Hello world,
I recently watched Spike Lee's movie Bamboozled. I was going to wait a couple of days before I posted about it, but I cannot wait any longer. This movie made me so angry and uncomfortable, in a way that no other movie has before. Briefly, for those of you are unfamiliar with the movie or haven't seen it, it is a satire (*this is important to remember*) stars Damon Wayans as Pierre Delacroix (real name: Peerless Dothan), an uptight, well-educated black man. He works for a TV station as a creative writer but is unsuccessful because, as Delacroix's white boss tells him, no one is interested in watching a show about the suburban black experience, because it's uninteresting and the blacks are just trying to be white. And the boss (Dunwitty) is not racist, he insists, because he has a black wife; this also gives him permission to use the n-word and the word "cracker" rampantly. Delacroix decides to expose the racism by writing a modern televised minstrel show featuring black actors wearing blackface makeup and using extremely racist jokes and puns; Delacroix believes that it will be unsuccessful. Additionally, the show is staged live with audiences (while they're filming)--it's one of those setups, like Friends and Seinfeld, in which the laughter is produced by the audience and included in the filming. So, Delacroix pitches the TV show to his boss, who loves the idea; then the audience sees the show, and the predominately white audience is mostly horror-struck. But then, some blacks in the audience start laughing and supporting the show; the white audience members are still uncertain about how to respond. Before the show is aired, Delacroix and Dunwitty meet with a PR representative, who says, and I quote, "I have a PhD in African-American studies from Harvard, so I know all about black people"--more about that later. as a result--and to Delacroix's horror--the show becomes a massive success. The movie (and the show) goes on, and it follows the story arc of Delacroix forgetting his original intent in making the TV show; he succumbs to the success of his show, his fame, and his wealth; and he takes advantage of the two black stars of his show--basically, he forgets his roots and morals. There's some violence in the end and there's a little bit of (melo)drama, but the most uncomfortable moment in the movie for me was when the success of the show instigates a massive fandom, or fan following, for the show, causing everyone to start wearing blackface. EVERYONE!!! (minus Jada Pinkett Smith, who was great in this movie) There is also a large presence of minstrelsy paraphernalia that sits in Delacroix's office and the images also circulate during the credits.
In case, people don't know, there is a long, painful history tied to minstrelsy and blackface. I could go on and on about the two and how INCREDIBLY offensive they are, but I will try to be succinct and say that both minstrelsy and blackface humiliate blacks, portraying the idea/stereotype that they are animals, lazy, superstitious, buffoonish, unintelligent, and subservient. It also features generally as a burlesque or variety show, including singing and dancing. There are also different stock characters that embody the negative stereotypes of black people: Aunt Jemima, Mammy, mulatto wench, old darky, pickaninny...the list goes on.
Now that I've laid the groundwork, I will rant: WHAT ON EARTH?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! I understood clearly the point of this movie: white people (in the movie, though Spike Lee uses them to refer to general society) are afraid to admit their (latent) prejudices, because those prejudices are racist, and they know that racism is not acceptable; they are also afraid to talk about race. Furthermore, they think that any personal association with black people gives them the ability and privilege to identify with and as, speak of and for, and make commentary about black people. Dunwitty thinks that he's "more black" than Delacroix; this suggests that there's only one kind of black. The PR rep thinks that studying black society and culture like an anthropologist makes her an expert about them. Some people (in real life) say that because blacks use the n-word, they are allowed to as well. Personally, I don't think anyone should be saying the n-word to refer to one another (including blacks), but I find it more problematic for a white person to use the n-word to refer to or to address a black person. The history of the word and the tangled and violent history between whites and blacks disallows ANY permission for whites to use the n-word. Also, the prevalent use of blackface was overwhelming and sickening; I had to pause the movie halfway through to walk around outside and breath. The widespread disregard for black history and its relevant pain and suffering was disgusting. All the racism that was beneath the surface emerged strongly and clearly in the movie through the blackface, through the minstrelsy paraphernalia, and through the offensive language. The movie's physical violence, for me, also stood for the "metaphorical" violence that is inherent in the perpetuation of offensive language, images, and stereotypes (I was about to qualify stereotype with the word negative, but then I realized, all stereotypes are negative, because they are perpetuating false and highly generalized ideas about a group of people).
