Contracting Colonialism On The Example Of Philippines - Book Report/Review Example

Contracting Colonialism On The Example Of Philippines Introduction The syncretic religion of the Philippines often finds itself on the wrong end to elucidate the selected aspects of truth. In his book Contracting Colonialism: Translation and Christian Conversion in Tagalog Society under Early Spanish Rule Vincente Rafael clarifies this misapprehension with amalgamation of historical facts combined with powerful perception. In this book, Rafael provides good stuff for thinking and succeeds in giving a strong reason for Spain’s ‘sweeping conversion’ of the Tagalog tribe of the Philippines. The book examines the issues of conversion and translation of languages and the entire Taglog cultural traditions during the period of Hispanic conquest from 1565 to 1760. Translation of languages was a part of the politics which was used as a weapon to subdue the spirits and create misunderstanding amongst the native population. Spanish missionaries such as Francisco Blancas de San Jose engaged in the same task, but initially their aim was to train more missionaries. Spanish scholar Nebrija writes that “Language is always the companion of empire; therefore it follows that together they begin, grow, and flourish and together they fall” (3). The scheming missionaries wanted to control the language of the natives. They began with the creation of dictionaries with the hope that this will help them to preach the message of God. But many words, phrases and ideas were untranslatable and as such the Filipinos were unable to understand, let alone grasp, what the missionaries were trying to articulate. Rafael argues, “When we try to understand the relationship between language and colonial politics, it helps to recall that the beginnings of the Spanish empire in the last decade of the fifteenth century coincided with the first attempt to install Castilian as the dominant language of the emergent Spanish state”.(23) But they failed in their attempt. Yet they tried to introduce Spanish phonetics to the Filipinos. In this endeavor, they partially succeeded. Such unscientific approach to the translation from one language to another for the propagation of the truth, was in reality the negation of truth, as their agenda was ill-conceived and motivated. Most of their interpretations were fictionalized and they were not operating on the level of truth. They were clever and they wanted accomplishments at any cost, by using all methods. Though they created dents in the cultural paradigm of the natives, they were unable to paralyze the system completely and did not succeed in greatly infiltrating the native consciousness to smother their identity. The initial target of Spain was conversion of the natives but this grew into a full-scale colonial system. Spanish did not find assimilation in the Philippine vernacular as such the communication between the invader and natives were based on Spanish-Tagalog translation. Rafael, with assiduous application, has tried to establish mutual relationship among colonialism, conversion and translation and the relevance of these concepts during the period under discussion. He points out that translation defines the inescapable conversion to a significant proportion but in the process, the transmission of meaning provided latitude for natives’ own interpretation. Rafael has made a study of missionary literature to articulate that a creditable conversation in Tagalog according to Spanish demanded organization of Tagalog language by evolving a grammar and putting it in Gods’ hierarchy of languages and by using Spanish instead of baybayin, as the native writing structure was believed to be confusing. Translation and finding the parallels between Castillan and Tagalog was accepted but that was not enough to meet the holistic attempt at authority, as native people respond to “Finished” Spanish words and phrases without knowing what the real meaning was! As such, there was no perfect meeting ground by the knowledge of Spanish and the mixture. Rafael argues that colonial order and conversion were produced misinterpretation of the translated stuff and it inconvenienced both the parties. The colonial powers had their own hidden agenda in the conversion of the native literature. Every language has certain untranslatable features. Espiritu Santo is liable to be translated freely and it pleased the natives when it is in tune with their line of thinking and beliefs, but when error takes place the natives are naturally upset and the agenda of the missionaries is put to test. Rafael brings to the notice of readers many weird aspects of Tagalog-Spanish relationships which suffer with mutually misread facts in the process of translation. The real test of colonialism and establishing the hegemony over the native population is based on language and the system of communication. The exercise of language translation has to enter and take control in the volatile domain of politics. Translated subject matter is a powerful governing force. The conquerors and the conquered must communicate and that should be