"While there has been a growing resistance and reclamation toward Eurocentric norms, it is essential to recognize how colonialism has informed beauty ideals and our conscious and unconscious racial biases." TRUE! However, in the case of Silverblatt's book I have some objections. While she talks about nationalism and its effects on the modern world, it seems to me that she does not pay enough attention to the specific processes of Nation-building, which should not be confused with nationalist agendas. I will try to explain without getting too involved: there were nationalist agendas that used colonial projects and created racialized distinctions based on elite concepts. But a large majority of the population, "the people," so to speak, in their daily lives, were not racist. They worked with, lived with and loved people who came from different heritages. (Yes, there were conflicts and some of them led to bloody episodes, I don't deny it). For me, racialized differences were a Eurocentric project especially of the Creole elites, who are the ones who led the Spanish American Independences.
"While there has been a growing resistance and reclamation toward Eurocentric norms, it is essential to recognize how colonialism has informed beauty ideals and our conscious and unconscious racial biases." TRUE! However, in the case of Silverblatt's book I have some objections. While she talks about nationalism and its effects on the modern world, it seems to me that she does not pay enough attention to the specific processes of Nation-building, which should not be confused with nationalist agendas. I will try to explain without getting too involved: there were nationalist agendas that used colonial projects and created racialized distinctions based on elite concepts. But a large majority of the population, "the people," so to speak, in their daily lives, were not racist. They worked with, lived with and loved people who came from different heritages. (Yes, there were conflicts and some of them led to bloody episodes, I don't deny it). For me, racialized differences were a Eurocentric project especially of the Creole elites, who are the ones who led the Spanish American Independences.