Also, in thinking about cross-racial identification (whites identifying as blacks), I thought back to the Anna Deveare Smith piece that I mentioned previously. I also thought specifically in the movie of a white guy (One-Sixteenth), a member of a black nationalist group (called Mau Mau), who believed strongly that he was black. At the end of the movie, the police come and shoot all of the Mau Maus, but only One-Sixteenth is left alive (he's arrested though), presumably because he is white, which addresses the stereotype that police officers shoot black people but give favorable, or "lighter," consequences to white suspects. Anyway, these ideas led me to wonder, what does it mean to be black? What does it mean to be any race? I know the obvious train of thought here is, well duh, race is construct, so there's no one right answer, but I feel that these are questions worth asking. What are the behaviors and images that we associate with each race?
I could go on endlessly, and my mind feels like there are still many unanswered questions or questions/issues that I have not yet discovered; however, I will stop here, because...just because. And this is very after the fact, but I hope you all are aware that none of my research or personal statements are directed toward you. I love you all and think that you're wonderful; and trust me, if I think that you're doing something problematic, you will know. :)
I saw this musical (Starlight Express) in Germany last summer when I visited Pascal (German brother) in Duisburg. It was an amazing experience, and now this song is stuck in my head. You'll see in the lyrics, it's a beautiful love song--both in the English lyrics and in the German voices.
German words: "Nur du allein gibst mir kraft zu leben. Nimm mich, halt mich, führ mich, spür mich und versteh mich, und wir werden's schaffen, wir allein."
English translation: "Only you alone give me the strength to live. Take me, hold me, guide me, feel me, and understand me, and we will manage it, we alone."
-"Du allein," Starlight Express
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
Performance 101
Hello world,
Welcome to Performance 101. This is not a theater class, though the lecture will fit in nicely with a theater studies, or rather performance studies course. In many ways, performance and theater overlap and are integral in understanding and informing the other discipline. First of all, as all great teachers do, I must reference you to the Wikipedia page on performance studies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_studies.
Or, if you would rather not read that incredibly long and probably boring article, I can give you a basic understanding of "performance." Yes, performance is still in many ways, a theater event, what we think of as "performing arts": theater, dance, concert, etc. However, linguistically, the expression performing arts suggests "arts being performed," or in other words, "arts being done." Done can be translated into staged, completed, the list goes on. The whole idea of performance is the act of doing. Performance is an action. Generally, we think of performance as an arts or theatrical activity, but even in our everyday lives, we perform. We perform our gender, we perform our race, we perform our sexuality--every single aspect of our identities is performed. Performance studies theorists say that identity is not created by being but rather by doing. What helped me understand this concept was, "I am a baker, because I bake a lot." Or, "I am a nice person, because I do nice things for people."
I will admit, when I first read this--our daily lives are a performance--I was completely perplexed. I've always thought of performance in the theatrical sense, which I don't associate with authenticity. Theater is an act; even if actors are embodying characters and trying to portray a universal human truth--which I now understand to be nearly impossible (on a theoretical level)--the actors are not being themselves, and that is inherently inauthentic. So then I thought, if I'm performing in real life, then I'm not being authentic, which of course, I don't want. I want to be genuine and real, not wearing a mask. I've done that before (briefly), and that was no fun. And this is ultimately what I've learned, performance is not an inherently bad thing. As long as we are true to ourselves and others, performance becomes just another part of who we are. Or, sometimes your location can affect your performance. I'm going to perform, or behave, differently if I'm hanging out with my friends than when I'm at church service.
Scholars use performance studies to examine how different identities (race, gender, sexuality, etc.) are exposed or performed in different areas. Performance studies questions include ones like, "What does it mean that this black man is doing this act?" or "Why is it more 'appropriate' for a woman to do this act?" For example, if I walked on to a bus, and I saw that all the black people in the bus were sitting in the back and all the white people in the bus were sitting in the front of the bus (this model intentionally excludes other races/ethnicities for the sake of an example), I (being a performance studies or race theorist) might be alarmed and wonder, "What does it mean that all the black people are sitting in the back of the bus? Is racism or color separation still institutionalized (accepted as the norm) in the bus system?" Fortunately, I have yet to see this model occur in my bus riding experiences, but you get the point.
