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Romanticism and the German national discourse in Carl Alexander Simon

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Miguel Gaete Caceres discusses the case of German Romantic: Carl Alexander Simon and his role in establishing a German colony in southern Chile

Image courtesy of interviewee. May 8, 2024

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This video video discusses the complexity of romanticism, emphasizing its historical context and its broader implications, particularly in relation to colonialism and race. The speaker reflects on their research journey, which initially focused on German romantic art, particularly the works of Caspar David Friedrich, and later expanded to explore issues of colonialism and race related to romanticism in Latin America, guided by theories from Edward Said's "Orientalism" and ideas from Latin American scholars.

The speaker introduces Carl Alexander Simon, a unique figure among 19th-century romantic artists as he actively promoted colonization, specifically founding a German colony in southern Chile. Simon's work combined artistic and political elements, embodying the adventurous spirit of romanticism while pushing a narrative of German racial superiority and a return to a mythic homeland.

The speaker outlines Simon's strategies of "projection" and "occupation," which involved imbuing colonial landscapes with nationalistic symbolism and physically establishing German settlements. They argue that romantic artists like Simon played a pivotal role in reinforcing colonial structures rather than merely depicting exotic sites, showcasing the darker aspects of romanticism.

The discussion underlines that romanticism's influence extends beyond its traditional associations with love and nature, highlighting its connections to contemporary issues, including ongoing territorial struggles in Latin America. The speaker emphasizes the need for further research on German settlements in South America and the lasting impacts of romantic ideals on colonial legacies. This video video concludes with a mention of the speaker's upcoming book on Simon, aiming to expand the understanding of romanticism's geographical and temporal frameworks.

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Romanticism is a, is a quite complicated period.

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I mean, because it's, it's quite recently,

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when you think about terms in terms of time,

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and I became engaged in the study

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of romanticism many years ago, basically through the,

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the most well known paintings in German romantic art,

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particularly the German baker, Casper.

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And then, as I was investigating the topic,

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I became more increasingly more engaged in, in issues

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of colonialism and race in relation to romanticism.

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My work, well, my research on romanticism

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explores its expansion beyond Europe

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with a specific focus on Latin America

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and a critical standpoint regard issues of race, class,

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gender, and colonialism.

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Uh, well, for, for a very long time, romanticism

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of the study of romanticism has been restricted

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to a very specific period between, between 1750

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and 1850,

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and mostly, addressed to study the arts

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of Western Europe in that period.

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But my work, in a way, tries to expand, to extend, you know,

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like that kind of historical,

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geographical frameworks.

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Uh, one of the authors, for example,

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who played a significant role in shaping the

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critical term in cultural studies is Edward Edward said,

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and my work, relies a lot on,

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on his previous, scholarship.

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For example, his seminal book Orientalism,

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which was first published in in the 1970s,

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had a profound impact on post-colonial studies

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and certainly on my own, work.

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And in this book, for example, say it critiques,

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Western scholarship on the Middle East, arguing,

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that it perpetuates in a way stereotypes

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and biases about the region and its people.

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Uh, one of the main arguments, his main arguments is

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that, western representations

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of the orient are not just descriptive,

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but also serve to justify colonial domination

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and imperialist policies.

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So in my work, I draw on many of sites ideas as well

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as those by Latin American scholars like, Walter Olo

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and Nebel Keano and Katherine Walsh.

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Uh, curiously,

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although none of these authors address romanticism directly,

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I use many of their ideas

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and allegations to actually challenge the current

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understanding of the European romantic construction

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of Latinate America from the 19th century,

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to the present.

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As I was investigating the links between romanticism and

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Colonist in Latin America, I came across,

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Carl Alexander Simonon.

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And Simonon is quite a peculiar character

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because he stands out

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as a unique character in the scene

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of romantic artists in 19th century Europe.

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As far as I know, indeed, he might be the only known

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European romantic artist

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who actually got involved in a colonizing enterprise.

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Uh, although, for example, there were many artists

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who documented, for example, the occupation processes

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of European settlers, abroad.

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Simonon was actually a promoter of colonization

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and one of the founding fathers of the German colony

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that was established in, in southern Chile,

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the mid, 19th century.

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So I will tell you a little bit about, about him

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because, like I said, Simon's case is rather unique for,

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in a way, it debunks.

