Culture and Diversity in Latin America - Essay Example

Culture and Diversity in Latin America Chapter 14 of Skidmore's Modern Latin America speaks of the highly diversified culture of its people. It spoke of racial and cultural mixture formed by different nations into what is now the Latin American culture. This chapter also delved heavily on the artistic side of its people, i.e., naturalism and romanticism, and how it can be related to nationalism. It is also in this chapter that the varying nations' influences on the people of Latin America became apparent.

This makes this chapter a vital tool in understanding the Latin American landscape, particularly its people and why the diversity is quite instilled. Much of what is now taken as their culture originated from the Portuguese and the Spaniards who conquered the land. Their colonization blurred and made complicated the cultural and racial mixture that existed at the time. A great diversity within followed with the influences of other European countries, Africans and Indians being ingrained in both the culture and the language.

In order to organize the diversity created by their stay, the Spaniards formed hierarchies with the varying ethnic groups through ranking. This did not sit well with many writers and artists whose feelings for the Spanish and Portuguese conquerors are quite ambivalent. Said racial hierarchies are still present and is in fact still very strong during the 19th and 20th centuries. Thought the media, the arts and other intellectuals, e.g., writers and artists, the Latin American identities are reshaped particularly those of the people with the mixed racial background and the indigenous Africans.

The interplay of various cultures from different countries played a huge part in forming the Latin American culture. This is what is represented by Chapter 14 of the book. It made mention of the the “Colossus of the North”, no other than the United States, which had an effect especially on the cultural production of the region in the 20th century. It also discussed the ironic fact that Brazilian modernism relied on the European nations for its inspiration yet argued that its own artists should be able to create artwork that is uniquely Brazilian.

Also in the 20th century, the communist parties in the Latin American region, instead of gaining notoriety, gained much appeal to many artists. All these facts as written in the subject chapter brought to light what made up the culture that the Latin Americans have and why though diversity is present, a culture that can be said to be uniquely Latin American is still quite apparent. Finally, as with many other nations, globalization is now taking a big role in once again re-shaping the culture of the region.

Globalization though is transforming it for the better and allowing the region to open itself up to the whole world and welcoming modernity and innovation in its midst.Works CitedSkidmore, Thomas E., Smith, Peter H. and Green, James N. Modern Latin America, 7th Edition, Oxford University Press. 2009. pp.403-437. Print.