1

Your image of Columbus?

a. What image did you have of Columbus before reading the article? (for instance hero, discoverer or colonizer)

b. Discuss the question with your classmate and reflect upon where you have gotten your image of Columbus from (for instance school, movies or books).

2

How did the inhabitants greet Columbus on his arrival to the island the Spanish called Hispaniola?

Questions 2-7 are designed to emphasize how Columbus in his own time must have been perceived in different ways. To try to interpret history from a contemporary perspective is often called historical empathy – a historically correct way of seeing the world and historical events through the lens of the historical context. This should be perceived as an attempt to stimulate students’ historical empathy, to accomplish a shift of perspectives when reading about a historical person and event. The purposes of the questions are also to highlight ethnicity, gender and other important perspectives..

3

How do you think the inhabitants experienced the Spaniards’ arrival?

4

How do you think the inhabitants experienced Columbus as a leader?

5

How do you think the Spanish settlers perceived Columbus as a leader?

This question is designed to stimulate reflection on how the victor writes history and determines how other people are characterized.

It was certainly a feat to cross the open sea considering the prevailing conditions. But simplistic hero descriptions do not belong in historical science; neither does a one-dimensional description of Columbus as a villain. A nuanced and complex representation of Columbus should reasonably highlight both his good and bad sides and, not least, emphasize how he was a man of his contemporary time and ideas.

This question is meant to both stimulate historical empathy and raise issues of responsibility. By taking into account both the historical context and the fact that people have a certain room of freedom to manoeuvre, students can reach historically plausible conclusions while determinism is avoided under optimal conditions.

This question is about how to appreciate another person's view of the world on the basis of historical knowledge. The idea is that students should reflect upon themselves, their values and their readiness for action.

Hopefully, by using imagination and empathy students can realize how the life of a Spanish settler could be very hard, to say the least. Also many "colonisers", often depicted in a simplified historiography as being just exploiters, were poor and vulnerable, and victims of exploitation.

Look at the headings, images and captions in the Swedish article "the Mystery of Columbus". In what way are they trying to awaken interest in Columbus in that article in comparison to the other Swedish article?

In what way are they trying to awaken interest in Columbus in that article in comparison to the other Swedish article?

There are great similarities in the critical perspective on Columbus. In addition, they use the mystery of Columbus as a getter. In general, it should be more evident to pupils how the popular historical media often use the astounding. The unusual, daunting and grandiose historical topics are preferred. This can obscure other as important but less dramatic phenomena.

a. In what way is history presented in order to spark interest?
b. What stories from the past do they represent?
c. Can you from the front-pages make out the theoretical positions (bias) of the papers?

By checking the name of the magazine and the design of the cover, it is evident that the dramatic is in focus. The subtle and mundane pushed into the background, as is often the case in media. Power, men and Europeans seems to be central. It is interesting that the article about Columbus was not featured at the front page in 2011.