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He debunks the myth of romantic traveler artists as Mayor

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I witnesses, who through their art showed exotic people

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and places to enlighten audiences in Europe.

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That is the common conception

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of the romantic artists overseas.

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So, Simon, well, he was a German artist.

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He was also a writer and a politician.

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At some point, he was born in Frankfurt In 1805,

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he studied a painting of the art academies of,

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Munich and Berlin.

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So he was a fully trained romantic artist.

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And to me, he was the true embodiment

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of the romantic artist.

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I mean, he was adventurous

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and advocate of anti academicism.

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He was a free thinker,

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and he possessed actually great intellectual abilities.

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Uh, at some point, in his life, he became

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politically engaged, embracing utopian socialism,

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which was an ideology, a kind of new way of thinking

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that was gaining,

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importance in Europe in the mid 19th century.

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Um, and he fight in a way, the ruling monarch in Germany,

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and took part in several protests in the very turbulent

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political climate in Germany, in the mid 19th century.

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So, due to his political ideas,

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he was basically a proto anarchist.

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Um, he was excited to France where he

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conceived the idea of creating a new world, a new Germany

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in southern Chile, not in Europe anymore, of course.

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So following this, aim, he wrote a colonization

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guidebook, with a, with a very long title.

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The title is Immigration

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and German Na, national Colonization of South America,

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with a special attention to the free state of Chile.

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Obviously, the title was in Germany.

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It's a very long title for a book,

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so probably not very commercial.

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Uh, and this book was published in 1848

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and a second edition in 1850, just

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before he traveled to Chile to, to colonize the, the,

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the south of the country.

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So in this book, he provides

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very clear guidance about the occupation of Chile

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and ultimately the entirety of South America.

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That was his plan to start in Chile,

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and then to ex ex extend the colony

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to the rest of the continent.

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And his,

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endeavor was clearly based on racial premises

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and this very romantic notion of a return

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to an alleged primeval German original land

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situated in southern Chile.

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Um, so in his work, Simon basically claims,

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that the pristine forests of the south of of Chile were,

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in a way, in a way, predestined to be occupied

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by a superior race of people, namely the Germans.

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Um, in the process, Simonon also, I mean,

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he proclaims himself as the leader of the time

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and the prophet of freedom.

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So we can clearly see

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that he was a mega megalomaniac in a way.

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Um, so I mean, he was a romantic artist.

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So to accomplish his purpose of colonizing this place,

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he do on romantic tenets of nature

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and landscape to,

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elaborate a very complex narrative that involved ideas

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of origin, a cult of the German forest,

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which was very present in, in German romantic art,

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the glorification of the past,

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and of course, a strong conviction

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of the German people's racial

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superiority over the other peoples of the world.

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So, upon analyzing his work, I have concluded basically

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that he devised two concatenated strategies in his,

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project, which I denominate

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as projection and occupation.

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If you want, we can talk a bit about that.

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Yeah, the, I think the, I mean, his

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strategy was very well elaborated,

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and I think, I mean, as I consider it, I think

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that he thought the idea of, occupation, I mean that,

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I mean, projection was the first part of his strategy,

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and it consisted of the systematic projection of symbols

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with nationalistic intentions onto the occupied territory.

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So one of some, one example of this iSims employment

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of the oak tree, which,

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grows abundantly in southern Chile.

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Uh, and he used this symbol

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to build a German nationalistic narrative Ibu,

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with racial undertones.

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And this is, this is crucial

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because to Germans, the oak tree symbolizes,

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German's courage, power, strength.

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So it's a very powerful symbol for the German culture,

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and Simon do on this element to revive a mysticism

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of nature and a fascination for the past,

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that, that was deeply rooted in German romanticism.

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And the second part of his strategy, I mean,

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after he created this symbology

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and this narrative, full of symbols,

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the second strategy pertains to the physical occupation

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and the practicalities of inhabiting that territory

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for which, Germans claimed ownership.

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Um, so drawings chronically in the equalization

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of the forest and the fmy of the landscape,

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it been in a way, this strategy which worked in tandem

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with the projection of a German paradise,

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of this German original world.

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So Sima, for example, you, huge amount

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of drawings with, in which you can tell that there is a kind

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of scientific, you know, like mindset behind them, you know,

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like this topographical views of mountain

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and lakes, very objective.

