Author: conrad.393

Text Review – The Documentary Podcast’s “Namibia: The price of genocide” by Bailey Conrad

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In the early 1900s, Germany colonized a country in southern Africa, which is now known as Namibia, resulting in the genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples. In the podcast, Tim Whewell with BBC travels to Namibia to see the effects of colonialism. Namibia currently wants reparation, primarily in the form of land since German descendants from the colonizers currently occupy enormous amounts of land.

Whewell travels with a citizen of Namibia who is striving to make a deal with the Germans. The pair first visit a German landowner who is completely closed off to the idea of any reparation. He does not even believe that the Germans committed genocide, despite documentations of hangings, concentration camps, and cruel conditions. The pair then visits another German landowner. This landowner does believe that the Germans committed cruel acts and that Germany should apologize but still is unwilling to give over portions of his land to the Namibian people. Currently, the Namibian government is trying to work with the Germans to make reparations, but people have little faith in the government because it is corrupt.

I think the podcast resembles two different works that we covered this semester: Things Fall Apart and Persepolis. In Things Fall Apart, the British colonizing the African communities is very similar to the colonization of Namibia by Germany. Two powerhouse European countries exploited African countries that are not as powerful. They showed little regard to the countries while accomplishing their goal of spreading their colonial rule. The story depicted in the podcast reminds me of Persepolis because mistrust for the government exists in both. In Persepolis after the Islamic Revolution, Marji’s family and many other Iranian citizens did not agree with the government’s stances and were fearful of their motives and actions. This fear is present in the citizens of Namibia, as they do not trust that the government will handle the dispute between the Germans appropriately.

Through the production of this podcast, I think that Whewell is attempting to shed some light on how horrific colonization was and how its effects last even over a century later. I think he also attempts to show how complicated it is for these countries to come to a compromise many years later.   

Diary of Systemic Injustice Showcase — Uighur Persecution in China by Bailey Conrad

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In China’s Xinjiang region, there is large systemic discrimination against a group called the Uighurs for their religion. Uighurs are Muslims mainly from the Xinjiang region, which is in the northwest region of China. Chinese officials have created detention camps for them. In the article cited, it states that (referring to the Uighurs), “Often, their only crime is being Muslim, human rights groups say, adding that many Uighurs have been labeled as extremists simply for practicing their religion.” At these camps, detainees are forced to pledge loyalty to the Chinese Communist Party, renounce Islam, and learn Mandarin. To cover the camp’s existence Chinese officials have been calling the names of the camps “vocational training centers” and “boarding schools.” Although, in 2019, documents were leaked exposing the true nature of the camps (Maizland).

Religious persecution is integrated into China’s practices. In 2017, Xinjiang passed a law prohibiting citizens from wearing veils and growing long beards and formally used training centers to rid extremism. The Chinese government has an expectation for its citizens to behave in a certain way, and if one’s values do not align with their ways, then persecution will occur (Maizland). Regarding the United States, former President Trump signed a law requiring punishment for those involved in the oppression. The US was the first country to declare that “China is committing crimes against humanity and genocide,” which allows the US and other countries to continue to impose sanctions on China. The United Kingdom and European Union are also playing a role alongside the US (Maizland).

Ethnic Uighurs take part in a protest march asking for the European Union to call upon China to respect human rights in the Chinese Xinjiang region and asking for the closure of “re-education center” where some Uighurs are detained, during a demonstration around the EU institutions in Brussels on April 27, 2018. (Photo by Emmanuel DUNAND / AFP)

Women are particularly disadvantaged in this crisis. They are abused physically and sexually and undergo forced sterilization. They are forced into marriages and into assimilating to the typical Chinese culture. In a recent news article, women that have been involved in the crisis share their stories. One woman recounts her experiences in a detention camp, which included weekly body checks, surveillance cameras in the restrooms, and receiving unidentified injections that made her menstrual periods stop (Mistreanu). The intersectionality of being both Uighur and a woman is like that of Marji in Persepolis. Since Marji was both a woman and an Iranian citizen that did not conform to the extremist Islamic government policies, she had unique challenges.

