Presentation Title
A Tale of Two Allegories: Who are the Real Cannibals?
Major Field of Study
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies program
Location
Dominican University of California (online)
Start Date
20-6-2021 10:10 AM
End Date
20-6-2021 10:50 AM
Abstract
I examine competing claims for truth in two sixteenth-century allegorical drawings about European conquest of the Americas from the view of the conqueror (“America” by Florentine Medici court artist Stradano), and the conquered (“Allegory of Authorities Feared by the Indians” by Peruvian indigenous artist Guaman Poma de Ayala). Each accuses the “other” of cannibalism. Through lenses of feminist theory and art history, I argue that Stradano’s allegory defines truth as “beliefs” that support European elite white men’s domination over others. I argue Guaman Poma’s allegory defines truth as “authority of experience” of being dominated, and is a call for justice.
A Tale of Two Allegories: Who are the Real Cannibals?
Dominican University of California (online)
I examine competing claims for truth in two sixteenth-century allegorical drawings about European conquest of the Americas from the view of the conqueror (“America” by Florentine Medici court artist Stradano), and the conquered (“Allegory of Authorities Feared by the Indians” by Peruvian indigenous artist Guaman Poma de Ayala). Each accuses the “other” of cannibalism. Through lenses of feminist theory and art history, I argue that Stradano’s allegory defines truth as “beliefs” that support European elite white men’s domination over others. I argue Guaman Poma’s allegory defines truth as “authority of experience” of being dominated, and is a call for justice.
Presenter Biography
Lynette Yetter is a 2021 graduate of the MALS program at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and is a permanent resident of Bolivia. She is developing a theory of domination and justice, which this paper contributes to. In this divisive age of competing "truths", perhaps her theory can help unmask structural beliefs that enable domination, and empower calls for justice from those experiencing being dominated.