Ethnic mirrors. Self-representations in the Welsh and Mennonite museums”,

BOHOSLAVSKY, ERNESTO; GONZÁLEZ DE OLEAGA, MARISA

Haifa

Conferencia; The 10th International Conference of ICSA “The Varied Paths of Communal Life”; 2010

International Communal Studies Association

In the last two decades, due to the crisis of State-centered subjectivity in the Western World, ethnic identities have become a more relevant topic. According to some academians and philosophers, ethnic identities are the best political, social, economic, ethic (and even aesthetic) alternative to state centralism, which is incapable of dealing with cultural diversity. Ethnic communitarism is then defined as a more authentic, humane, democratic and inclusive form of organization. The Welsh colonies of Chubut (Argentine) and the established Mennonite colonies of the Chaco Region (Paraguay) are two ethnic groups with forms of community life that have been thoroughly studied from different perspectives. However, neither has been analyzed from the point of view of alterity or their relation with others i.e. those who do not belong to the community. In the beginning, interethnic relations (between the Welsh and the Tehuelches and between the Mennonites and the Lengua) were idealized. Nonetheless, there is a space in these communities where another history appears: community museums. In these memory scenarios, the history of the community is represented, self-images and other people’s images are constructed and spread. The interesting part of these stories is not what they say but what they do, the form in which contents are expressed. These communitarian historical museums tell us about the past but they mainly have an impact on the present. Like national or even imperial museums, Welsh and Mennonite museums tend to naturalize a particular self-centered, prejudicial and evolutionist point of view that often excludes other perspectives, especially those elaborated by the neighboring indigenous communities. In contrast, we believe it is necessary to take a stance for democratic, horizontal relations between communities and more polyphonic and responsible historical representations.