Blog Post #8

I typically don’t realize my own subjectivity in my writing until it’s pointed out to me from an outside perspective. I find there have been plenty of instances where I was positive I was staying impartial, but in reality I had been revealing my own bias through my word choice. I best understand my subjectivity through the eyes of others who are able to pinpoint my point of view. My perception of my connection and distance to the past I think is defined by how I relate to the past. For example, as a woman I feel connected to women’s history. Yet, as a non-German, I feel distance with German history. What drove me to my topic choice was my desire to learn more about Native American history. I began to learn a little bit about the Lenape people in one of my other courses this semester and I was fascinated by their idea of gender and sex. Though I am not Native North American, I am a quarter Native South American so I believe my own indigenous roots combined with my identity as a woman will cause me to accidentally praise Lenape culture throughout my paper. When analyzing Lenape gender roles which were far more progressive than Western gender roles, I may let my bias slip by using vocabulary that applauds Lenape culture rather than remaining subjective in my analysis.