Roberto Fernández Retamar’s “Caliban: Notes Toward a Discussion of Culture in Our America” concedes the impassible aporia of foreign influence and a distinct Latin American identity in a way the previous thinkers we’ve read have not. He writes “In proposing Caliban as our symbol, I am aware that it is not entirely ours, that it is also an alien elaboration, although in this case based on our concrete realities. But how can this alien quality be entirely avoided?” (97). The answer, Retamar implies, is that it cannot. . Because of this acknowledgment, his argument for a national identity seems to be the most compelling one in the readings we’ve had in class thus far. Martí argued the possibility for an enlightened upper class that could beat back Euro-American influence. Rodó welcomed that influence. Andrade desired an active consumption of the foreign conflated with the indigenous that, inherently, produces a Latin America with agency, but fails to mention the dependence of Latin America on European ‘exports’ that is not reciprocated by the continent with Pau-Brasil Poetry.
Daniel you make a great correlation between Roberto Fernandez Retamar’s text to Marti, Rodo, and Andrade’s work. You point out an interesting fact I didn’t notice when you state, “Andrade desired an active consumption of the foreign conflated with the indigenous that, inherently, produces a Latin America with agency, but fails to mention the dependence of Latin America on European ‘exports’ that is not reciprocated by the continent with Pau-Brasil Poetry”. You are completely correct, Andrade does not acknowledge the use of European exports. I wonder if this is intentional or unintentional?
ReplyDeleteI feel it was intentional to not mention or discuss their dependence as you put it of Latin America on European 'exports'. I feel by mentioning it, it would have changed the "Caliban: Notes..." and it would not have been as strong as it is. He would have weakened the look of Latin America and by that the image as well.
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