Indigenous perspectives to unlearn colonial mindsets : an exploration of oral history and narrative in Homer and Herodotus
department or school: Arts, Faculty of
department or school: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, Department of
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCV
creator: Archibald, Kara
issued: 2024-02-29T09:03:39Z
issued: 2024
related degree: Master of Arts - MA
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: The study of the past, History, is often presented through a colonial lens. The past is a collection of events that happened, with people who existed, and it can be seen as static and a record of the truth. With the current discourse on decolonization, however, such a representation of history sets a limitation, on classical studies in particular, in the way that the past can be examined. It is the stagnation of imagination that causes a rift between what is considered historical and what is considered fictional. Therefore, it is integral to engage in alternative approaches to the ancient past, and one key way to do this is to Indigenize it. In texts such as the 'Iliad' and the 'Odyssey,' the fictional or mythical elements supersede the significance of orality and oral history. Homer’s epics are therefore considered unverifiable, which can ultimately lead to the limitations of what can be interpreted and gleaned from reading these epic poems. The information and details embedded in the poem, however, are remnants of cultural memory, and are highly influential to later authors, including translators today. Further, Herodotus’ 'Histories' is subject to scrutiny for the validity of his text, whether he wrote the truth as it actually was or whether he invented it. Based on the way historians, both modern and ancient, experience and interpret the past, any form of fictionalization can result in assumptions. Interpretation and translation can often lead to discrepancies in order to make the past look a certain way. In some cases, through a colonial perspective, it means putting emphasis on socially acceptable ideas rather than what might have been the reality. As a result, anything outside of those ideals are considered “unsophisticated.” It is necessary to break away from opposing categorization – black and white, real or fake, true or false – in order to see the complex nature of the past through Indigenous perspectives on its texts. As such, this thesis is an explorati…
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/87487
note: INDIGENOUS PERSPECTIVES TO UNLEARN COLONIAL MINDSETS: AN EXPLORATION OF ORAL HISTORY AND NARRATIVE IN HOMER AND HERODOTUS by KARA ARCHIBALD B.A., Brock University, 2016 M.A., Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2019 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Ancient Culture, Religion, and Ethnicity) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) February 2024 © Kara Archibald, 2024 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for acceptance, the thesis entitled: Indigenous Perspectives to Unlearn Colonial Mindsets: An Exploration of Oral History and Narrative in Homer and Herodotus submitted by Kara Archibald in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Ancient Culture, Religion, and Ethnicity Examining Committee: Franco De Angelis, Professor, Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, UBC Supervisor Antone Minard, Lecturer, Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, UBC Supervisory Committee Member iii Abstract The study of the past, History, is often presented through a colonial lens. The past is a collection of events that happened, with people who existed, and it can be seen as static and a record of the truth. With the current discourse on decolonization, however, such a representation of history sets a limitation, on classical studies in particular, in the way that the past can be examined. It is the stagnation of imagination that causes a rift between what is considered historical and what is considered fictional. Therefore, it is integral to engage in alternative approaches to the ancient past, and one key way to do this is to Indigenize it. In texts such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, the fictional or mythical elements supersede the significance of orality and oral history. Homer’s epics are therefore consi…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2024-05
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0440420
language: eng
degree discipline: Ancient Culture, Religion and Ethnicity
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
contributor: De Angelis, Franco
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/87487