Blog Post One- Kim Magnotta

Kim Magnotta

Professor Shirk

February 1, 2022

Faceless Beings

The painting is by Gideon Rubin. The title and date are unknown. 

While discussing topics related to international politics, one must consider the effects of Europe’s influence on the rest of the globe. Historically, European colonialists have spread their religion, culture, and beliefs to less-developed countries, resulting in the dehumanization of those who were affected. Rather than being seen as “human”, colonists saw those in other states as faceless individuals who simply stood as hindrances to the European’s objectives. In his dissertation On the Culture of White Folk, W.E.B. Dubois touches upon these topics by describing where the European race failed. When discussing Europeans and their connection to Christianity, Dubois poses the question: “What Christian nations are today treating other nations as they would be treated?” In doing so, emphasis is placed on the shortcomings of European thought, as colonists are seen to be hypocrites, rather than honest and faithful individuals. 

Gideon Rubin’s painting, featuring a group of faceless women standing in a line, represents a similar feeling of dehumanization. In the work, all the women are stripped of their identity, by their faces not being represented. Rather than seeing six women with different personalities and facial expressions, all the viewer experiences is an eerie sense of uniformity. The six women might as well be the same person, as nothing, aside from superficial hair color, can tell them apart. The women’s garments suggest a form of unsettling purity, while their bowed heads suggest that the women should act in a subservient or submissive manner. Interestingly, the women appear to be acquiescing to the instruction of another individual, who is not visible in the image. This further contributes to the unsettling nature of the image, as it removes more of the “personality” aspect that all humans seek. 

European colonialism attempted to homogenize the world so that every country would follow a similar belief system as those in predominantly white societies. Just as Rubin Gideon’s painting eliminates the personal aspect of humankind, colonialism had the same effect. While European forces wanted to emulate their perspectives across state borders, it is important to acknowledge W.E.B Dubois’ perspective on this matter. In On the Culture of White Folk, Dubois states that “Europe has never produced, and never will in our day, a single human soul that cannot be matched, aye, and over matched in every line of human endeavor by Asia and Africa”. In saying this, Dubois acknowledges that there is nothing inherently unique about Europeans and that individuals who live on other continents should be seen as equally human. Furthermore, Dubois is saying that Europeans are not “special”, and that people who come from different backgrounds are equally as capable of improving society. Just as depicted in the painting, losing sight of the individual and grouping people who possess unique identities into large categories can have dangerous and dehumanizing effects. Rather than acknowledging people for their unique skill sets, it becomes much easier to take advantage of a population when you do not embrace their differences. 

Perhaps worse than the act of being colonized is the process of losing your identity. When one is seen as a faceless individual, their own priorities seem meaningless to an innocent onlooker. Those who fell victim to the colonization strategies of the Europeans were unable to be accepted for their unique backgrounds. Rather, Europeans pushed the concept of assimilation onto those who they overtook. Therefore, it can be concluded that one of the greatest crimes against humanity is the loss of personal identity and difference. (580 words)