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While on the other hand, he also do this, you know,

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like landscapes, loaded with symbols

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of the German paradise.

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So that is the way in which these two strategies,

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projection and occupation, work together.

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I think that the scholarship scholarship thus far has mostly

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addressed European romanticism in the European context.

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And one of the points that, that I defend is the idea that

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European cannot be defined solely in terms of

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cultural or geographical terms.

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Instead, I think European is a mindset,

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and as such, it carries a series of fixations,

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obsec obsessions

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and anxieties that were systematically disseminated

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and shaped by artists operating overseas.

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So, I do believe that dramatic artists played,

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played a fundamental active role in strengthening

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and reinforcing colonial structures.

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And they were not merely like eye witnesses

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who depicted what they were seeing.

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They were creating a colonial structure

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by representing these places,

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and their importance was much more substantial

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than previously assumed.

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And I think that Carl Alexander Seaman is,

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is delivering proof of this,

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because he basically,

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he brought all his romantic ideas from Europe to,

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Latin America to project

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And to create this colony.

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So this is a romantic form

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of colonization based on romantic ideas.

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So that, like I said, that demonstrates that romanticism,

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because for most people, romanticism, even today,

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is mostly associated with lofty ideas of love, nature,

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landscapes and spiritual connections

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with the surroundings and so on.

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Nonetheless, romanticism also had a darker sight,

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and that is what is represented by Siemen in South America.

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Well, I think, well,

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this investigation about Carl Alexander Seman

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and the German colony,

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I think it opens new avenues of exploration

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of the romantic movement, particularly in terms of,

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its implications for pressing contemporary issues.

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And that is a point that I always highlight

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because, romanticism,

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even though romanticism mostly developed

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until the first half of the 19th century,

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its consequences are still very alive.

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Probably not in Europe. We don't see this here,

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but when you go overseas

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and you, try to pay attention, you know, like

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to the consequences of this romantic artists traveling

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overseas, you can notice, that these consequences are,

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are, they're very present in effect.

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For example, many of the subjects that were of interest

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to the romantics still are for us,

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the strain relate the strain, relationship

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between modernity and nature that began in the romantic era

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and is now the central to echo criticism, for example,

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and the, the art and the art scene and so on.

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It's a, so, I mean, many

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of these concerns about nature began in the romantic era.

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Um, likewise, for example, ongoing ethnic

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and territorial struggles, can be traced back

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to the 19th century.

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And one example of this in relation

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to my investigation on call Alexander Simonon is a so-called

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Maputo Conflict in Solving Chile, which

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involved a very important indigenous community, one of the,

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the largest indigenous communities in Latin America,

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whose territory was occupied by,

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German colonizers in the 19th century, led

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by Carl Alexander Simonon.

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So there we, we can see a direct implication

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of romantic ideals operating in colonial settings

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even today.

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Uh, so regarding, new research possibilities,

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my upcoming projects, for example, focuses on exploring,

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romantic, romantic roots

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of several German settlements across South America

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from the 19th century until today.

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So, currently, for example, I'm working on a specific topic,

14:46.705 --> 14:50.765
that deals with how romantic ideals

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Wrote colonial deida in the 1960s,

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which was a, a a, a German kind of enclave, also in,

15:01.045 --> 15:02.125
in southern Chile.

15:02.465 --> 15:04.685
Um, that, that is very connected

15:04.685 --> 15:07.045
to the first colonizers in the 19th century.

15:07.545 --> 15:11.205
So this is a connection that remains largely unexplored,

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and I aim to, to cover, to cover those e expand,

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extending the conventional temporal

15:17.865 --> 15:20.805
and geographical framework of romanticism studies.

15:21.555 --> 15:22.805
Yeah, I'm working on my,

15:22.825 --> 15:25.485
my second book is on Carl Alexander Seaman

15:25.585 --> 15:28.605
and his, work in South Chile.

15:28.705 --> 15:31.805
And that is, well, that is,

15:32.075 --> 15:35.165
that should be out this year at some point.

