this one that is making a real effort to try to help those people who are victimised and try to educate those who do not know any different. I think their organization is wonderful and I don’t understand why this situation is not looked at more closely.

The Sociology of Human Rights and Social Justice

Social Justice in Local and Global Contexts

Chapter 4: The Sociology of Human Rights and Social Justice

 Charles Quist-Adade

 Dialectic Reading Method

What questions did the text raise?	How did the text answer this?	How does the answer match my own ideas and experiences?
What are the fundamental international human rights?	The right to life, self-determination, human dignity, freedom to decide, individual human rights and collective cultural rights	Though these seem like basic human rights that should be respected and abided by cross-culturally, most are not.  Most society’s do not respect the right to collective cultural rights, but instead try to enforce one.  As well as the right to decide, most countries are not demarcated and most citizens do not have the right to vote or decide how they can live their own lives.
What are the divisions and types of justice?	The types of justice are distributive, contributive or legal, procedural justice, substantive, retributive, corrective or restorative, compensatory and of course social justice.	These forms of justice are well known and many are used here in Canada, but I know them as laws. I know a lot of these forms of justice in relation to the different ways in which we conduct law or decide how law cases should be resolved. I never thought of them as a globally accepted way to perform justice.