There are many important scholars in the field of performance studies. I don't know them all, but the names that I'm most familiar with or have heard often are Judith Butler, Eve Sedgwick, E. Patrick Johnson, Dwight Conquergood, and José Muñoz. Anna Deveare Smith too, without delving too much into the academic world but still practically (I mean, in the way of practicing, tangibly) dealing with the theories, challenges ideas and raises questions of how we conceive of and perform race. She is a black actress, but in her one-woman shows, she embodies characters who are of different races and genders than her; in one play, she played a Hasidic Jewish woman, a Korean woman, and Al Sharpton (a black American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and radio talk show host). We (audiences) sometimes laugh as she convincingly portrays the Jewish woman with the strong Brooklyn accent, but then we have to realize (or if we think critically about Smith's performance) that Smith is not white, she's not Jewish, and, perhaps less important, she's not from Brooklyn; yet Smith takes on all of the physical mannerisms, vocal patterns, and clothes/appearance of the woman and without altering her skin color, virtually--almost literally, physically--transforms into the Jewish woman. The article that discusses Smith and her performances is titled, "Is Race a Trope?," and so we are left to wonder, is race a trope? The author, Debby Thompson, answers yes and no. Yes, because Smith is fluidly able to perform across race; no, because race is still a visible, physical element of the performance. In these performances about racial tensions after race riots in Los Angeles and Crown Heights, Brooklyn, race is a fundamental element of the piece; it is an inextricable part of Smith's identity and appearance; and it informs her piece. The article was super fascinating and informative. I can email it to you if you're interested.
After I read the Smith/Thompson article, when I was talking with Beth, I realized that my 12 Ophelias role had so much performance theory loaded into the character, which I had understood on a basic level during the rehearsal/performance process but realized even more in 2 weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, in the play, I played H, a goth/punk-world version of Hamlet's Horatio. The play itself was a kind of re-imagining of Shakespeare's play by Caridad Svich, who starts the play with Ophelia rising out of the water that she drowned in. Over the course of the play, H and Rude Boy (aka Hamlet) banter and wrestle as they usually do. It becomes clear that H has feelings for Rude Boy, and when he tries to kiss Rude Boy, Rude Boy rejects H. It's also worth noting that H engages in BDSM with another character Mina; Rude Boy also expresses disdain for this lifestyle. On a basic theoretical level, straight boy rejects queer boy because straight boy is not interested in gay sex. On a higher theoretical level, Rude Boy (played by a straight white boy) is rejecting all forms of queerness (my race, my sexuality, my BDSM practices). Then, when I beat him up/down in the end of the play, my queer body fights back against Rude Boy's repression and rejection of me. It was really almost an overwhelming moment when I realized the theory that was loaded richly into my "performance." And in case there's any doubt in anyone's mind, no, I do not engage and have not engaged in BDSM. But regardless, even though H wasn't written as a black character or any race-specific character, my black body on stage adds complexity to the theoretical performance. For some reason, I also feel the need to add that the guy who played Rude Boy is a good friend of mine; none of this theory discussion is directed toward him, though it involves him and his performance.
Also, since I've been using queer a lot in this post, I should explain what I mean. Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. Although I have not received any formal education in queer studies, my understanding is that queer was, for a while, rejected as a derogatory term for sexual minorities. In many academic circles now, however, the term is being reclaimed as an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory term to include all forms and language of sexuality and gender. Some people (people I know at Mac) even include heterosexuality in the umbrella in the hopes of removing the sexual divide between heterosexuality and "others," or queer people. Queer, also by dictionary definition, can signify anything that's different from the "norm," which is why I included race as a form of queerness--it's a minority to the white body of Rude Boy.
Well, that's a lot for one post. Even my brain's on overload right now thinking of it all. It could just be that I'm hungry though. Here's another song lyric.
"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be."
-"Pure Imagination," Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Welcome to Performance 101. This is not a theater class, though the lecture will fit in nicely with a theater studies, or rather performance studies course. In many ways, performance and theater overlap and are integral in understanding and informing the other discipline. First of all, as all great teachers do, I must reference you to the Wikipedia page on performance studies: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Performance_studies.
