Over the past few years of high school, we have been learning a lot about Eurocentrism and how much of history has been told with a Western perspective. Mumbo Jumbo turns this around on its head, offering an alternative point of view. Reed does this with one of the major themes of Mumbo Jumbo, anti-imperialism. For example, there is an entire organization, called the Mu’tafikah, dedicated to: “...looting the museums [and] shipping the plunder back to where it came from” (Reed 15). Reed reclaims history, showing the irony of how the stolen pieces of art that rest in Western museums are stolen from the thieves (the West). They also encourage Jes Grew, the African “disease” that makes people dance. A massive cultural movement with African roots spreading across America and Europe, Jes Grew is meant to be Afrocentric and, given the context of when the book was written, an Afrofuturist ideology. It represents the idea that decolonized African culture can thrive in Western civilization.
As Jes Grew is the representation of 1920s jazz, and how it spread so quickly the world during the Harlem Renaissance, there are of course the Atonists, or more specifically the Wallflower Order, who want to stop the spread of African culture, seeing it as a stain on the beauty of Western society. The Wallflower Order represents the enormous influence and power that the West exerts on the world, where nothing ever gets done without their approval and being portrayed as Western imperialists. For example, in chapter 5, the “...Wallflower order [attempted] to…install an anti-Jes Grew President, Warren Harding” (Reed 17), and they succeed. Harding wins but “Unbeknownst to him he is being watched by a spy from the Wallflower Order. A man who is to become his attorney general” (Reed 17). This shows how the Order controls many facets of Western life, and how they want to prevent any spread of African culture.
One of the major parodies of imperialism appears in chapter 52, where the Egyptian God Set is portrayed as the original embodiment of the West. Set tried using “...the death of [his] father as an excuse for invading foreign countries… He was [also] arrogant jealous egotistical” (Reed 162). As Reed is describing Set, he interjects a chart on page 163 showing the unbelievable amount of bombs dropped in the Indochina region during the Vietnam War, reinforcing his criticism of the West. On page 165, we learn that Set “...[yearns] for the old days when he out to tell the people to ‘Move that chariot to the side of the road, O.K. where’s your license,’” (Reed 165). This is another example of how Reed parodies Set as the original version of Western society, as he represents the average Western police officer. Reed’s representation of Set serves as a critique of America to provide a different approach than the common Eurocentric point of view.
Nice observations Rohail! It seems that historical fiction in general is almost making fun of established writing conventions and themes prevalent in Western civilization; both Reed and Doctorow make use of these "major parodies" in their writing. This shift from eurocentrism in literature is not incredibly unique today, but I'm sure it was revolutionary when Reed first published it. Nice post, Rohail!
ReplyDeleteHi Rohail - thanks for the post. The way you deconstruct Mumbo Jumbo as a "parody of imperialism" is keen and certainly adheres to themes under Afrofuturism. Reed, as you said, also critiques Western and Eurocentric portrayals of various topics throughout history and historiography.
ReplyDeleteThe sarcastic, contemporary interjections and jabs Reed puts definitely takes the paradigm of parody in historical fiction to another level. I like your interpretation of the seemingly random figure of bombs dropped as another contemporary jab and criticism of Western Civilization - I didn't see that but it definitely makes a lot of sense.
ReplyDeleteThis blog post does well to connect the subjects we've been learning in class to Mumbo Jumbo. When comparing the events, ideas, and conflicts in Reed's novel, we see that Rohail's big picture thinking is correct. Overall, great comparison and post!
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Rohail! Mumbo Jumbo was certainly a very confusing book for me to read, and I appreciate the way you explicitly explain some of the confusing elements within the book into the coherent theme of anti-imperialism. I especially like how you clarify aspects of the mythological backstory towards the end of the book; that was one of the sections I found most confusing.
ReplyDeleteGood post Rohail. I never noticed how many instances of imperalism this book contained. Looking back on it now, it is clear how it is displayed almost as a parody of imperialism, made to critique the flawed reasoning behind it and other eurocentric behaviors.
ReplyDeleteGreat post. I agree that anti-imperialism is a major theme in the book. I also like your point that chapter 52 parodies imperialism through the Egyptian God Set and his alternative to the common perspective of the eurocentric viewpoint. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting that your generation's education in history (at least locally, who knows what's happening in Florida?) has been more generally critical of Eurocentrism that what was conventionally taught in schools when Reed published this book. I don't think I heard the word "Eurocentrism" until I was in college, and it sure wasn't part of my elementary or secondary history curriculum. Generally speaking, Africa and Asia more or less did not exist (except as exotic "blank spaces" on the map to be "discovered" by Europeans), according to the narratives I was taught.
ReplyDeleteI like your observation of how many events in the book parallel Western Imperialism. I think the whole Egyptian metaphor might be a bit of postmodernist irony, as Reed sort of appropriates Egyptian mythology to contextualize a story criticizing imperialism. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you analyze the use of Set as western society by Reed. It's definitely a good connection and brings together a central theme that starts from the very beginning with the title.
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