Paul Klee Versus Cy Twombly. Around the fish (1926) and Tiznit (1953)

Paul Klee Versus Cy Twombly. Around the fish (1926) and Tiznit (1953) Introduction â€Å"Around the fish (1926)† and â€Å"Tiznit (1953)† could not be more distinct from each other. Each work of art epitomizes what its creation is about. One painting is geometric, another is haphazard; one is rhythmic, while the other seems to be free from such coordination.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Paul Klee Versus Cy Twombly. â€Å"Around the fish (1926)† and â€Å"Tiznit (1953)† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, these diverge differences do not mask the similarities between the two pieces; their meanings are debatable and ambiguous to some extent. Both artists also pride themselves in the poeticism of their work. Comparisons Influences The fundamental differences between the artistic works of both artists stems from the influences in their lives. Paul Klee produced ‘Around the Fish’ during the constructivist era. Since he lived in Germ any, he was heavily influenced by perspectives of the Bauhaus (Fransciscono 255). This was an era where geometry, systemization and measurement were given the greatest precedence (Lanchner 26). It is no wonder that there are three cylindrical shapes that surround the fish. Furthermore, a crescent is placed alongside a circle. Even the very arrangement of the particles in the painting is cubical in nature. He uses lines directly and indirectly in the painting through the arrows and inside the cylinders too. The painting appears to be derived from motifs that have been placed on a plane. In fact Franciscono (247) explains that order, balance and regular progressions were some of the things that Paul Klee championed during this era. Since he was a lecturer at German University, he taught his students to start small and then combine these pieces to create a holistic picture. Conversely, Cy Twombly was classified as an abstract expressionist, although his work does not fall into any part icular movement. While Klee may have captured the prevailing sentiments of his time. His work is not as ordered as Klee’s; instead, it can be considered as some from of graffiti.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More At the time when Twombly had created the piece, mass culture has taken over various art forms. It was almost as if he would have no relevance in commercialization. While Twombly’s work is devoid of basic graphics, pictures or other bold images, Klee’s work was rich with images. It is quite difficult to place Twombly in any general movement because his work is indulgent and sensual at the same time. Therefore, while both artists are unique in their own right, Twombly’s originality is louder than Klee’s. He stood autonomously in different artistic eras (Sylvester 5). Child-like element Perhaps another factor that brings t hese two pieces of art together is their childish-like elements. Once again, Twombly’s painting has more of these elements than Klee’s. Paul Klee affirmed that his art is really â€Å"childhood captured at will† (Lanchner 26). The work is authentic and designed to capture the wild imagination of those youthful days. However, Klee adds the words â€Å"at will† in order to show that his impulsiveness, while useful, is quite controlled. When one looks at ‘Around the fish’, one sees a plate of fish surrounded by some unfamiliar and familiar objects. This may be a simple analogy of a dinner table in which one places a dish and then the surrounding silverware revolves around it. A child would not be bothered about any deeper meanings. In fact, Klee discourages audiences from trying to figure out the holistic meaning of ‘Around the fish’. He urges individuals to look at the individualistic patterns in the piece as they have more meaning . Klee wants his admirers to adopt the mind of a child, who does not concern himself or herself with hidden meanings. On the other hand, childishness has been one of the major descriptions used to talk about Twombly’s work, and this is quite clear in ‘Tiznit (1953)†. His use of crayon marks and rough lines appear to be more of scribbles than conventional art.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Paul Klee Versus Cy Twombly. â€Å"Around the fish (1926)† and â€Å"Tiznit (1953)† specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More One critic compares his artistic process as child’s play rather than a game. A game has many rules and it tends to confine an individual to a particular mould. If one ignores the rules, then one is automatically removed from the game. Conversely child play has no rules; the sole aim of playing is to enjoy freedom. As one looks at the lines and markings in ‘Tizn it’ one realizes that this artist conforms to no guidelines. Sylvester (21) explains that initially, Twombly was inspired by artists such as Klee to incorporate gravity in his works. However, he decided to abandon this direction because he wanted no restrictions. The painting appears to be a fantasy or game to the artist. To some extent, it appears messy as some pain drapes off the canvas. Nonetheless, this is a welcome mess and pleasant disorder. It is almost like a piece of cloth that a boy threw away into the corner of the room. In such a situation, the cloth does not cease to have value merely because it has been thrown away; it merely reflects the indifference or laziness of the boy. Likewise, Twombly’s painting appears to be scrapped or thrown. The artist has refused to finish his piece of work because that is his nature; he wants to indulge in fantasy. Meanings The meanings to be extracted from both artistic works are also quite divergent. In ‘Around the F ish’ the artist clearly thought about the motifs before placing them on the canvas. However, one should not be satisfied by the images as