Or, if you would rather not read that incredibly long and probably boring article, I can give you a basic understanding of "performance." Yes, performance is still in many ways, a theater event, what we think of as "performing arts": theater, dance, concert, etc. However, linguistically, the expression performing arts suggests "arts being performed," or in other words, "arts being done." Done can be translated into staged, completed, the list goes on. The whole idea of performance is the act of doing. Performance is an action. Generally, we think of performance as an arts or theatrical activity, but even in our everyday lives, we perform. We perform our gender, we perform our race, we perform our sexuality--every single aspect of our identities is performed. Performance studies theorists say that identity is not created by being but rather by doing. What helped me understand this concept was, "I am a baker, because I bake a lot." Or, "I am a nice person, because I do nice things for people."
I will admit, when I first read this--our daily lives are a performance--I was completely perplexed. I've always thought of performance in the theatrical sense, which I don't associate with authenticity. Theater is an act; even if actors are embodying characters and trying to portray a universal human truth--which I now understand to be nearly impossible (on a theoretical level)--the actors are not being themselves, and that is inherently inauthentic. So then I thought, if I'm performing in real life, then I'm not being authentic, which of course, I don't want. I want to be genuine and real, not wearing a mask. I've done that before (briefly), and that was no fun. And this is ultimately what I've learned, performance is not an inherently bad thing. As long as we are true to ourselves and others, performance becomes just another part of who we are. Or, sometimes your location can affect your performance. I'm going to perform, or behave, differently if I'm hanging out with my friends than when I'm at church service.
Scholars use performance studies to examine how different identities (race, gender, sexuality, etc.) are exposed or performed in different areas. Performance studies questions include ones like, "What does it mean that this black man is doing this act?" or "Why is it more 'appropriate' for a woman to do this act?" For example, if I walked on to a bus, and I saw that all the black people in the bus were sitting in the back and all the white people in the bus were sitting in the front of the bus (this model intentionally excludes other races/ethnicities for the sake of an example), I (being a performance studies or race theorist) might be alarmed and wonder, "What does it mean that all the black people are sitting in the back of the bus? Is racism or color separation still institutionalized (accepted as the norm) in the bus system?" Fortunately, I have yet to see this model occur in my bus riding experiences, but you get the point.
There are many important scholars in the field of performance studies. I don't know them all, but the names that I'm most familiar with or have heard often are Judith Butler, Eve Sedgwick, E. Patrick Johnson, Dwight Conquergood, and José Muñoz. Anna Deveare Smith too, without delving too much into the academic world but still practically (I mean, in the way of practicing, tangibly) dealing with the theories, challenges ideas and raises questions of how we conceive of and perform race. She is a black actress, but in her one-woman shows, she embodies characters who are of different races and genders than her; in one play, she played a Hasidic Jewish woman, a Korean woman, and Al Sharpton (a black American Baptist minister, civil rights activist, and radio talk show host). We (audiences) sometimes laugh as she convincingly portrays the Jewish woman with the strong Brooklyn accent, but then we have to realize (or if we think critically about Smith's performance) that Smith is not white, she's not Jewish, and, perhaps less important, she's not from Brooklyn; yet Smith takes on all of the physical mannerisms, vocal patterns, and clothes/appearance of the woman and without altering her skin color, virtually--almost literally, physically--transforms into the Jewish woman. The article that discusses Smith and her performances is titled, "Is Race a Trope?," and so we are left to wonder, is race a trope? The author, Debby Thompson, answers yes and no. Yes, because Smith is fluidly able to perform across race; no, because race is still a visible, physical element of the performance. In these performances about racial tensions after race riots in Los Angeles and Crown Heights, Brooklyn, race is a fundamental element of the piece; it is an inextricable part of Smith's identity and appearance; and it informs her piece. The article was super fascinating and informative. I can email it to you if you're interested.