Expanding Romanticism: Beyond Europe to Latin America

00:00:00 - Romanticism is a, is a quite complicated period. I mean, because it's, it's quite recently, when you think about terms in terms of time, and I became engaged in the study of romanticism many years ago, basically through the, the most well known paintings in German romantic art, particularly the German baker, Casper. And then, as I was investigating the topic, I became more increasingly more engaged in, in issues
00:00:35 - My work, well, my research on romanticism explores its expansion beyond Europe with a specific focus on Latin America and a critical standpoint regard issues of race, class, gender, and colonialism. well, for, for a very long time, romanticism of the study of romanticism has been restricted to a very specific period between, between 1750
00:01:05 - and mostly, addressed to study the arts of Western Europe in that period. But my work, in a way, tries to expand, to extend, you know, like that kind of historical, geographical frameworks. one of the authors, for example, who played a significant role in shaping the critical term in cultural studies is Edward Edward said, and my work, relies a lot on,
00:01:38 - For example, his seminal book Orientalism, which was first published in in the 1970s, had a profound impact on post-colonial studies and certainly on my own, work. And in this book, for example, say it critiques, Western scholarship on the Middle East, arguing, that it perpetuates in a way stereotypes and biases about the region and its people.
00:02:12 - that, western representations of the orient are not just descriptive, but also serve to justify colonial domination and imperialist policies. So in my work, I draw on many of sites ideas as well as those by Latin American scholars like, Walter Olo and Nebel Keano and Katherine Walsh. curiously, although none of these authors address romanticism directly,
00:02:43 - and allegations to actually challenge the current understanding of the European romantic construction of Latinate America from the 19th century, to the present. As I was investigating the links between romanticism and Colonist in Latin America, I came across, Carl Alexander Simonon. And Simonon is quite a peculiar character because he stands out as a unique character in the scene

Colonial Ambitions of a Romantic Artist

00:03:15 - As far as I know, indeed, he might be the only known European romantic artist who actually got involved in a colonizing enterprise. although, for example, there were many artists who documented, for example, the occupation processes of European settlers, abroad. Simonon was actually a promoter of colonization and one of the founding fathers of the German colony
00:03:44 - the mid, 19th century. So I will tell you a little bit about, about him because, like I said, Simon's case is rather unique for, in a way, it debunks. He debunks the myth of romantic traveler artists as Mayor I witnesses, who through their art showed exotic people and places to enlighten audiences in Europe. That is the common conception of the romantic artists overseas. So, Simon, well, he was a German artist.
00:04:17 - At some point, he was born in Frankfurt In 1805, he studied a painting of the art academies of, Munich and Berlin. So he was a fully trained romantic artist. And to me, he was the true embodiment of the romantic artist. I mean, he was adventurous and advocate of anti academicism. He was a free thinker, and he possessed actually great intellectual abilities.
00:04:52 - politically engaged, embracing utopian socialism, which was an ideology, a kind of new way of thinking that was gaining, importance in Europe in the mid 19th century. and he fight in a way, the ruling monarch in Germany, and took part in several protests in the very turbulent political climate in Germany, in the mid 19th century.
00:05:21 - he was basically a proto anarchist. he was excited to France where he conceived the idea of creating a new world, a new Germany in southern Chile, not in Europe anymore, of course. So following this, aim, he wrote a colonization guidebook, with a, with a very long title. The title is Immigration and German Na, national Colonization of South America,
00:05:54 - Obviously, the title was in Germany. It's a very long title for a book, so probably not very commercial. and this book was published in 1848 and a second edition in 1850, just before he traveled to Chile to, to colonize the, the, the south of the country. So in this book, he provides very clear guidance about the occupation of Chile and ultimately the entirety of South America.

Racial Ideology in Romantic Colonization Efforts

00:06:26 - and then to ex ex extend the colony to the rest of the continent. And his, endeavor was clearly based on racial premises and this very romantic notion of a return to an alleged primeval German original land situated in southern Chile. so in his work, Simon basically claims, that the pristine forests of the south of of Chile were,
00:07:00 - by a superior race of people, namely the Germans. in the process, Simonon also, I mean, he proclaims himself as the leader of the time and the prophet of freedom. So we can clearly see that he was a mega megalomaniac in a way. so I mean, he was a romantic artist. So to accomplish his purpose of colonizing this place, he do on romantic tenets of nature
00:07:32 - elaborate a very complex narrative that involved ideas of origin, a cult of the German forest, which was very present in, in German romantic art, the glorification of the past, and of course, a strong conviction of the German people's racial superiority over the other peoples of the world. So, upon analyzing his work, I have concluded basically that he devised two concatenated strategies in his,
00:08:05 - as projection and occupation. If you want, we can talk a bit about that. Yeah, the, I think the, I mean, his strategy was very well elaborated, and I think, I mean, as I consider it, I think that he thought the idea of, occupation, I mean that, I mean, projection was the first part of his strategy, and it consisted of the systematic projection of symbols with nationalistic intentions onto the occupied territory.
00:08:40 - of the oak tree, which, grows abundantly in southern Chile. and he used this symbol to build a German nationalistic narrative Ibu, with racial undertones. And this is, this is crucial because to Germans, the oak tree symbolizes, German's courage, power, strength. So it's a very powerful symbol for the German culture,
00:09:12 - of nature and a fascination for the past, that, that was deeply rooted in German romanticism. And the second part of his strategy, I mean, after he created this symbology and this narrative, full of symbols, the second strategy pertains to the physical occupation and the practicalities of inhabiting that territory

