Summary
Highlights
The speaker begins by noting the frequent use of terms like 'decorations,' 'representations,' 'iconography,' 'symbols,' and 'signs' in studies of Mesoamerican textiles, often without clear definitions. He cites examples from works like 'Oaxaca: Geometrías de la Imaginación' where 'signs' are described as integral to an organized and consensual system based on accumulated knowledge. The main critique is the conceptual confusion between symbols and arbitrary signs in many studies, leading to a superficial understanding of these complex cultural expressions.
The presentation surveys various academic studies on Mesoamerican textiles. It references the work of Walter Morris on Maya attire, Claudia Rocha's classification of zoomorphic, phytomorphic, and geometric representations in Huastec garments, and Marta Turok's analysis of ceremonial huipils in Chiapas. While these studies identify the cosmological significance of designs, they often struggle to authenticate their interpretations due to a lack of documentary evidence. Stacey Schiffer's research on Huichol textiles, which involved extensive fieldwork and participant observation, is highlighted as a more compelling approach due to its deeper engagement with the community's symbolic understanding.
A crucial part of the conference focuses on differentiating 'signs' and 'symbols' from a theoretical perspective. The speaker reviews the semiotic concepts of Charles Sanders Peirce (tricotomic sign), Ferdinand de Saussure (dicotomic signifier/signified), and Umberto Eco (sign as a conventional understanding). He explains that while signs are often arbitrary and conventional, symbols, in a philosophical sense, belong to the non-sensible realm, resisting conventionalization and arbitrariness. The example of a dog is used to illustrate how its representation can be a sign (dog, 'tsotso', 'hound') but its symbolic meaning (fidelity) transcends a mere conventional agreement.
The speaker introduces Gilbert Durand's symbolic hermeneutics as a robust framework for studying symbolic imagination, influenced by Carl Jung and the 'Eranos' school. This approach integrates findings from various human sciences to achieve a holistic understanding of humanity. Durand, drawing on Ernst Cassirer's concept of 'Homo Symbolicus,' posits that human consciousness represents the world through different types of signs. He distinguishes between direct, semiological signs and symbols that allude to deeper, non-sensible meanings, like truth or justice, which are harder to represent directly. Symbols, in this view, make manifest a concrete sense and reveal a mystery.
Durand's theory emphasizes that symbols are not arbitrary but possess a 'natural' character, evoking something absent or imperceptible through a natural relation. Examples include natural elements (sky, sun, moon), animals (dog), and human experiences (childhood, femininity). The moon's cycles, for instance, symbolize existence, regeneration, and immortality, offering solace from the human tragedy of finitude. Durand argues that the study of symbolic imagination requires an anthropological approach that considers the reciprocal genesis between human actions and their material and social environment.
The conference concludes with a critique of existing studies that reduce complex indigenous artistic expressions to mere 'artisanal objects' or 'empirical facts,' neglecting their psychosocial dimension and deeper symbolic meaning. The speaker argues that these studies often assign arbitrariness to visual representations, even when acknowledging their connection to myth, ritual, and religion, without clarifying how to explore these deeper levels. He advocates for considering indigenous garments as 'canvases of life,' transcendent and immanent, that connect with the sacred and fulfill not only basic physical needs but also ritual, religious, and ceremonial requirements. He stresses that true understanding requires a holistic approach that acknowledges the interplay of natural, social, and cosmic conditions, much like the imaginative extension of the weaver's body through the loom.