done effectively to serve the objectives of both the parties. The fulfillment of the objectives of translation lies in its correctness. The translation need to respect the culturally-assigned paradigms as such linguistic translation is of utmost importance and this is the challenging assignment. The Spanish made an effort to tailor Tagalog to different proportions through grammar classification and advancement of its practice to enable the administrators to focus on and regulate communication, but it did not fructify. The prime objective of the colonists is to rule and dominate, and all other activities are subservient to this main objective. Turn the pages of history of any colonized nation, the fact emerges that colonists have never lost an opportunity to circumvent the issue to corner the native population on the issue of languages and the translation of their literature. Every effort was made to disseminate the colonial system. The goal was sought to be achieved through various forces political, religious and cultural to push through the process of colonialism. The need for repetitive translation efforts and their intentions about the Tagalog’s conversion and the colonial directives need to be understood in this context. The author argues, “And those who write about these societies within the global imaginary of western academic institutions—whatever their national, gender or ethnic, affiliations—are constrained to employ these categories, however critically, in order to appear reasonable and thus legitimate within and beyond their own particular contexts”(x) According to the author such hurdles in the process of writing are inevitable. In the light of the above facts Rafael has made every effort to highlight the connections between colonialism, conversation and translation in the early colonial Philippines. He has surfed through Christian texts, language manuals and correspondence amongst the concerned authorities of both Tagalog and Spanish. He has made use of the scare resources to its optimum use by employing the fundamental means of analysis. His problems have been literature available from early colonial era in Philippine are few, and he had to carry on with the available discipline when perfect storehouse on varied subjects was not available. The perceptions on most of the issues by colonists, in the present case, the Spanish Christians and the natives differ. The interaction between the two contending forces, the two opposing forces, the forces that are not expected to see eye to eye with each other, suffer more on account of incorrect translation. The author later provides some clarification relating to some riddles in the early colonial religious history and later elaborates how and why the entire Spanish colonial machinery in the archipelago took hold on a notorious ground. Dr. Vincente Rafael is eminently suited to write on the cross-cultural subject in Philippines during the process of establishing colonial authority. He has several works of literature to his credit and has won many awards. Dr. Rafael received his PhD and Masters in History from Cornell University. On the issues encountered by him while attempting this literary creation Rafael writes, “Through a series of close readings, I attempt to work through the mutual embedded-ness of social and the textual, highlighting the contradictions between what a document says and how it says of rails to say it”. (xiv) He had to work through several social and cultural complexities to create a book of this genre. The subjects/chapters contained in the book are “Preface, Introduction: Fishing out the Past, The Politics of Translation, Language and Empire, Dominating the Vernacular, The "Failure" of Native Writing, Tomas Pinpin and the Shock of Castilian, Syncopating Language, Counting and the Evasion of Grammar, Gambling on Castilian,3 Conversion and the Demands of Confession, The "Inadequacies" of Tagalog Conversion, Reducing Native Bodies, Confession and the Logic of Conversion, Untranslatability and the Terms of Reciprocity, Rereading Christianity, The Imperative of Indebtedness: Utang na Loob and Hiya, Translating Submission, Person and Status in Precolonial Society, The Reach of Imperial Patronage, Conversion and the Ideology of Submission, Paradise and the Reinvention of Death, Generalizing Servitude, Visualizing the "Outside", Spirits and the Appeal of Christianity, Desiring a Beautiful Death, and Afterword: Translation and the Colonial Legacy.”(vii—viii) Conclusion Language is an important instrument of war, which entails the deployment of translation as a means to colonize and convert the occupied populations. Its importance was all the more during the early periods of colonization, as technological support for language learning and translation was not available to the forces or missionaries in that era. Rafael highlights the importance of translation through lucid observations and analysis on the subject. Work Cited Rafael, Vicente L. Contracting Colonialism: Translation and Christian Conversion in Tagalog Society under Early Spanish Rule. Duke University Press Books; USA; 1993; Print Read More