artistic pieces alone.. They had certain cultural or political meanings as well. In the same year that he made the painting, Klee had visited Italy. He saw a lot of medieval art in these travels, and probably drew inspiration from some of them. Of particular relevance is the Byzantine as well as the mosaic found in St. Apollinare Nuovo; it was an illustration of the last supper with Jesus at the centre. When one critically analyses ‘Around the fish’, one can find some similarities with these Italian pieces. The fish is at the centre of the piece and may therefore represent Jesus who was surrounded by his disciples. However, the dish contains two fish, so one cannot be sure that Klee really wanted to portray Jesus in his paintings.Advertising Looking for research paper on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Alternatively, one may think of this work of art in another way. Klee loved to focus on nature during his teachings in Germany. Franciscono (259) explains that Klee sought to reconcile nature with art. He often talked about the geometry inherent in natural objects. Furthermore, he usually collected items such as shells and plants. Therefore, one may think of the fish as a literal representation of the animal. Then one may think of the surrounding as the sea or its natural setting. However, Klee joins the flowers to the fish with an arrow. This may signify fate or the inevitability of certain actions. One can never really be certain (Grohmann 180). On the other hand, Twombly ‘s meanings cannot be found literally in his piece. These meanings must be deduced from what he did prior to completion of the test. One may assert that ‘Tiznit 1953’ is obsessive and impulsive. Therefore, on can deduce that these are the messages he is trying to send across to his audience. Th e painting does not impose its meaning and is thus less aggressive than Klee’s ‘Around the Fish’ (Sylvester 39). A critic once explained that when Twombly starts to work on his piece, he is like ancient Chinese artists who never had room to correct their mistakes owing to the delicate fabrics they used. Consequently, most of them could only paint once and put up with the consequences. In Twombly’s case, he is not obligated to create mistake-free work. He deliberately chooses not to correct his work once he puts that paint or crayon to paper. This is the reason why it is impossible to imitate Twombly. He does not desire to pass any hidden messages to his audience, and this explains why he uses an off-handed approach. Klee often thought about his methods but Twombly stayed unattached to his work. Several art observers may come up with the same deduction about the significance of ‘Around the fish’, but it is likely that ‘Tiznit’ woul d elicit extremely divergent reactions. Artistic process Both artists used different processes to create their final pieces. Klee often stressed that it is the process leading to the art that counts rather than the actual piece. As such, he always sought to distant himself from the meaning of his work. Paul Klee firmly believed in the importance of remaining vague during artistic creation (Franciscono 256). Nonetheless, Klee has imposed upon himself certain restrictions. He was economical with his forms and sought to stay away from excessiveness. Even mathematical processes were used in his work. However, this piece reveals that geometry was a means to an end; it did not establish order; it was a mechanism for getting there. There was still a high level of ambiguity in his work. This is the reason why one can find so many interpretations from ‘Around the fish’. The uncertainty he gave to this piece contributes to its authenticity. While Twombly never said this verbally, his painting says it for him. His work has eliminated the connection between the eye and the hand. All he wants one to encounter is the feeling of creating. The greatest emphasis should not be on the trace but the activity of tracing. One may equate this to the same thing that takes places when children play. They rarely think about who will win; all the want it to do is spend time with each other (Sylvester 37). Color The two artists also differ with regard to the use of color. Paul Klee had travelled to Tunisia in 1914. At that time, he realized that a painter must always utilize the beauty of color because each one is unique. Tunisia was laden with wonderfully colored mosaics that caused Klee to incorporate them into his work. These influences come out exceptionally well in ‘Around the fish’. The artist meant to create a sort of rhythmic unity in his work. His patterns and symbols would not have come out so clearly if the artist had not utilized colors in the manner that he did. Klee always prefers to use pale or darker backgrounds in order to focus all the attention on the motifs. However, color works best when used on a divergent material. The piece is a collage, and this utilized time and space as explained very clearly by Lachner (27). One may claim that Surealism grew right around the time when Klee made his piece. He captured this essence of color through collaging. To Klee, color provides a context to the rest of his work and this enforces his abstract motifs, which are always his centre of focus in his pieces. Conversely, Twombly used color in a totally different light. He appears to use it sparingly as if he is trying to flatter with the pieces. Additionally, he seems to enjoy the surprise that color creates when crayons meet paper (Sylvester 33). Klee puts a lot of thought into combining the right colors. However, Twombly does not appear to be bothered by this concern, he is not apprehensive about ruining his canvas because he has no goals to begin with. In ‘Tiznit (1953)’ he preferred to use a white canvas. Nonetheless, he appears to embrace the qualities of these seemingly plain color, every