As Latin American regions began formulating their own states, they were faced with highly complex and subjective decisions regarding who the citizens were and which rights these citizens were entitled to.
Post-emancipation, there began a conservative backlash and upper class individuals sought to manipulate the law in order to maintain their power. The documents in this chapter attempt to explain the race or gender divide, and how it should be handled.
The first article, written by Rodrigues strongly emphasizes the "truth" of his science. In my opinion his writing is very over-confident and egotistic. He considers himself to be looking at things objectively while twisting his observations into a subjective conclusion: that religion manifests itself naturally depending on race. He claims that African fetishism is inherent, and that they cannot comprehend being monotheistic even if it appears so outwardly through the adoption of Catholic practices. He also calls the hybrid of Fetishism and Catholicism "mongrel practices and beliefs." Rodrigues creates a clear divide between race and religious groups, Fetishism clearly lower in his mind.
The next article, "Political Program of the Partido Independiente de Color" clearly came from a more equality-driven perspective. The policy called for a Cuban identity regardless of race and religion. This document presented an impartial government in which citizens are protected and given the rights to free education.
The third document, "We are religious people, Not Atheists" seeks the protection of God. A line that stood out to me was: "Death is nature's justice," explaining that all people face death regardless of who they are in life. I thought it was interesting how the manifesto brought up such a universal thought and then suddenly narrowed down into an exclusive club of "religious people, not atheists."
The final two documents addressed women in Latin American society, one in opposition to the other. The first, written by Echenique explains how women have been cheated out of their necessary rights such as education, and that they are bound to illusionary ideals. In response, Judith calls Echenique's ideas unattainable and harmful. She claims that women's natural duty is in the home, and that their "natural weakness" is their greatest charm. I think the main question at hand when approaching the gender divide is whether or not men and women naturally have or should legally have separate roles in a society. It was interesting to see the two sides from the women themselves.
The final two documents addressed women in Latin American society, one in opposition to the other. The first, written by Echenique explains how women have been cheated out of their necessary rights such as education, and that they are bound to illusionary ideals. In response, Judith calls Echenique's ideas unattainable and harmful. She claims that women's natural duty is in the home, and that their "natural weakness" is their greatest charm. I think the main question at hand when approaching the gender divide is whether or not men and women naturally have or should legally have separate roles in a society. It was interesting to see the two sides from the women themselves.
I agree with you that Rodrigues was very bias towards Catholicism, even though he claims in the beginning of the document that he was not and simply giving the opinion of an observer. This is extremely different from the second reading, in which the Cuban identity document speaks of how all citizens will be treated equally, regardless of their differences.
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