Congo imperialism : historical perspectives and the Ethical Dimension

1. Congo imperialism: historical perspectives and the Ethical Dimension CHY4U Unit 3 HTC Yale University, Genocide Studies Program, Congo Free State, 2010, http://www.yale.edu/gsp/colonial/belgian_congo/ (Nov. 22, 2013).

2. Step 1: Recognition of Ethical Positions • HTC Guidepost 1: Authors make implicit or explicit ethical judgments in writing historical narratives. • Group Task: identify any implicit (implied or suggested but not directly) or explicit (directly obvious, up front and clearly stated) ethical/moral judgments in the video. • Ethical judgment = a decision about the ethics of an historical action

3. Video Notes“White King, Red Rubber, Black Death”

4. Step 2: How to Make Fair Ethical Judgments • The historical perspective HTC tells you not to use presentismto judge the past. • However, sometimes you don’t want to condone the horrible actions of the past. • HTC guidepost #2: Reasoned ethical judgments of past actions are made by taking into account the historical context of the actors in question.

5. Historical Perspectives • In the video, the museum director says that we should look at Leopold through historical perspectives, and that no colonial [imperial] powers were “softies.” • Later in the video the tour guide says that the statue of Leopold can be viewed from a “romantic national perspective.” He says that “royalists don’t want to hear a bad word.” • Considering BOTH historical perspectives and ethical dimension, which person’s view do you agree with?

6. Recognition con’t • Group Task: Is Congo in the textbook? • When identifying ethical dimension, consider what authors choose to write about or omit, the language they use, the images they select, etc. • Are certain characters heroized or villified? • Why is it important to be aware of the ethical dimension in a textbook?

7. Congo PSD • Read the PSD and determine who you think the author is. What makes you think this? • Who do you think it was written for (its intended audience)? What makes you think this? • Answer questions 2-4 at the bottom of the PSD. • What type of PSD is this?

8. Professor Carton’s Analysis • Read the professor’s analysis of the PSD. • What are your initial reactions to it? • Which motivating factor was most at play in the Congo, according to the professor? • Does the professor take any ethical stances? • Reflection: what does this PSD teach you about the role of official documents in history and how they should be approached by history students.