ccas quiz 1 flashcards

Mestizaje

Mestizaje was both a demographic process (intermarriage and cultural blending) and a political ideology used by many Latin American nations after independence to promote national unity through the idea of a "mixed" or "blended" national identity. This process though overlooks the indigenous and Afro descendants identity

7 countries and geography of Central America

Mosquitia

Caribbean costal region from Honduras that at one point was taken over by British/spaniards but Nicaragua realized they wanted them and fought for them but they are still seen as outsiders due to racism and language barrier

Maroons

People who escaped and created independent colonies

1. Colonization (define, what are the tenets/arms of colonization?)

• Definition: Colonization is a structural relationship of domination that began with European invasion and continues today through institutions like the state, church, academia, patriarchy, and white feminism.

• Tenets:
  

  • Rooted in racial hierarchies that positioned white bodies/cultures as “superior” and Indigenous/Black as “inferior.”

  • Enforced through assimilationist policies, land dispossession, forced labor, slavery, Christianization, and the “civilizing mission.”

  • Continuous: not a past event but a living structure embedded in political, economic, and social systems.

Resistance (give examples from readings, resistance to what?)

• What they resist: Erasure of culture, economic exploitation, forced assimilation, racism, gender violence, and colonial domination.

• Historical resistance: Against tribute, forced labor/military service, land theft, hunger, genocide, mining, corruption, and authoritarianism.

• Forms:
  

  • Cultural survival: maintaining language, traditions, and identity despite imposed structures.

  • Rebellion and protest: Maya people and women have historically challenged missionaries, officials, armies, and politicians.

  • Decolonizing knowledge: questioning universalist categories like “gender” or “woman” that erase Indigenous experiences.

  • Self-definition: reaffirming collective identity—“We are Maya”—and linking ancestral wisdom with present struggles.

Epistemic Violence (look definition and add it to the context from the readings)

• Epistemic violence = violence through knowledge, where colonial powers control what counts as knowledge, who speaks, and whose voices are silenced.

• Manifestations:
  

  • Education systems devalue Maya knowledge, labeling it “primitive” and “backward” while glorifying Western “civilization.”

  • Colonial academics act as “voices of the voiceless,” writing about Maya people as objects rather than acknowledging them as intellectuals.

  • Universities systematically exclude Indigenous people from leadership, teaching, and research roles. Example: Maya sociologists fired from Universidad de San Carlos simply for being Indigenous.

  • Churches and media reinforce shame, guilt, and Western moral frameworks that overwrite Indigenous worldviews.

Liberation psychology and how does it connect?

Liberation psychology connects to all these articles by focusing on how colonialism and oppression shape people’s lives and the need to challenge those systems. Each article highlights histories and identities that were silenced or controlled. Liberation psychology supports recovering these stories, questioning dominant narratives, and promoting decolonization as part of healing and change.

Interracial resistance to colonization

• Refers to alliances across racial groups, particularly Black and Indigenous collaborations, that threatened colonial control.

• Marronage: escaped enslaved people formed independent communities, demonstrating alternative social orders outside colonial power.

Food and culture as National Identity

• So rice started as an inexpensive means of consumption, almost like a struggle meal, which they would consume out of necessity.  

• Since rice played a big role in the significance of being able to feed your family, especially in times of struggle, which can make rice almost sacred 

• Eating the same food helps create a shared identity across classes

• Migrants helped to create the widespread popularity of el gallo pinto. Laborers, especially those who worked in the railroad, ate rice and beans, especially with the start of the 20th century, as this diet became their main dish, which eventually led to the widespread dish of rice and beans 

What is the Black Atlantic and how is it present

The Black Atlantic is a term that describes the cultural, political, and social connections formed between Africa, the Americas, and Europe through the transatlantic slave trade. It highlights how the movement of African peoples created a shared space where ideas, music, religion, and resistance spread across continents. Rather than viewing cultures as tied to one place, the Black Atlantic emphasizes a blended, transnational culture shaped by both oppression and creativity. Black Atlantic is present through the lasting cultural, social, and political influences of the African diaspora across the Americas and Europ

Reading against the grain-

• How is what I am reading misrepresented, possibly false, obfuscated/opaqued (intentionally or unintentionally trying to cover something or change the narrative of what happened) 

• Limited knowledge that is hiding experiences that some may go through, such as the women in Panama

• Subjects of study not speakers of their own existence 

• White feminism → cannot look at it for what it is, but rather look deeper into the narratives of them. 

• Colonial education imposes an ideology with the goal of perpetuating “cultural ethnocide” labeling Maya as “backward, primitive, empirical and inferior, to justify white superiority and the “civilizing mission”.” (9) → epistemic violence

• Colonial academics feel the authority to write the narrative for Maya people, assuming they are the “voice of the voiceless”.  They rewrite the past and act as saviors. → epistemic violence 

Recovery of history and how is this important to feminism, queer identities, and individuals left out of historical records or forgotten

Recovery of history means bringing back the stories of people who were ignored or erased. This is important for feminism, queer identities, and other marginalized groups because it gives them visibility, challenges dominant (often white and male) narratives, and makes history more accurate and inclusive. It helps recognize different experiences and contributions that were left out.

Chirix summary

Chirix argues that colonialism in Guatemala continues today through institutions like the state, church, academia, patriarchy, and white feminism. These systems maintain racial, gender, and class hierarchies while silencing Indigenous knowledge. She highlights Maya resistance to this domination and the role of epistemic violence in controlling narratives. The article calls for decolonization by recovering Indigenous history and knowledge.

Torres Rivera and Fernandez summary

The article explains that most mental health models are based on European ideas, which don’t fit the experiences of Latine communities and can cause harm. The authors introduce a five-step counseling model based on liberation psychology to help decolonize therapy. They stress the importance of remembering history, questioning dominant ideas, and building critical awareness. Overall, they call for culturally rooted approaches that support healing and liberation.

Lentz black belizians fugitives summary

The article looks at how runaway Black slaves from Belize interacted with Maya groups and Spanish authorities between 1750 and 1803. Some were welcomed, while others faced segregation and suspicion. Spanish and Maya leaders viewed them through racial, religious, and political lenses, especially fearing revolts like Haiti’s. Unconquered Maya groups reacted in different ways, showing the complex relationships on the colonial frontier.

Vega Jemez- El gallo pinto summary

The article explains how gallo pinto, a simple rice and beans dish, became a symbol of Costa Rican national identity. Rice was introduced by Europeans but became common in the 19th century, especially through Afro-Caribbean migrant workers, who brought the rice-and-beans tradition during railroad construction. Over time, the dish spread from working-class communities to the middle and upper classes, especially during the Great Depression, when it was cheap and filling. This history shows how food from marginalized groups can become central to a nation’s culture and identit

Morris- Becoming creole becoming black

The article shows how Creole identity in Central America developed from African, Indigenous, and European influences. It changed over time through culture, language, and power struggles. Creole communities found their place between colonial powers and local groups. Becoming Creole also meant becoming Black through both resistance and adaptation.

Flores Villalobos- gender race and migrant labor in the domestic summary

The article looks at Afro-Caribbean women working as domestic laborers in the Panama Canal Zone under U.S. control. They were essential to daily life but faced racism, sexism, and low pay. Their work was often invisible in records. Race, gender, and migration shaped their experiences.