The Apocalypse of Paradise and the Salvation of the West: Nightmare Visions of the Future in the Pacific Eden
نویسنده
چکیده
This article examines representations of the Paci c in the lm Rapa Nui, in articles from National Geographic, and in the academic debate on cannibalism as epitomized by Marshall Sahlins’ and Gananath Obeyesekere’s discussion of Cook’s fate in Hawaii. While the area is typically the location of an Edenic paradise, in these texts it becomes the locus of apocalypse ending in cannibalism. Furthermore, rather than being radically ‘other’, the Paci c becomes a paradise whose virtues are those of the West as well, but whose very virtues lead to its destruction. The article argues that these texts use the ‘apocalypse of paradise’ as an allegory for the economic history and destiny of the West, such that cannibalism becomes a quintessentially Western practice. But the texts also contain mechanisms for the construction of a critical consciousness centred on Nature which is denied to the islanders themselves, and which serves in classic colonial style to institute a future alterity which will redeem the West from apocalypse. The texts’ use and subsequent undermining of the more typical paradise images, many of which can be localized in the post-Second World War era, can nally be read in the light of a late twentieth-century, leftist socioenvironmental critique of the economic, political and environmental legacy of postwar America. However, the texts betray a more postmodernist sense of doubt about the reality of a rational critical consciousness. They raise important issues regarding the liminal space between self and other, threatening as they do to dissolve this distinction. But they all attempt to use cannibalism as a last bulwark for the construction of a Andrew Cowell THE APOCALYPSE OF PARADISE AND THE SALVATION OF THE WEST: NIGHTMARE VISIONS OF THE FUTURE IN THE PACIFIC EDEN C U LT U R A L S T U D I E S 1 3 ( 1 ) 1 9 9 9 , 1 3 8 – 1 6 0 © Routledge 1999 D ow nl oa de d by [ U ni ve rs ity o f C ol or ad o at B ou ld er L ib ra ri es ] at 1 1: 09 0 8 M ay 2 01 4 privileged, natural discourse which combines environmentalism, colonialism and classical humanism while resisting the full implications and limitations of postmodernism.
منابع مشابه
The content and themes of dreams in religious books of the Timurid period (771-913 AH)
According to the understanding and recognition of the society, dreams have used words and concepts that are consistent with people's beliefs. Dreams, as a medium for recounting the knowledge of a certain period, have considerable credibility, which is related to the immediate position of the dreamer and his cultural environment. In other words, visions in their form and content are a reflection...
متن کاملIntraspecific phylogeography of the Japanese threadfin bream, Nemipterus japonicus (Perciformes: Nemipteridae), from the Persian Gulf and Indo-West Pacific: a preliminary study based on mitochondrial DNA sequence
The Japanese threadfin bream, Nemipterus japonicus, the most abundant and crucially economic Nemipterus species is widespread throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The species has been studied widely for various aspects but genetic studies are scanty. This preliminary study contributes to the species phylogeography through the study of the genetic diversity and historical demography of N. japonicus...
متن کاملEvolution of the Asia-Pacific Trade Architecture: Stocktake and Future Outlook
APEC Study Centre, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand    Abstract:  One of the key sets of questions underlying Asia Pacific economic cooperation over the last decade has been over the nature and form of the regional trade architecture that would gradually emerge from the turmoil of the Asia-Pacific ânoodle bowlâ of bilateral and plurilateral FTAs, and how that architecture...
متن کاملRamadan fasting: Evidence or expert opinion? Results of preliminary studies
Each year, over a billion Muslims fast worldwide during the month of Ramadan. Through this religious practice, not only will one have spiritual growth, but can improve his/her diet, which is of pivotal importance in this month. Conversely, the available evidence regarding the health benefits of Ramadan fasting is scarce and highly contentious. Although Islam exempts patients from fasting, many...
متن کاملIntraspecific phylogeography of the Japanese threadfin bream, Nemipterus japonicus (Perciformes: Nemipteridae), from the Persian Gulf and Indo-West Pacific: a preliminary study based on mitochondrial DNA sequence
The Japanese threadfin bream, Nemipterus japonicus, the most abundant and crucially economic Nemipterus species is widespread throughout the Indo-West Pacific. The species has been studied widely for various aspects but genetic studies are scanty. This preliminary study contributes to the species phylogeography through the study of the genetic diversity and historical demography of N. japonicus...
متن کامل