Argentina: Kamika Patel (Classroom Learning & Beyond)

Learning in the Classroom Space and Beyond

Having the opportunity to take classes about subject matters such as contemporary history and international affairs while studying abroad in Argentina allowed me to learn about historical events and themes in the classroom, which also explained modern-day conditions in the capital city of Buenos Aires and beyond. It was incredible that as I was learning about a new country and culture, I was also receiving academic support to help explain my discoveries.

In my class, Argentine Contemporary History, my professor introduced philosophical thought that I had never been exposed to to help explain the last military dictatorship and why the Argentine people were so accepting of military rule during the Regime. This thinking addressed the dichotomy of good versus evil/wrong versus right that is apparent throughout the rest of the world’s history, along with Argentina’s.

As a class, we asserted that attempting to view the world through a “black and white” lens is an inclination of human nature. It is almost intuitive to contribute our thoughts to this dichotomy of good versus evil and right versus wrong as we cope with the idea of liquid modernity.

The theory of liquid modernity (or late modernity), introduced by sociologist and philosopher Zygmunt Bauman, is a metaphor to describe the condition of society as constantly changing, in a permanent state of contingency characterized by fluidity.

Bauman’s theory responds to what Sigmund Freud describes in his book, Civilization and Its Discontents, which explains why modernization is difficult for people to cope with. Freud reasons that people produce so much in the modern world that they cannot possibly cope with this excessive production and the huge horizon of opportunities.

Modernity, as both a historical period and a culture of particular attitudes and practices, was always characterized by this “dual” nature. One distinguishing force of modernization is a need for order. This need refers to rationalizing and organizing the world in such a manner that it is controllable, predictable, and understandable. On the other hand, modernity is also characterized by radical change and the reforming or overthrowing of traditional forms of economy, culture, and relationships. As per Bauman’s theory, liquid modernity is the outcome of our failure to rationalize the world and its increasing capacity for constant change.

According to Bauman, one of the most significant consequences of this passage to liquid modernity relate to contemporary approaches to self-identity. It is increasingly impossible to construct a durable identity that maintains itself over time and space.

Bauman’s view of the current world, influenced by ideas proposed by Freud, interests me as a student studying relations and communications in a global context. Traditional definitions of concepts such as “career” or “progress” are becoming more obscure as life becomes more fragmented in contemporary society. This fragmentation is a result of national governments having considerably less power, the prominence of global capitalism, digital technology and internet access allowing for instant, international communication, societies becoming preoccupied with risk, and mass migration across the globe.

These philosophers and their ideas have laid a foundation of knowledge that helps me in my practice to understand current and historical developments integral to the composition of societies across different cultures.

During my class, these ideas summarized by my professor helped to explain why people resorted to conservative government and accepted it so easily during the several military coups that were staged in the last century. The military government portrayed revolutionary doctrines promoted by segments of the population facilitating authoritarian shock as being corrupted. Instead, they promoted certain ideas of safety and order which would also be translated into the economic realm, and it gave the people peace of mind in a world where there was this prominent parallelism between creating an alternative or attacking subversive forces.

As liquid times are defined by uncertainty, having the tools to think in a flexible and adaptable approach is imperative to pursue opportunities according to their current conditions and availability.

After dissecting this dichotomy, I made the effort to have personal conversations with people who were alive during the last dictatorship and remembered it well in order to understand the way their resilience developed during and after the trauma and hardships they may have endured. While seeking to learn why the Argentine people would put up with this oppression, I had the privilege to pursue an education that challenges me to move away from what might be an “easier” way of understanding the world.

 

Kamika Patel

Major: International Studies & Communications (Certs. in Educational

Policy and Business)

Hometown: Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois

Program: IES Latin American Societies and Cultures; Buenos Aires, Argentina