Elizabeth L Salazar | Washington State University (original) (raw)
Address: Pullman, Washington, United States
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Papers by Elizabeth L Salazar
Showtime's "The Borgias" excises, disarranges, and outright invents large swaths of material. Thi... more Showtime's "The Borgias" excises, disarranges, and outright invents large swaths of material. This is not in question, nor anything new, either with historical drama in general or representations of the Borja family. However, the focus on divergence in the ubiquitous debates over fidelity obscure the significance of what adaptations choose not to change. In this paper, I argue that an adaptation's use of source material can be as significant and suggestive as its alterations. "The Borgias," in particular, borrows directly from the historical record in order to reframe the traditional images of its major figures.
JRR Tolkien’s presentations of his languages rely on assumptions of inherent linguistic superiori... more JRR Tolkien’s presentations of his languages rely on assumptions of inherent linguistic superiority, associated with cultural and racial superiority. Moreover, the invented histories surrounding the languages repeat a theme of hegemonic power expressed through linguistic dominance that echoes the practice of imperialism in our own world. The pattern is particularly evident in Tolkien’s accounts of the Edain, a group of humans driven to an increasingly liminal position, narratively and meta-narratively, between the dominating Elves and other humans. Throughout their history, the Edain’s use of language illustrates varying forms of linguistic imperialism: the eradication of native languages through colonization, denigration of the language of the colonized, restrictions and bans on minority languages, imperial power transforming a once-devalued vernacular into a lingua franca, and linguistic elitism propping up racism and classism within the imperial state and in its relationship to its client-states. As the Edain function at different points as both colonized and colonizer, subject to imperialist influence and enacting it, they provide access to the full range of Tolkien’s presentation of linguistic imperialism, which I explore in this paper. I conclude that imperialistic assumptions infuse the portrayal of the Edain and their languages; though these assumptions are complicated by narrative ambivalence towards imperialism and problematized in his later works, they are never wholly condemned and remain embedded in the text.
Showtime's "The Borgias" excises, disarranges, and outright invents large swaths of material. Thi... more Showtime's "The Borgias" excises, disarranges, and outright invents large swaths of material. This is not in question, nor anything new, either with historical drama in general or representations of the Borja family. However, the focus on divergence in the ubiquitous debates over fidelity obscure the significance of what adaptations choose not to change. In this paper, I argue that an adaptation's use of source material can be as significant and suggestive as its alterations. "The Borgias," in particular, borrows directly from the historical record in order to reframe the traditional images of its major figures.
JRR Tolkien’s presentations of his languages rely on assumptions of inherent linguistic superiori... more JRR Tolkien’s presentations of his languages rely on assumptions of inherent linguistic superiority, associated with cultural and racial superiority. Moreover, the invented histories surrounding the languages repeat a theme of hegemonic power expressed through linguistic dominance that echoes the practice of imperialism in our own world. The pattern is particularly evident in Tolkien’s accounts of the Edain, a group of humans driven to an increasingly liminal position, narratively and meta-narratively, between the dominating Elves and other humans. Throughout their history, the Edain’s use of language illustrates varying forms of linguistic imperialism: the eradication of native languages through colonization, denigration of the language of the colonized, restrictions and bans on minority languages, imperial power transforming a once-devalued vernacular into a lingua franca, and linguistic elitism propping up racism and classism within the imperial state and in its relationship to its client-states. As the Edain function at different points as both colonized and colonizer, subject to imperialist influence and enacting it, they provide access to the full range of Tolkien’s presentation of linguistic imperialism, which I explore in this paper. I conclude that imperialistic assumptions infuse the portrayal of the Edain and their languages; though these assumptions are complicated by narrative ambivalence towards imperialism and problematized in his later works, they are never wholly condemned and remain embedded in the text.