Being in the Social Sciences, I am often exposed to analytical thinking, but not in a Humanities context. The Rose Cafe with Sam Legasse allowed me to explore the analytical side of Humanities, as well as learn about the Modern in relation to society’s definition of “Primitive”. First of all, I think it is very important to acknowledge the work Sam is doing, without which racial and cultural biases and discrimination may lay subconscious and remain rampant.

Opening by defining “Modern” and “Primitive” was very tactful, as one cannot have a discussion on the two without framing their specific and unique definition in reference to Sam’s research. Using real-world examples and works definitely helped make the seemingly convoluted material more palpable and real. When Sam introduced the concept of “primitive” in museums, however, I was shocked by how much I had neither realized nor considered. I definitely agree with the statement that museums are an avenue for the rich to fetishize what they deem “lesser” and, in a patriarchal dichotomy, “feminine”. And the clip from the LGBTQIA+ Museum in Berlin presented an often ignored, even concealed, reality: what are museums but a dampened display of suffering? If museums really mean to celebrate culture, then they must respect it first, and not label it “primitive”.