Inventing the Caribbean Columbus’s Creation of the Other...

Inventing the Caribbean: Columbus’s Creation of the Other Columbus’s invasion of the Caribbean in 1492 brought Native American and European cultures together for the first time in a startling encounter that reshaped the worldviews of both groups. In The Conquest of America: The Question of the Other, Tzvetan Todorov seeks to understand the ways in which the Spanish worldview shaped Columbus’s perception of the natives of Hispaniola, as he fashioned an other from his own sense of self. In Todorov’s model, the other is defined in terms of its correspondence, or lack thereof, to different facets of the self, including culture, language, physiognomy, religion, and knowledge; furthermore, the other is valued, distanced, and†¦show more content†¦Todorov contends that real interactions between the self and the other only occurred in the realms of the natural and human spheres, wherein Columbus related to the material world and to living beings; while no direct communication occurred in the divine sphere, the beliefs and values associated with it ultimately affected Columbus’s interactions with nature and man by creating a predisposition for certain interpretations and judgments. The divine sphere of Columbus’s worldview exercised a preeminent influence on the other spheres as his faith, belief, and premonition served to create an environment in which â€Å"the concrete experience [of nature and man] was there to illustrate a truth already possessed† by way of faith (Todorov 17). Todorov finds that the material realms of man and nature were forcibly interpreted to correspond to Columbus’s preconceived ideas and expectations. Although the invasion of the Caribbean brought the European self and the Arawak other into contact for the first time, Todorov argues that Columbus’s â€Å"discovery† and creation of the other was ultimately a validation of what he already â€Å"knew† he would find. Columbus’s writings reveal that religious devotion and faith were central facets of his identity and, indeed, may have been the impetus for his adventure to the Indies. Todorov finds that Columbus undertook his mission in the