"An excellent book, lively and well written, and likely to
appeal to a wider audience than the typical academic
monograph."--William D. Phillips, Jr., author of "The Worlds of
Christopher Columbus"
S"inking Columbus" describes and analyzes the failure of the
1992 commemoration of the 500th anniversary of Christopher
Columbus's voyage from Spain to the New World, once "universally"
hailed as the "discovery of America." Despite this failure, the
book recognizes the Quincentenary as an important and illuminating
event in the recent political and cultural history of the United
States, Europe, and Latin America.
The authors draw upon their personal experiences as both
organizers and observers of the celebration to explain how and why,
in a few short years, the Columbian myth was transformed from a
romantic, Eurocentric tradition into a postmodern, multicultural
critique of New World history.
The book reviews the U.S. Jubilee Commission, the failed Chicago
World's Fair, ethnic controversies in the United States, and
various international efforts (especially in Spain, Italy, and
Latin America) to commemorate an anniversary whose meaning changed
drastically from the time initial planning began until the year it
finally took place.
Chronologically, the book ranges over the cultural history of
the past century as well as the past decade. Geographically it
focuses on the United States, Spain, Italy, Mexico, and the
Dominican Republic. Ultimately, an underlying theme emerges--that
the failure of the official Quincentenary is offset by the fact
that the anniversary provoked and encouraged a healthy, widespread
discussion of major issues such as colonialism, ethnicity,
diversity, and the place of indigenous peoples in contemporary
societies.
Stephen J. Summerhill, associate professor of Spanish and
Portuguese at Ohio State University, has written scholarly articles
on Miguel de Unamuno, Maria Zambrano, Luis Cernuda, and other
Spanish authors.
John Alexander Williams, director of the Christopher Columbus
Quincentenary Jubilee Commission from 1986 to 1988, is professor of
history at Appalachian State University. This is his fourth
book.
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