Romanticism's Complex Legacy in Colonial Contexts

00:09:43 - so drawings chronically in the equalization of the forest and the fmy of the landscape, it been in a way, this strategy which worked in tandem with the projection of a German paradise, of this German original world. So Sima, for example, you, huge amount of drawings with, in which you can tell that there is a kind of scientific, you know, like mindset behind them, you know,
00:10:14 - and lakes, very objective. While on the other hand, he also do this, you know, like landscapes, loaded with symbols of the German paradise. So that is the way in which these two strategies, projection and occupation, work together. I think that the scholarship scholarship thus far has mostly addressed European romanticism in the European context. And one of the points that, that I defend is the idea that
00:10:50 - cultural or geographical terms. Instead, I think European is a mindset, and as such, it carries a series of fixations, obsec obsessions and anxieties that were systematically disseminated and shaped by artists operating overseas. So, I do believe that dramatic artists played, played a fundamental active role in strengthening
00:11:21 - And they were not merely like eye witnesses who depicted what they were seeing. They were creating a colonial structure by representing these places, and their importance was much more substantial than previously assumed. And I think that Carl Alexander Seaman is, is delivering proof of this, because he basically, he brought all his romantic ideas from Europe to,
00:11:53 - And to create this colony. So this is a romantic form of colonization based on romantic ideas. So that, like I said, that demonstrates that romanticism, because for most people, romanticism, even today, is mostly associated with lofty ideas of love, nature, landscapes and spiritual connections with the surroundings and so on. Nonetheless, romanticism also had a darker sight,
00:12:24 - Well, I think, well, this investigation about Carl Alexander Seman and the German colony, I think it opens new avenues of exploration of the romantic movement, particularly in terms of, its implications for pressing contemporary issues. And that is a point that I always highlight because, romanticism, even though romanticism mostly developed until the first half of the 19th century,

Romanticism's Colonial Impact in Latin America

00:12:56 - Probably not in Europe. We don't see this here, but when you go overseas and you, try to pay attention, you know, like to the consequences of this romantic artists traveling overseas, you can notice, that these consequences are, are, they're very present in effect. For example, many of the subjects that were of interest to the romantics still are for us, the strain relate the strain, relationship
00:13:29 - and is now the central to echo criticism, for example, and the, the art and the art scene and so on. It's a, so, I mean, many of these concerns about nature began in the romantic era. likewise, for example, ongoing ethnic and territorial struggles, can be traced back to the 19th century. And one example of this in relation to my investigation on call Alexander Simonon is a so-called
00:14:01 - involved a very important indigenous community, one of the, the largest indigenous communities in Latin America, whose territory was occupied by, German colonizers in the 19th century, led by Carl Alexander Simonon. So there we, we can see a direct implication of romantic ideals operating in colonial settings even today. so regarding, new research possibilities,
00:14:34 - romantic, romantic roots of several German settlements across South America from the 19th century until today. So, currently, for example, I'm working on a specific topic, that deals with how romantic ideals Wrote colonial deida in the 1960s, which was a, a a, a German kind of enclave, also in,
00:15:02 - that, that is very connected to the first colonizers in the 19th century. So this is a connection that remains largely unexplored, and I aim to, to cover, to cover those e expand, extending the conventional temporal and geographical framework of romanticism studies. Yeah, I'm working on my, my second book is on Carl Alexander Seaman and his, work in South Chile. And that is, well, that is,
00:15:32 -

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