After I read the Smith/Thompson article, when I was talking with Beth, I realized that my 12 Ophelias role had so much performance theory loaded into the character, which I had understood on a basic level during the rehearsal/performance process but realized even more in 2 weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, in the play, I played H, a goth/punk-world version of Hamlet's Horatio. The play itself was a kind of re-imagining of Shakespeare's play by Caridad Svich, who starts the play with Ophelia rising out of the water that she drowned in. Over the course of the play, H and Rude Boy (aka Hamlet) banter and wrestle as they usually do. It becomes clear that H has feelings for Rude Boy, and when he tries to kiss Rude Boy, Rude Boy rejects H. It's also worth noting that H engages in BDSM with another character Mina; Rude Boy also expresses disdain for this lifestyle. On a basic theoretical level, straight boy rejects queer boy because straight boy is not interested in gay sex. On a higher theoretical level, Rude Boy (played by a straight white boy) is rejecting all forms of queerness (my race, my sexuality, my BDSM practices). Then, when I beat him up/down in the end of the play, my queer body fights back against Rude Boy's repression and rejection of me. It was really almost an overwhelming moment when I realized the theory that was loaded richly into my "performance." And in case there's any doubt in anyone's mind, no, I do not engage and have not engaged in BDSM. But regardless, even though H wasn't written as a black character or any race-specific character, my black body on stage adds complexity to the theoretical performance. For some reason, I also feel the need to add that the guy who played Rude Boy is a good friend of mine; none of this theory discussion is directed toward him, though it involves him and his performance.
Also, since I've been using queer a lot in this post, I should explain what I mean. Queer is an umbrella term for sexual minorities that are not heterosexual, heteronormative, or gender-binary. Although I have not received any formal education in queer studies, my understanding is that queer was, for a while, rejected as a derogatory term for sexual minorities. In many academic circles now, however, the term is being reclaimed as an all-inclusive, non-discriminatory term to include all forms and language of sexuality and gender. Some people (people I know at Mac) even include heterosexuality in the umbrella in the hopes of removing the sexual divide between heterosexuality and "others," or queer people. Queer, also by dictionary definition, can signify anything that's different from the "norm," which is why I included race as a form of queerness--it's a minority to the white body of Rude Boy.
Well, that's a lot for one post. Even my brain's on overload right now thinking of it all. It could just be that I'm hungry though. Here's another song lyric.
"There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination. Living there, you'll be free if you truly wish to be."
-"Pure Imagination," Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Somewhere...
Hello world,
Thinking about lots of things today. I haven't read any articles yet for the coming week, although I really should. Procrastination doesn't seem to end when the school year ends. How unfortunate.
Nevertheless, I've been working on another project of importance: a play. It's been difficult, having so many play ideas bouncing around in my head, but a blessed difficulty. I could be totally devoid of imagination, and that would be sadder. The play that I'm working on now is currently 31 pages. (For those of you who know of my one-act play from PCDS, that play was 8 pages long--15-20 minutes long.) It's also a pretty personal play, I would say--but when are my plays or any written work not personal? The play travels backward in time to key moments in the friendship between two men. It has to do with (unrequited) love, marriage, self-discovery, and personal freedom. It's also a musical. I have written lyrics to the songs, and even though I can hear vague music in my head when I think of the lyrics and especially the emotions of the songs, I definitely don't have the ability to compose the music. Perhaps someday... Or if and when the play is published, it's up to the directors to find a composer, similar to 12 Ophelias, the play I did this past spring. Ah... good times :)
Speaking of theater, I'm super excited about Macalester's upcoming fall play, Naomi Wallace's The Inland Sea. Briefly, it's about a village of British people in Yorkshire, England, who face challenges surrounding the changing landscape of the village. A landscape artist wants the villagers to move, but the villagers don't want to move, and the diggers are stuck in the middle of the chaos. It a serious, thoughtful play, and it's the first play I've read by Naomi Wallace, and now I think I love her. Definitely auditioning!!
Which brings me to my next topic: London and study abroad. For those of you who don't know, I've decided to opt out of studying abroad. There were lots of reasons that went into my decision, but I ultimately felt that I would have a better experience staying at Macalester for the fall semester. If any of you are curious to know more, feel free to contact me individually, and I'd be more than happy to chat.
Finally, THANK YOU, NEW YORK!!! Thank you for your sense and your acceptance. I honestly don't understand discrimination. My mom and I were texting about it today. She said, "Differences scare people." Analytically, this makes sense. That, or "change," in another word, is one of the many reasons that I chose not to study abroad. However, in the words of Cabaret's Sally Bowles, "I think people are people." We're all living in this world that is paradoxically small and large at the same time; either way, we're sharing this world, so we might as well get along, right? Just a thought... In any case, 6 states down, 44 to go.
