Asia and Asian Diaspora
Dr. Dada Docot’s office was the site of yet another beautiful and meaningful exhibit created by her students. This Fall 2024 course, Anthropology of Asia and the Asian Diaspora, culminated in a creative project on the topic that was guided by self-learning and the students’ own interests. Students expressed the value they found in such an open-ended opportunity that was a welcome departure from the traditional essay or final exam. Some explored aspects of their identity and personal ties, while others learned things they had never previously considered. The exhibit itself featured an atmosphere of comfortable closeness as people were crowded around each piece, and others carefully slid past each other to uncover more. Music, laughter, and storytelling filled the air as connections were made between friends and strangers alike. To learn more about each piece, brief descriptions follow:
Cultures in a Circle by David Kim
This acrylic painting on canvas is representative of the dynamic nature of culture. David interviewed various generations of Asian American (and other) immigrants and found that communities were prevailing rather than fully assimilating. The circles of different sizes and colors depict the coexisting individuality and overlapping nature of culture.
Where is Home? by Grace Boehm
For this piece, Grace interviewed their friend Haruka, who is Japanese but spent a great deal of time in the US. The video is a collection of their memories and features discussions about joys and struggles, potentially changing perceptions of culture and identity, and the benefits of community, trust, and vulnerability.
Through the Lens by David Heinhold
This piece looks into the history of various portrayals of Asians in Western media. Many of the shows and movies contain racist stereotypes and narratives, but progress has been made in recent years.
British Colonialism and India’s Shift Towards Conservatism by Gopika Nair
This video is inspired by the disconnect Gopika experienced between Indian conservative ideas and Hindu texts. They delve into the combined effects of British colonialism, exploitation of the caste system, and patriarchy, resulting in worsened treatment and oppression of women and LGBTQ+ people. Despite all of this, Gopika reminds us that change is possible through decolonization.
The Silk Road by Avery Bartholomew
This three-part painting depicts the Silk Road at several points throughout history. The first shows the environment before the Silk Road, where the land is mostly natural and undisturbed. The second painting represents the changes brought about through the Silk Road trade, including longer-term use and wear, as well as cultural diffusion. The final painting contains the aftermath and further destruction of the land through extractive processes such as archaeology and removal for museums.
Are Anglo-Indians Truly Indian? by Braeden Patterson
This short film provides an introduction to the Anglo-Indian community, of which Braeden is a part, and an interview with Braeden’s mother. Anglo-Indians are a somewhat small ethnic group that came about from the colonization of India and are of Indian and European ancestry. Many Anglo-Indians experience a conflict of identity and culture, some feeling closer to either England or India, and many grow up speaking English as their first language and are Christian. Through this piece, Braeden puts the story of their family in dialogue with the broader historical context and explores the impact of moving to the US, connection to homelands, and the connection to people and community.
Colonial History of Asia by Zhefan Sun
This flyer serves as an introduction to the history of colonization in Asia. Colonization has had a lasting impact on the continent and its resources, regions, and policies, but is not always discussed alongside other instances of colonization.
Flowers of Knowledge by Asher Walkins
This interactive art piece intends to focus on solidarity and working together against different forms of violence and hate. Majorities and systems of violence intentionally try to fracture communities to stop them from mobilizing and making big changes, as was seen amongst the BLM and Stop AAPI Hate movements sometimes fighting for dominant attention. Asher shows that both movements are important and that we do not need to divide our attention, as well as encouraging viewers to add a flower if they learned something.
Ancient Trivial Pursuit by Lexi Wrede
This game, filled with questions about China and the Mediterranean, is meant to inspire learning outside the classroom and beyond the “Classics” that are usually taught, instead moving toward places and people that are often overlooked. Through this, Lexi encourages learning in a more inclusive way where it is okay to not know something, to get something wrong, or even to have questions to begin with.
Trucking in China by Hong Zhang
This piece is a film about trucking in China and its draw for allowing drivers and their families to move to urban areas and access education that might allow for social mobility. The film follows Jinrong Zhang (张晋荣) on his 35-hour drive to obtain then deliver coal, shortly recuperating at home before returning to the road the next day.
Inherited Nostalgia by Bayan Yunis
For this piece, Bayan edited their mother’s photos to remove people or add text, representative of childhood and connections to home as well as forced migration and turmoil. As a part of the Arab diaspora, Bayan was looking to see broader experiences and putting theirs into this greater conversation. They found themes of ‘us vs them’, dueling cultural guidelines, and feeling lost or stuck in the middle. Alongside this were feelings of sacrifice and potential danger from devoting oneself to one culture or another, with a common solution being to develop a third-culture comprising a bit of both, however this too can be isolating.