Arts Of The Contact Zone

Submitted By Kathryn1724
Words: 725
Pages: 3

Kathryn Van Tilburg
“Arts of the contact zones,”

In "Arts of the Contact Zone," Mary Louise Pratt introduces a term very unfamiliar to many people. This term, autoethnography, means the way in which subordinate peoples present themselves in ways that their dominants have represented them. Therefore, autoethnography is not self-representation, but a collaboration of mixed ideas.
When two cultures collide in the same area often if not always a conflict occurs. The conflict is that one of the cultures is dominant and the other subordinate, where one holds power over the other. And in which the oppressive culture defines what is legit and lawful. Pratt argues that these factors are only imaginary, and these factors only remove them from the conception of the actual living community. Coming from a family that came from Italy and never spoke a word of English to having people speak it all the time made it very difficult to not feel that English was the more dominant, also that we would need to speak it to become part of the community. Contact Zones are never fun to be in but they are here because this is what we built America on. I believe that we all should be able to share our differences no matter what culture we came from. My grandfather was put in a contact zone when he was a little boy; he went to a class and new nothing of the language or the culture. When he was ask to speak all he could say in English was BANG,BANG when he was told to stand for the pelage elegance he had no clue what they were asking of him. This made him feel very uncomfortable. It is hard not to feel a little uncountable when you have no since of what people are trying to tell you this would lead to some grapping, which means trying to find ways of communicating with other people ways like pointing, acting, or just showing them what it is you want or need. There has been many times that me and my grandfather has had to do this though it is very hard but it is a way that has been shown to work very well. I believe that Pratt keeps bring teachers, students and the classrooms up because this is where we learn and become free to be who we are. Understanding that there is so many different views and one small area but not only to have what the teacher knows is right but also to let the students take control and tech others what their experience is to. The classroom needs to be a place where there is “contact zones” but also bringing some “safe house” with it. This is what I think America is made of many different cultures coming