The Tools of Decolonization
Traits of Decolonizing the Maya Experience
Colonialism, defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another. In this case, the focus is on Colonial practices impressed upon Mayans in Guatemala who have been subject to five hundred plus years of colonial rule and capitalist exploitation. In Voices from Exile, Victor Montejo creates an autobiographic ethnography piece where he sets out to “decolonize” his Mayan people’s refugee status by concentrating on the revitalization of culture, the overcoming of hardships suffered, and proper depiction of the consequences of exile for the thousands of Mayas who fled their country in the 1980s. In twelve chapters with detailed maps, population and linguistic charts of Mayas, and photographs of the refugee camps in Mexico, Montejo combines historical perspectives with descriptions of the militarized assaults on indigenous populations, testimonial narratives of Maya exiles, and analyses of refugee life in order to prove, critically, that the actions of the refugees and the manner in which he reiterates these atrocities is in fact a defiance against the subjugation and colonization of his people. To begin, in order to accomplish the decolonization of his people Montejo argues that a new form of Anthropology was used separating him from standard anthropological works. Focusing largely on the relationship between the anthropologist and the group of people being studied (the “other”); Montejo argues that usually the anthropologist is from a dominant Western culture or former colonial power which often produces a dichotomy between the status of the subject and the work produced. In turn, this provides for poor reiteration of the events that occur and misrepresentation of the subjugated peoples intentions allowing colonial trends to maintain. For example, Montejo explains how said dichotomy is not relevant in his case, “I am a Maya, I was a
Colonialism, defined by the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, is a practice of domination, which involves the subjugation of one people to another. In this case, the focus is on Colonial practices impressed upon Mayans in Guatemala who have been subject to five hundred plus years of colonial rule and capitalist exploitation. In Voices from Exile, Victor Montejo creates an autobiographic ethnography piece where he sets out to “decolonize” his Mayan people’s refugee status by concentrating on the revitalization of culture, the overcoming of hardships suffered, and proper depiction of the consequences of exile for the thousands of Mayas who fled their country in the 1980s. In twelve chapters with detailed maps, population and linguistic charts of Mayas, and photographs of the refugee camps in Mexico, Montejo combines historical perspectives with descriptions of the militarized assaults on indigenous populations, testimonial narratives of Maya exiles, and analyses of refugee life in order to prove, critically, that the actions of the refugees and the manner in which he reiterates these atrocities is in fact a defiance against the subjugation and colonization of his people. To begin, in order to accomplish the decolonization of his people Montejo argues that a new form of Anthropology was used separating him from standard anthropological works. Focusing largely on the relationship between the anthropologist and the group of people being studied (the “other”); Montejo argues that usually the anthropologist is from a dominant Western culture or former colonial power which often produces a dichotomy between the status of the subject and the work produced. In turn, this provides for poor reiteration of the events that occur and misrepresentation of the subjugated peoples intentions allowing colonial trends to maintain. For example, Montejo explains how said dichotomy is not relevant in his case, “I am a Maya, I was a
Cited: Montejo, Victor. Voices from Exile: Violence and Survival in Modern Maya History. Norman: University of Oklahoma, 1999. Print.