canvas has its own characteristics and patterns; therefore; when one accepts these differences and uses them in order to send his message, then one might create very intriguing work. Conclusion The most fundamental difference between these two pieces is that there appears to be an objective system of knowledge or rationalization in Klee’s work, but this is absent in Twombly’s painting. Additionally, Klee’s piece is highly structured and full of self-imposed restrictions. The opposite is true for Twombly; he appears to be interested in freedom rather than adhering to any sort of standard. Tiznit appears to be unfinished and disordered while ‘Around the fish’ is ordered or even geometric. Consequently, Twombly’s painting gives an illusion of fantasy and indulgence while Klee’s piece gives an illusion of cultural and symbolism Franciscono, Marcel. Paul Klee: His Work and Thought, Chicago: University of Chicago Press,1991. Print. Grohmann, William. Paul Klee. NY: Harry Abrams Inc, 1977. Print. Lanchner, Carolyn. Paul Klee, NY: MoMA, 1987. Print. Sylvester, Julie, Schama Simon Barthes Ronald. Cy Twombly: Fifty years of works on paper. London: Distributed Art Publishers, 1980. Print.

Environmental Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Environmental Economics - Essay Example This paper compares Command-and-Control and Economic Incentive approaches. "Command and control" regulations focus on preventing environmental problems by specifying how a company will manage a pollution-generating process† (Stuart) In this type of approach to regulation of pollution, the companies which are responsible for pollution should take necessary precautions to prevent the environment pollution due to their activities. For example, industrial units mostly produce lot of toxic gases and solid wastes which generally they disposed to the land or sea improperly. Waste treatment plants are made compulsory with every industrial unit by implementing "Command and control" regulations. Command and control approaches were effective up to certain extent to reduce the industrial pollution. Periodical inspections from the governmental agencies forced the industrial units to keep tight control over the polluted materials it generated. Economic incentive approach is the way of controlling environmental pollution by offering economic incentives. In this approach, those who take effective measures to control environmental pollution will be rewarded and strict penalties will be enforced for those who destroy the environment. Pigovian Taxes, emission fees, abatement subsidies and tradable permit system are some of the common methods taken in the Economic incentive approach. Pigovian Taxes is a kind of special tax that is  often levied on companies that pollute the environment or create excess social costs, called negative externalities,  through  business practices. In a true market economy, a Pigovian tax  is the most efficient and effective  way to correct negative  externalities (Pigovian Tax) The main objective of this tax is to incorporate the social cost of the environment problems caused by the polluter. Thus the polluters will be forced to control their polluting activities because of the fear of the heavy Pigovian

Art, science, and imagination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Art, science, and imagination - Essay Example In particular the author has identified the changing technology to be the main factor in the determining changes that are eminent in our society. The culture image has over days changed due to the concept of receiving and perception of the images that are around us. Berger further states that the current demand for visualization of images is so high in our present world that the images end up being degraded by the same people visualizing them. According to Berger, one has to deeply understand something before appreciating it otherwise any judgment prior to this is unjust. All through the paper, he maintains that people always look at things and visualizes them even in dreams. However very few people do have the chance of showing interest on the actual happening of what they see rather their assumptions are always made from the things that they can see. Very few people find out what is happening in the inside and so make a lot of unjustified judgments. Due to this fact, he maintains t hat people have wrongly used the appearance instability to make judgments. He maintains that there is very minimal chance of a new product being made with its source being in direct contact with it. Most of the theories of Berger are justified but at some point, I fail to agree with him. I believe that there is a major role that anxiety plays in the understanding of how an object is like, to someone viewing it. This is because some viewers take no time to know what is inside the object that they are looking at. According to Berger, most of the viewers tend to be blind to the real life that they are living and as a result, they fail to understand what the real images that they see contain. As a result of this, communication in the current society is much complex. Wilson E.O presents a very contradicting idea to Berger’s ideas through his essay â€Å"The Bird of Paradise†. Depicting himself as a hunter and a poet, he links both the world of science and art. He narrates h ow he came into contact with nature in a research. Berger concludes that natural selection plays a major role in explaining how synthetic and analytic perspectives are reached. According to him, both work together to ensure the success of natural selection. This is contradictive to the theory of Berger in which he insists that the world of artists are based on theory, and how people interpret art and imagine personal things. This would therefore mean that the world of art and science are too complex to merge. In her