Is Latin America Western?

Originally posted by Bulldog   Only if you have an inferiority complex. Otherwise, why is it an "insult" to not be "Western"

I'm not trying to nitpick with you here Bulldog, but i would like too point out some facts .

Originally posted by Bulldog U.S.A has no regions with strong Amerindian influences or major populations.

You might find this surprising but there are a lot of regions with a very strong indigenous influence. Like the Navajo & Apache in the Southwestern states. Blackfeet around Colorado and New Mexico border. Comanche & Cherokee in Oklahoma and Texas. These tribes still exist and if the census is correct, growing. Also, a lot of states have been heavily influenced by the history of the indigenous populations. Quite a few state names are derived from Indian words, as well for their state motto; Thousands of cities across the US whose names have been influenced by Native culture as well, Like Buffalo for example. Not too mention the countless rivers throughout the US that still have the Native names applied too them to this day. You can even find their influence in the US military, for example let's take the helicopters for instance: The Chinook transport, The Apache longbow, The Kiowa ground support helicopter (a.k.a - Little bird). I mean the list is never ending in that aspect either. This also does not apply solely to the US either. Canada had been effected nearly in the same way!


Edited by Panther - 18-Mar-2009 at 20:16

Well, Western means alot of different things to alot of different people.

In a historical sense, the "Western tradition" goes back to ancient Greece and Rome, and in this sense, Latin America is certainly Western.

In common usage, the term is sometimes meant to refer to the Celto-Scando-Germanic cultures, i.e. Austria, Germany, France, the Low Countries, the Scandinavian countries, and the UK + Ireland. Spain, of course, was once a major center of Celtic culture but this part of Spain's heritage was so diluted by Latin and Islamic influences that it falls outside of the above group.

No one should be offended by the second use of the term, as long as they can differentiate the two intended meanings. This cultural grouping doesn't have a convenient name like "Latin America" or "the Meditteranean cultures", so "Western" is used as a (somewhat misleading) substitute. "Northwestern" wouldn't sound right, neither would "Gallo-Scando-Germanic".

In the second meaning, I actually don't feel the USA is really Western. Parts of Canada make a pretty good case for it, especially places like Newfoundland, Quebec, and parts of Nova Scotia. But overall, the USA, Canada, and Latin America are all cultures of the Americas, first and foremost, and have more in common with each other than they do with their European parents. They are all settler states, they all have a legacy of colonialism, they all contain a very profound mix of ethnic influences and always have, and they all share unique cultural motifs (for instance, the cowboy) that are not part of European - or even native - culture.

Originally posted by Bulldog Pinguin The insult is the attitude of anglosaxons that believe they are the judges in deciding who is and who it isn't Western. They are the leaders of the Western World, the powerfull get to dictate thats just the way of the world. .

Many good point edgewaters, one thing that confuses the world however:

Originally posted by edgewaters and they all share unique cultural motifs (for instance, the cowboy) that are not part of European - or even native - culture.

The Cowboy itself has it's roots in Latin America and not as many believe as being unique only to the US.

Originally posted by pinguin Originally posted by Bulldog ... Yes but there are no states with an Amerindian majority or even close to one, however, there are countries in Latin America with majority Amerindian populations.   Have you ever been to the Americas? I bet you imagine Latin America is like an immigrant neighbourhood in London.

I took it that he meant a mixture of European and Indigenous population? If that is what he meant, then he has a point.

Originally posted by Panther ... I took it that he meant a mixture of European and Indigenous population? If that is what he meant, then he has a point.

Pinguin You are wrong. Today the leader of the Western World is an African.

African-American, there is a difference, remember the African-Americans came to the Americas around the same time the Europeans did, they are both relatively recent to the continent. While Europeans bought their culture and language with them from Europe, the Africans didn't and had to adopt the rulers language and ways.

However, in my opinion, there is a difference when the leader of a country is an Amerindian because of their connection to the history, culture and civillisations of the land from the pre-European period. Obama has no real connection to Africa, neither linguistically or culturally, he's an American. However, Morales speaks Aymara and Quecha, grew up in this culture and its native to the land.

Pinguin Well, then Germany, Poland, Italy, France, Romania, Spain, Scandinavia, aren't part of the Western world either...  While Kiwi-land is in the hard core of the West

I wrote, the Anglosaxon world, or the English speaking world is thought of the West today.

The countries you listed are part of the EU, a Western club.

Pinguin So? That excludes them from the West?

In my opinion they arn't Western, there are no parrelels, to me Latin America is unique, it doesn't have to be accepted as Western to be "recognised" or "civillised".

Originally posted by Bulldog African-American, there is a difference, remember the African-Americans came to the Americas around the same time the Europeans did, they are both relatively recent to the continent. While Europeans bought their culture and language with them from Europe, the Africans didn't and had to adopt the rulers language and ways.

Pinguin Pure Amerindian populations aren't majoritary in any country of Latin America, except in Bolivia and Guatemala. And even there, the number of mixed European descendents is very large, and the mainstream culture is Iberian.

Also in Peru they are majority.
There are also countries in Latin America with less than 10% White European populations.

That's three countries with an Amerindian majority, many countries with mixed Amerindian/European/Black populations and countries with White European minorities.
White Europeans are 30-40% of population of Latin America.

There is an obvious difference between Latin America and U.S.A

Pinguin If he meant mixed people should be excluded from the West, then British people, who are mixed descendents of Romans and Barbarians, should be excluded from the West, too.

But they're all from Europe, however, Amerindian is a different world to Europe, its like comparing apples and oranges.