My post title today alludes to two songs that I feel are appropriate today for me. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they carry similar ideas and feelings. And one is obviously fitting for the gay movement.
"There's a place for us, a time and place for us. Hold my hand and we're halfway there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there, somehow, someday, somewhere."
-"Somewhere," West Side Story
"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."
-"Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz
Thinking about lots of things today. I haven't read any articles yet for the coming week, although I really should. Procrastination doesn't seem to end when the school year ends. How unfortunate.
Nevertheless, I've been working on another project of importance: a play. It's been difficult, having so many play ideas bouncing around in my head, but a blessed difficulty. I could be totally devoid of imagination, and that would be sadder. The play that I'm working on now is currently 31 pages. (For those of you who know of my one-act play from PCDS, that play was 8 pages long--15-20 minutes long.) It's also a pretty personal play, I would say--but when are my plays or any written work not personal? The play travels backward in time to key moments in the friendship between two men. It has to do with (unrequited) love, marriage, self-discovery, and personal freedom. It's also a musical. I have written lyrics to the songs, and even though I can hear vague music in my head when I think of the lyrics and especially the emotions of the songs, I definitely don't have the ability to compose the music. Perhaps someday... Or if and when the play is published, it's up to the directors to find a composer, similar to 12 Ophelias, the play I did this past spring. Ah... good times :)
Speaking of theater, I'm super excited about Macalester's upcoming fall play, Naomi Wallace's The Inland Sea. Briefly, it's about a village of British people in Yorkshire, England, who face challenges surrounding the changing landscape of the village. A landscape artist wants the villagers to move, but the villagers don't want to move, and the diggers are stuck in the middle of the chaos. It a serious, thoughtful play, and it's the first play I've read by Naomi Wallace, and now I think I love her. Definitely auditioning!!
Which brings me to my next topic: London and study abroad. For those of you who don't know, I've decided to opt out of studying abroad. There were lots of reasons that went into my decision, but I ultimately felt that I would have a better experience staying at Macalester for the fall semester. If any of you are curious to know more, feel free to contact me individually, and I'd be more than happy to chat.
Finally, THANK YOU, NEW YORK!!! Thank you for your sense and your acceptance. I honestly don't understand discrimination. My mom and I were texting about it today. She said, "Differences scare people." Analytically, this makes sense. That, or "change," in another word, is one of the many reasons that I chose not to study abroad. However, in the words of Cabaret's Sally Bowles, "I think people are people." We're all living in this world that is paradoxically small and large at the same time; either way, we're sharing this world, so we might as well get along, right? Just a thought... In any case, 6 states down, 44 to go.
My post title today alludes to two songs that I feel are appropriate today for me. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they carry similar ideas and feelings. And one is obviously fitting for the gay movement.
"There's a place for us, a time and place for us. Hold my hand and we're halfway there. Hold my hand and I'll take you there, somehow, someday, somewhere."
-"Somewhere," West Side Story
"Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true."
-"Over the Rainbow," The Wizard of Oz
Friday, June 24, 2011
In the beginning...
Hello world,
So a month ago, before I came out here to St. Paul for the summer, I decided that I would start a blog in the hopes of keeping my close friends and family up to date on my summer research and activities. Well, here I am a month later, but better late than never. Sooo much has been happening, and much of it has been kind of a whirlwind, so in some ways, starting this blog will help me process some of what's happened. I have the added bonus of, in a way, keeping in touch with you all.
Some of you may be curious about the name of my blog and my url choice. My url is mostly affected by what my options were. Some of my other ideas were already taken, but it incorporates my last name and "Mac," as in, Macalester. My blog name was a very old nickname I had--and I can assure you, one that was very short-lived. However, I thought it was funny, and again, it incorporates my last name. French fries are also a nice snack, or something to nibble on. My blog postings are hopefully, every now and then, something that you can metaphorically or intellectually nibble on.
I will also share in this first blog post a kind of warning, or "heads up." A lot of what I'm researching and engaging in is very theoretical stuff. A lot of the time, it may not make sense to you--sometimes, it doesn't make sense to me either, which is why I'm working on this research project with a mentor/advisor.