The video attached (from 0:25-2:00) gives a comprehensive overview of the crisis and the motives behind the Chinese government.

It is heartbreaking to hear about how a whole government is against a group of people simply for their religion. The Uighurs are constantly in fear for their life. Other countries have been playing an active role in the attempt to end the oppression. The crisis reminds me of the colonization of the British in Things Fall Apart. The British imposed their religion on the African people like the Chinese government is on the Uighur population.

 

Sources:

“China’s Uighur Crisis: When Muslims Are Abused, The World Turns A Blind Eye | Think | NBC News.” YouTube, YouTube, 12 Aug. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVNRnW3NAmY.

Maizland, Lindsay. “China’s Repression of Uighurs in Xinjiang.” Council on Foreign Relations, Council on Foreign Relations, 19 Jan. 2021, 0700, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-repression-uighurs-xinjiang.

Mistreanu, Simina. “Uyghur Women Are China’s Victims-and Resistance.” Foreign Policy, WordPress VIP, 12 Mar. 2021, foreignpolicy.com/2021/03/12/uyghur-women-are-chinas-victims-and-resistance/.

Intersectionality–Gender and Immigration Status; “The Leavers” by Liso Ko; Bailey Conrad

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In The Leavers, Peilan is a young woman who immigrated to the United States by herself while pregnant with Deming. The Leavers depicts the many challenges that Peilan faced. She is ultimately taken away from Deming by immigration authorities. Immigration to a foreign country includes many challenges that Peilan experiences. In addition to general immigration challenges, there are gender-specific migration experiences that one goes through such as Peilan.

Traditionally, when one is talking about immigrants, the focus has been on “male migrants and their wives and children,” meaning that the focus is placed on the male, leaving the woman and children as second thoughts. Some countries have policies that classify men as “independent” migrants and women as “dependents,” referring to their relation to men as one of “wife” or “daughter,” (Grieco). Women are not seen as individuals that possess their own capabilities to seek out opportunities. This classification scheme present in many countries places extreme limits on a woman’s migration experience. It can slow down their process to gain legal citizenship, access language classes, and access income security programs when compared to the processes of men. Additionally, stereotypic classifications can play a role in the work women do. They typically enter fields such as domestic service as opposed to the labor workforce (Grieco). For women that need to work, as in the case of Peilan to support herself and Deming, this can limit the different careers available.

In addition to the popular gender classification scheme, women’s migration experiences are dependent on the resources they bring with them like employment, education, and familial and social networks (Erez). Peilan came by herself and with limited resources. She did not even have a male acquaintance with her, disqualifying her from the “special treatment” families that contain male figures receive. Due to the lack of access to resources and services, women are not able to seek health, social, and legal services (Erez).

Currently in the United States, more than 23 million female immigrants exist, far exceeding the number of male immigrants (“Immigrant Women and Girls in the United States.”). Therefore, many are affected by the intersectionality of being both a woman and an immigrant.  Throughout time, sex roles have been increasingly incorporated into conversation surrounding migration, but there needs to be more of an effort to ensure equal access to resources to both immigrant men and women.

 

Works Cited:

Erez, Edna, and Shannon Harper. The Handbook of Race, Ethnicity, Crime and Justice, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2018, pp. 457–474.

Grieco, Elizabeth, and Monica Boyd. “Women and Migration: Incorporating Gender into International Migration Theory.” Migrationpolicy.org, Migration Policy Institute, 18 July 2019, www.migrationpolicy.org/article/women-and-migration-incorporating-gender-international-migration-theory.

“Immigrant Women and Girls in the United States.” American Immigration Council, American Immigration Council, 25 Sept. 2020, www.americanimmigrationcouncil.org/research/immigrant-women-and-girls-united-states.