the conquest of america todorov summary

These people don’t know that he really wasn’t the good guy that he was claimed to be. I still think about this book all the time and read it well over a yr ago now in class. The missionaries’ concern for the correct transmission of the Cathohc faith, “correct” meaning their own interpretation, was hard to reconcile with the fact that some of the basic words of the faith were untranslatable into the Indian tongue. It's a side of this history that I had never seen before, and I'm very glad that I've now explored it. writing as a system of domination. A bit slow and painful at times, but if you can barrage through it, you will definitely learn a lot. as aways, greed and god were the reasons for all the evil they did. . Therefore, it was Montezuma’s uncertainty, born of his own religious belief that led to the sudden collapse of the Aztec empire. and most important of all for me is Todorov's idea of the tension of dealing with "OTHERS" - 1) either assimilate them into your own personality (("they are JUST LIKE me")) 2) or reject them entirely to the margins (("they are NOTHING like me")). We understand the conquest in terms of the leading edge of 16th century technology coming into abrupt contact with a society not possessing a written language. Interesting in parts, dragged in others. Todorov's subject is the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and Mexico in the 16th century. On the praxeological level, Todorov argues that Las Casas and Cortes are essentially equal. It advances a very provocative theory about the Spanish colonials' contact with natives after the discovery of America, and the destruction of their native cultures. For him, cultures cannot be hybrid nor should they be; cultures stay in their own rights untouched. It was just a myth. I liked the authors take on columbus and his religious beliefs in what he was doing, but cortez was not so good, it seemed the authors purpose was to show the difference between the myth of these great or so called great men and the truth of their real reason of doing what they did. Todorov's subject is the Spanish conquest of the Caribbean and Mexico in the 16th century. Columbus describes the natives in near animal or beast of burden terms, because of the nature of the culture of the natives. Rather, the fall of Montezuma was inevitable. It would seem that his method would be a close reflection of the original view of his own history and culture. And how Cortez conquered the Aztecs with a relatively small band of men is an even more familiar story. Initially, I thought of Columbus as someone primarily seeking gold for the glory of the King and Queen. Overall this book is excellent in giving the reader a more nuanced understanding of the history of the 16th century so-called “New World.”. Todorov argues that in order to convert them, Las Casas had to conceive of them as equals: “It is not that Christianity is unaware of oppositions or inequalities; but the fundamental opposition here is the one between believer and unbeliever; Christian and non-Christian; yet each man can become a Christian … equality is an unshakable principle of the Christian religion” (Todorov 161). Tzvetan Todorov – The Conquest of America. Refresh and try again. ” Todorov overlooks not only the generally religious framework of Las Casas’ prophesy, but also the particularly Western concept of justice. writing as a system of domination. x, 274. They must be given their original freedom back and be reinstated in their sovereignty. This would appear to contradict Todorov’s later assertion that the axiological axis ranges from equality to inferiority, though Todorov notes on page 165 that “this inverted distribution of values, incontestable proof of his generosity of spirit, does not lessen the schematic of his vision. The first two chapters describe Columbus’ initial encounters with the “Indians” of America. The book offers an original interpretation of the Spaniards’ conquest, colonization, and destruction of pre-Columbian cultures in … So good, Todorov maintains a tight focus as he makes two arguments, using the "Conquest of America" as his grounds for both a historical case, and a case for ethically reading. His analysis is eye opening in that he reveals an entirely different (non Western) way of looking at the invasion of the Spanish. So many atrocities were committed in the name of God, especially in the name of Jesus Christ. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. 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