I mentioned that I am doing a summer research project. What is it about, you may ask. First, I will preface by explaining that this project is part of a Fellowship that I applied for: the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. There is lots of official information at this website: http://www.mmuf.org/; however, I can tell you on a basic level that this is a fellowship for undergraduate students of color, or minority students. Five students from Macalester were chosen, and I was one of them. Now, over the summer, we have to attend weekly seminars led by a Mac (short for Macalester) professor; we also meet with a selected mentor, or advisor, who assigns us readings, movie viewings, and more, helping us during and for our research. My mentor is Beth Cleary, a theater professor whom I've taken classes from and who has directed me in two plays. So if I ever mention a "Beth" in the future, now you know who I'm referring to.
As for my project itself, I still don't know what my final product will be, but chances are that it will include a research paper and a performance piece. I also am still determining what the subject of the project will be, and I'm pretty sure that it will be centered around performance studies (kind of a branch of theater, but relevant to so many different academic disciplines) and queer black culture. This means that I read many scholarly articles about queer black culture, performance studies, and the intersection of the two areas. Masculinity, especially black masculinity, gets discussed frequently, as well as interracial considerations or "performances" in this/these areas. In my next blog, if you're still interested, I will explain more about "performance," since the word can have a very different meaning in academic settings--it is now a loaded word, and one that I'm still grappling with.
I will also start ending my blogs with a song lyric that resonates with me today. I'm going to try to have a new one each time, but I may forget, so forgive any repeats.
"Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye. We taught the world new ways to dream."
-"As If We Never Said Goodbye," Sunset Boulevard
So a month ago, before I came out here to St. Paul for the summer, I decided that I would start a blog in the hopes of keeping my close friends and family up to date on my summer research and activities. Well, here I am a month later, but better late than never. Sooo much has been happening, and much of it has been kind of a whirlwind, so in some ways, starting this blog will help me process some of what's happened. I have the added bonus of, in a way, keeping in touch with you all.
Some of you may be curious about the name of my blog and my url choice. My url is mostly affected by what my options were. Some of my other ideas were already taken, but it incorporates my last name and "Mac," as in, Macalester. My blog name was a very old nickname I had--and I can assure you, one that was very short-lived. However, I thought it was funny, and again, it incorporates my last name. French fries are also a nice snack, or something to nibble on. My blog postings are hopefully, every now and then, something that you can metaphorically or intellectually nibble on.
I will also share in this first blog post a kind of warning, or "heads up." A lot of what I'm researching and engaging in is very theoretical stuff. A lot of the time, it may not make sense to you--sometimes, it doesn't make sense to me either, which is why I'm working on this research project with a mentor/advisor.
I mentioned that I am doing a summer research project. What is it about, you may ask. First, I will preface by explaining that this project is part of a Fellowship that I applied for: the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship. There is lots of official information at this website: http://www.mmuf.org/; however, I can tell you on a basic level that this is a fellowship for undergraduate students of color, or minority students. Five students from Macalester were chosen, and I was one of them. Now, over the summer, we have to attend weekly seminars led by a Mac (short for Macalester) professor; we also meet with a selected mentor, or advisor, who assigns us readings, movie viewings, and more, helping us during and for our research. My mentor is Beth Cleary, a theater professor whom I've taken classes from and who has directed me in two plays. So if I ever mention a "Beth" in the future, now you know who I'm referring to.
As for my project itself, I still don't know what my final product will be, but chances are that it will include a research paper and a performance piece. I also am still determining what the subject of the project will be, and I'm pretty sure that it will be centered around performance studies (kind of a branch of theater, but relevant to so many different academic disciplines) and queer black culture. This means that I read many scholarly articles about queer black culture, performance studies, and the intersection of the two areas. Masculinity, especially black masculinity, gets discussed frequently, as well as interracial considerations or "performances" in this/these areas. In my next blog, if you're still interested, I will explain more about "performance," since the word can have a very different meaning in academic settings--it is now a loaded word, and one that I'm still grappling with.
I will also start ending my blogs with a song lyric that resonates with me today. I'm going to try to have a new one each time, but I may forget, so forgive any repeats.
"Yes, everything's as if we never said goodbye. We taught the world new ways to dream."
-"As If We Never Said Goodbye," Sunset Boulevard
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