Hi! My name is Eric and I am an Aerospace Engineering major at Marshall.
I wanted to study 20th century East Asia this quarter because I wanted to learn about the history of where my family is from. I had always thought that history classes in high school never really focuses on history from this region, so I thought this would be a nice change in perspective.
I’m mostly excited just to learn more about the history of this region. I’m hoping that learning the history will help me connect with my own culture more.
I’m a little apprehensive about the point of view we will be taking in learning the history. Most of the history classes I have taken view history through a different lens then what I am expecting in this course. It may take some adjustment to digest the material.
If I had an unexpected day off from school I would spend some time reading in a park. I like spending time away from screens, especially after this year and I recently began reading some books on aesthetics.
My understanding of racial capitalism is the relationship between the mistreatment of racial minorities and capitalism. That is, one cannot exist without the other; they are dependent on each other. From Dr. Gilmore’s description, racial capitalism is the description of the unequal power structure found in capitalism that exploits races for their labor. She puts this well when she suggests that, “capitalism requires inequality and racism enshrines it.”
Abolitionist geography refers to struggles specific to communuties where that are found. The example Dr. Gilmore provides is Amadora, where despite changing legislation regarding building homes, residents still struggles to maintain their homes. This is an example of a location-specific struggle and a direct result of not only their individual interest in their rights, but also a part of a broader narrative of racialized capitalism and colonialism.