essay, â€Å"Imagination and the Aesthetic Appreciation of Nature† Emily Brady maintains that the individual subject is vital to the appreciation of all forms of art. By so it means that every individual can appreciate art in their own way through visualization of any image. This is in contrast to Berger’s essay in which he maintains that visualizations without the deep understanding of an image are not possible. Emily insists that the aesthetic responses t o art are guided by the art itself and the individual preference. Therefore some people may not appreciate the work of an artist not because they have not looked at it from within but because of their own personal preference. I can deeply understand this theory in my daily life while playing piano. A year ago, I fell in love with Chopin’s music and started to practice it. During the first a few days of practicing, I focused mainly on the basic skills and closely followed the music paper, the accuracy of the notes, strength of the staccato, and the

Legal and Regulatory Framework Essay Example for Free

Legal and Regulatory Framework Essay There are many acts that exist to prevent discrimination, laws that protect age, sex, race, and religion. These acts are there to stop direct discrimination; when someone is treated less favourably than another. The company John Lewis is mostly affected by the Sex Discrimination Act 1975/97; to help stop judgement because of sex. They are affected by this act because of stereotypes; such as technological jobs that are expected to be done by a male, so when the company searches for an applicant they would mainly focus on males, making females have a lower chance of getting the job. This can also be related to an ethical issue, which is to never put the same gender in an interview panel, which is never done so that a person cannot be picked because of their sex. The company deals with this by looking carefully at each candidate, and may also consider leaving out the gender section, to not be stereotypical when choosing the right candidate. The Equal Pay Act 1970 would also affect this company just as it affects any other companies; it would force the company to pay its employees equally, ignoring gender. The company handles this by properly giving each employee their pay without considering gender to be an issue. The National Minimum Wage makes the company pay the minimum amount set by the government to their employees, this act would make the company suffer when it is in a difficult situation and they need money by decreasing the amount needed to pay to employees who are needed in the business. The company would deal to this law by making sure that the budget is enough and to see if they can get rid of an employee if the potential candidate seems better. The Race Relations Act 1992 stops discrimination on race, nationality, ethnic origin or national origin. One example that could happen is not involving a race when advertising the position, which would harm the candidates, and which will lead to harm to the business. The company would deal with this by making sure that no one is missed, and that not a particular race is picked for a job and given more of an advantage than another. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 2005 helps make a disable person get treated fairly when being interviewed; this act would affect the business because it they would have to pay equipment for the disabled, such as a wheelchair to help make the employee feel comfortable and not judged. Employment Acts 2002 and 2008, and the Work and Families Act 2006, covers maternity and paternity leave and pay, flexible working hours for carers of adults, as well as improved communication between employers and employees during maternity and paternity leave. This would affect the business because they would need new employees to cover the leave, as well as an extra pay for the new employee and the one leaving. The European Working Time Directive introduces the maximum working week of 48 hours over a certain number of weeks, as well as restriction on the length of nightshifts, rest periods and annual leave. This would affect the business because they won’t be able to employ someone longer to complete the job, which would lead to time loss. The company would deal with this by spreading the time between different employees equally. Ethics is what is expected to be done, and there are many ethics that are expected to be followed by a business when recruiting, one of them is to always ask the same questions in an interview, one simple reason to do this is to be fair to all of the candidates, but the main reason is compare them equally, as well as knowing what is needed to be known from all of them, which would help the business know the right candidate that would help the business. Another thing that a business is expected to do is to not make the interviewees related to the candidates, and the main reason to do that is to never make the results bias, an example of that is a candidate being chosen because he/she is related to the owner of the business. This would increase the chance of other candidates to be chosen who might have potential in the business. One other thing that the business is expected to do is to always make a promotion available, to help increase the motivation of the employees so that the job can be done, and to also helps make all the employees have the same opportunities, which would in return make the number of candidates  increase, making the chance of them having the right employee higher. Firing someone when it needs to be done is also something that the business is expected to do, as it will make the candidates aware that the business deals with a problem when they report them, and it would also be beneficial to the business at it would stop people from causing trouble or stealing form the business.

SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNER :: essays research papers

SUCCESSFUL AFRICAN AMERICAN BUSINESS OWNER DAVID STEWARD CEO & FOUNDER, WORLD WIDE TECHNOLOGY David Steward grew up in a Christian home in a small town of Clinton, Missouri. As a teen, he lived through the racially tense ‘60s, attending segregated schools, sitting in the balcony of the movies, and being barred from the public swimming pool. David doesn’t harbor any negative feelings about having to endure those days, especially since his mother warned him against becoming bitter and resentful. He literally lived on the other side of the railroad tracks, but learned that division doesn’t work. Though his family had few material possessions, David believes he inherited considerable wealth from his parents because they taught him what was important: treating people right. David recalled homeless people stopping by the house. â€Å"No one was ever turned away,† he said. â€Å"I saw faith in action.† David also remembers his mother giving her lat dollar to the church. He knew that it was seed to be sown with the expectation of a harvest. These principles of sowing and reaping have stayed with him his entire life. David always had a lifelong dream of owning his own business. It was a burning desire inside of him. After college, he spent ten years in sales for three Fortune 500 companies. As the senior accountant for a major corporation, David was awarded Salesman of the Year and was made a member of the company’s hall of fame. They presented an ice bucket with his initials engraved inside. David looked inside the bucket and realized that it was empty. This was a defining moment; he asked himself is this what he really wants out of life. At the time, David and his family were living paycheck to paycheck, but David had complete faith in God. It was clear in his mind that his belief in God, coupled with the desire to work hard to serve others, meant he was destined to succeed. After many years and five failed companies, he finally figured out the secret to success, ‘treat people right.’ He launched Transport Administrative Services in 1987. The company’s purpose was to provide online automated transportation audit services to seven major rail carriers. He later decided to diversify his business interest by capitalizing the start-up of World Wide Technology (WWT) in 1990 on a shoestring budget and 7 employees. He wanted to be part of one the greatest revolutions that ever hit history, the information stage.

Anti-Colonialism and Education Essay

In Anti-Colonialism and Education: The Politics of Resistance, George J. Sefa Dei and Arlo Kempf have given us a stimulating intellectual account of the issues surrounding the active attempt for educational liberation. The authors who have contributed to the volume have been well chosen to present creative approaches to this abiding problem in most of the world. As we engage the legacies of colonialism we are more certain today that the nonmaterial legacies are as important in our thinking as the material ones when we engage questions of resistance and recovery. The colonizer did not only seize land, but also minds. If colonialism’s in? uence had been merely the control of land that would have required only one form of resistance, but when information is also colonized, it is essential that the resistance must interrogate issues related to education, information and intellectual transformations. Colonialism seeks to impose the will of one people on another and to use the resources of the imposed people for the bene? t of the imposer. Nothing is sacred in such a system as it powers its way toward the extinction of the wills of the imposed upon with one objective in mind: the ultimate subjection of the will to resist. An effective system of colonialism reduces the imposed upon to a shell of a human who is incapable of thinking in a subjective way of his or her own interest. In everything the person becomes like the imposer; thus in desires, wishes, visions, purposes, styles, structures, values, and especially the values of education, the person operates against his or her own interest. Colonialism does not engender creativity; it sti? es it, suppresses it under the cloak of assistance when in fact it is creating conditions that make it impossible for humans to effectively resist. And yet there has always been resistance and there are new methods of resistance gaining ground each day. The intricacies of engaging colonialism are as numerous as the ways colonialism has impacted upon the world. Indeed, the political-economic, socialbehavioral, and cultural-aesthetic legacies of the colonizing process have left human beings with a variety of ways to confront the impact of those legacies. What we see in Anti-Colonialism and Education is a profound attempt to capture for the reader the possibilities inherent in educational transformation through the politics of resistance. Professors Dei and Kempf have exercised a judicious imagination in selecting the authors for the chapters in this book. Each author is an expert in the area of the topic, skilled in presentation of the facts based upon current theories, and articulate in the expression of a need for educators to understand the pressures ix FOREWORD both for and against colonialism. However, they all take the position that it is necessary to explore all formulations that might achieve a liberated sphere of education. Since education normally follows the dominant political lines in a country where you have colonial political principles you will ? nd colonial education. If you have the vestiges of past colonial practices, you will see those practices re? ected in the educational system. I remember a colleague from Algeria saying to me that when the French ruled the country the students learned that their ancestors were the Gauls. When independence came to Algeria, he said, the people were taught that their ancestors were Arabs. The fact that this was only true for those individuals who had Arab origins, and thirty percent did not have such ancestry, was uninteresting to the political agenda. And so it has been in every nation where you have a political intention to mold a country on the basis of domination you will also have resistance. One seems to go with the other regardless to how long the process seems to take to commence. This is not just an exciting work intellectually; it is a beautiful book edited with intelligence and executed with the kind of research and scholarship that will bring us back to its pages many times. Each author seems to feel the same desire to teach us to be truly human; that is enough for us to inaugurate our own anti-colonialism campaign in our schools and colleges. I shall gladly join the fray to make the world better. Mole? Kete Asante Elkins Park, PA 19027 USA x ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This book could not have been completed without the political interest and will of the many people who shared their knowledge in this joint undertaking. While the task of re-visioning schooling and education for the contemporary learner and teacher may be daunting at times, we believe strongly that it is by no means insurmountable. In fact, we have a wealth of knowledge with which to help transform education into a process and practice that serves the needs of the collective. We hope this book will contribute to the debate and discussion of how to address not only the imperialization of knowledge but also the various forms of intellectual colonization that mask themselves as everyday academic truth and valid knowledge. George Dei would like to thank the students of his graduate level course, SES 3914S: â€Å"Anti-Colonial Thought and Pedagogical Challenges† in the fall of 2004 whose insights and discussions helped propel the vision for this collection. Arlo Kempf would like to thank Lola Douglas, Meghan Mckee and Randy Kempf for their support and loveliness. He would also like to thank George Dei and the contributors for their ideas and hard work over the duration of this project. We both owe a great deal of intellectual depth to our colleagues, peers and friends who constantly challenge us to think more deeply and avoid academic closure. It is in the actions and resistance of the people that theory is born and takes life – to all who struggle against colonialism without the privilege of a pen in hand, we thank and salute you. Our academic objective for the book was also shaped by a desire to let our community politics inform intellectual pursuits at all times. We want to thank Geoff Rytell, who initially helped proofread sections of the book, as well as Cheryl Williams for her ongoing support. Finally we say â€Å"thank you† to Joe Kincheloe, Shirley Steinberg and Peter de Liefde who made this book a reality. George Dei Arlo Kempf xi GEORGE J. SEFA DEI INTRODUCTION: MAPPING THE TERRAIN – TOWARDS A NEW POLITICS OF RESISTANCE INTRODUCTION I begin this chapter with a question germane as to why and how we articulate anticolonial thought. Informed by Steven Biko’s (1978) earlier work, I ask: â€Å"Why is it necessary for us as colonized peoples to think and re? ect collectively about a problem not of our creation i. e. , the problem of colonialism? † This question is central since colonialism has not ended and we see around us today various examples of colonial and neo-colonial relations produced within our schools, colleges, universities, homes, families, workplaces and other institutional settings. It is often said that globalization is the new word for imperialism. History and context are crucial for anti-colonial undertakings. Understanding our collective past is signi? cant for pursuing political resistance. Haunani-Kay Trask (1991) writes about the importance of the past to Indigenous peoples as a way to challenge the dominant’s call to amputate the past and its histories. For the people of Hawaiia, Trask notes that â€Å"we do not need, nor do we want [to be] liberated from our past because it is source of our understanding . . . [We] . . . stand ? rmly in the present, with [our] back to the future, and [our] eyes ? xed upon the past, seeking historical answers for present-day dilemmas† (p. 164). In order to understand the knowledge and resistance of the past as it relates to contemporary politics of resistance, one has to know and learn about this past. As noted elsewhere (Dei, 2000, p. 11), for colonized peoples decolonization involves a reclamation of the past, previously excluded in the history of the colonial and colonized nations. They must identify the colonial historical period from the perspectives of their places and their peoples. Knowledge of the past is also relevant in so far as we as people must use that knowledge â€Å"responsibly†. But our situatedness as knowledge producers and how we perform â€Å"the gaze† on subjects, at times accord power and privilege to some bodies and not others. Therefore, an anti-colonial struggle must identify and de? ne a political project and show its connections to the academic engagement. Franz Fanon and Karl Marx have both cautioned us that â€Å"what matters is not to know the world but to change it†. This assertion calls for a recognition of the multiple points/places of responsibility and accountability. For example, what does it mean to talk of accountability as far as identity and subjectivity, however complex? It may well mean taking the stance that in political work for change, certain issues are not negotiable. In other words, we need to see there are limits and possibilities of â€Å"negotiating† in anti-colonial struggles and politics. As Howard (2004) asks: How much can be G. J. S. Dei and A. Kempf (eds. ), Anti-Colonialism and Education: The Politics of Resistance, 1–23.  © 2006. Sense Publishers. All rights reserved. DEI accomplished if we decide to â€Å"negotiate† around domination or oppression? Are we negotiating as part of a democratic exercise? Rabaka (2003) has argued that â€Å"one of the most important tasks of a critical anti-colonial theory . . . is to capture and critique the continuities and discontinuities of the colonial and neocolonial in order to make sense of our currently . . . colonized life and . . . worlds† (p. 7). Therefore as we begin to ? esh out anti-colonial theory and practice, it is ? tting to ask some critical questions (see also Butler, 2002): Is there still a colonized South? What about a colonized North? Do we think of neo-colonialism/colonialism/post-colonialism as bridges, as new articulations, or as a continuation with no marked differentiation? What is â€Å"post† about/in the â€Å"post-colonial†? Is the theoretical distinction between neo-colonialism and colonialism spurious at best? What are the purposes and underlying intentions of making such distinctions? What are the convergences and the divergences in post-colonial and anti-colonial thoughts? Does â€Å"neo† in neo-colonial mean â€Å"new†, or â€Å"transformed†? What is neo-colonialism? What are its antecedents and its marked practices? What are the mechanisms and institutions that constitute neo-colonialism? Why do we speak of neo-colonialism and not anti-colonialism? Are the structures, practices and ideas which enable colonialism really that different from those of neo-colonialism? Are the differences between neo-colonialism and colonialism more than theoretical? Whose interests are advanced in speaking of neo-colonialism/post-colonialism? What are the [dis]junctures and [dis]continuities between colonialism and neo-colonialism? How do discursive forces and material aspects interact to further our understanding of colonial? How do we speak of power, coercion, subjectivity, agency and resistance in anti-colonial discursive practice? What are the relations between neo-colonialism and White supremacy? The book does not presume to offer full answers to all these questions. But it is hoped the discussions that follow offer some entry points into a new politics of engagement towards the formulation of a critical anti-colonial lens. The power of the anti-colonial prism lies in its offering of new philosophical insights to challenge Eurocentric discourses, in order to pave the way for Southern/indigenous intellectual and political emancipation. In this discussion, anti-colonial is de? ned as an approach to theorizing colonial and re-colonial relations and the implications of imperial structures on the processes of knowledge production and validation, the understanding of indigeneity, and the pursuit of agency, resistance and subjective politics (see also Dei and Asgharzadeh, 2001). Colonialism, read as imposition and domination, did not end with the return of political sovereignty to colonized peoples or nation states. Colonialism is not dead. Indeed, colonialism and re-colonizing projects today manifest themselves in variegated ways (e. g. the different ways knowledges get produced and receive validation within schools, the particular experiences of students that get counted as [in]valid and the identities that receive recognition and response from school authorities. The anti-colonial prism theorizes the nature and extent of social domination and particularly the multiple places that power, and the relations of power, work to establish dominant-subordinate connections. This prism also scrutinizes 2 INTRODUCTION and deconstructs dominant discourses and epistemologies, while raising questions of and about its own practice. It highlights and analyzes contexts, and explores alternatives to colonial relations. Loomba (1998) sees colonialism as signifying â€Å"territorial ownership† of a place/space by an imperial power, while imperialism on the other hand is the governing ideology for such occupation. Anti-colonial thought works with these two themes/projects – colonialism and imperialism as never ending. The colonial in anti-colonial however, invokes much more. It refers to anything imposed and dominating rather than that which is simply foreign and alien. Colonialism reinforces exclusive notions of belonging, difference and superiority (Principe, 2004). It pursues a politics of domination which informs and constructs dominant images of both the colonizer and the colonized (Memmi, 1969). Colonialism is not simply complicit in how we come to know ourselves and its politics. It also establishes sustainable hierarchies and systems of power. Colonial images continually uphold the colonizers’ sense of reason, authority and control. It scripts and violates the colonized as the violent â€Å"other†, while, in contrast, the colonizer is pitted as an innocent, benevolent and [imperial] saviour (see also Principe, 2004). This historical relationship of the colonizer and colonized continues to inform contemporary subject identity formation and knowledge production. It shapes and informs identities by recreating colonial ideologies and mythologies (Tuhiwai-Smith, 1999). In theorizing the anti-colonial discursive framework, I would highlight some key salient points. All knowledge can be located in the particular social contexts from which it emerges. Such location shapes the ways of knowing and understanding the social and political relations at play in constructing social realities. The anti-colonial prism takes the position that all knowledges are socially situated and politically contested. The anti-colonial discourse is situated in colonial relations of power that are contested through resistant practices against domination and oppression. In working with resistant knowledges, the liberating in? uence of critical anti-colonial discourse becomes clear. The anti-colonial discourse works with the idea of the epistemological power of the colonized subjects. The colonial knowing is situated and informed within particular social contexts (see also Harding, 1996). Such â€Å"situated knowledges† (hooks, 1991; Collins, 1990) also point to the importance of subjectivity, positionality, location and history. In this regard, the anti-colonial referent is to the epistemologies about, and of, marginalized, colonized subjects. Particular and different interests are served by knowledge systems, and the anti-colonial aim is to subvert dominant thinking that re-inscribes colonial and colonizing relations. The ability and strength of the anti-colonial prism to draw upon different discursive traditions to explain social and political phenomena is an important strength for multiple knowings. But anti-colonial thought, while borrowing from other theoretical frameworks, is not constrained by dominant epistemologies. It calls for a critical awareness of the social relations and power issues embedded in the ways of organizing the production, interrogation, validation and dissemination of knowledge in order to challenge social oppression and 3 DEI consequently subvert domination. It also calls for acknowledging accountability and power. Since the burden of oppression is not shared equally among groups, and that even among the oppressed we are not all affected the same way (see also Larbalestier, 1990), we must all be able to address questions of accountability and responsibility of knowledge. It is within such a context that one must evaluate the politics of anti-colonial thought, in its call for a radical transformation of the analytical and conceptual frames of reference, used both in the academy and in mainstream public discourse so that the minoritized, subjugated voice, experience and history can be powerfully evoked, acknowledged and responded to. Unless we are able to articulate the grounds on which we share a dialogue and challenge the power relations of knowledge production, we will be shirking the responsibility of acting on our knowledge. The academic project of anti-colonial thinking and practice is to challenge and resist Eurocentric theorizing of the colonial encounter. Such Eurocentric theorizing is best captured in representations of minoritized/colonized bodies and their knowledges, and through the power of colonial imageries. The anticolonial critique also deals with interrogations of colonial representations and imaginaries examining processes and representations of legitimacy and degeneracy through the mutually constitutive relations of power. Colonialisms were/are practised differently; they differ in their representations and consequently have myriad in? uences, impacts and implications for different communities. Colonial practices can be refracted around race, gender, class, age, disability, culture and nation as sites of difference. In many ways the â€Å"anti-colonial thought† is the emergence of a new political, cultural and intellectual movement re? ecting the values and aspirations of colonized and resisting peoples/subjects. The Western academy cannot continue to deny the intellectual agency of colonized peoples. As resisting subjects, we will all have to confront and deal with the historic inferiorization of colonial subjects, and the devaluation of rich histories and cultures. What is required is critical educational praxis that is anchored in anti-colonial thought to challenge and subvert the â€Å"Western cultural and capital overkill†, and shed the insulting idea that others know and understand us [as colonized subjects] better than we understand ourselves (see also Prah, 1997, pp. 19–23). Colonized peoples require an anti-colonial prism that is useful in helping to disabuse our minds of the lies and falsehoods told about our peoples, our pasts and our histories (see also Rodney, 1982). We need to present anti-colonial discourse as a way to challenge Eurocentric culture as the tacit norm everyone references and on which so many of us cast our gaze (Kincheloe and Steinberg, 1998, p. 11). This approach to anti-colonial discursive thought and practice is also informed by the academic and political project calling for knowledge that colonised groups can use to ? nd authentic and viable solutions to our own problems. In this struggle we can point to some positive developments. For example everywhere today, we (as colonized peoples) are reclaiming and reinvigorating our marginalised, and in some cases, lost voices and are speaking for ourselves. Within educational academies in North America and in the South, there 4

Reptiles Coloring Book 10 Different Pages