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Sanjan Pancholi's Coggle Map - Coggle Diagram
Sanjan Pancholi's Coggle Map
9/3 The Cheat
Arakau is depicted as a mysterious figure from the first instance we see him
"East is East and West is West and never the Twain shall meet"
Gender and Power
Richard is portrayed as a protector who comes to her defense in spite of her mistakes. His character embodies the idea of a "white, male savior"
Richard takes responsibility for the shooting of Arakau instead of letting Edith take the fall.
Racial Inequality and Justice
Jury cheers for Edith and Richard as they leave the courtroom, showing the favorable attitude towards white innocence over justice for non-white people
A lynch mob gathers for Arakau, as they are willing to take matters into their own hands to deal with the non-white person
9/10 Toll of the Sea
Second film to employ two-process technicolor using red and green filters (First was
The Gulf Between
(11:30) Allen's friends convince him to leave without Lotus Flower because she is "different"
Breakout film for Anna May Wong
(17:20) Allen is fiddling with the flower that Lotus Flower gave her and eventually tears it apart, symbolizing the end of their relationship
(13:30) Allen's friend points out that she is different and the camera immediately pans to a classy white woman and then an unappealing image of asian women
(39:00) Baby Allen is given a bath which signifies them washing off all the "bad" aspects of him, and he is then ready to go to America
9/10 "Color-as-hue and Color-as-race: Early Technicolor, Ornamentalism, and Toll of the Sea"
ornamentalism: when the exoticization of non-white characters is achieved through color contrasts
The vibrant hues form technicolor reinforce racial norms
Chromophobia: The fear of contamination from something that is unknown
9/12 Daughter of the Dragon
Love vs Duty
Ling Moy: Must choose between her love for Ronald and her duty to her father
Ah Kee: Must choose between his love for Ling Moy and his hatred for Fu Manchu
9/3 The Other Question
"Stereotype...is a form of knowledge and identification"
Stereotypes serve as a strategy of symbolic control
Rather than fixate on the stereotypes themselves, focus on why and how they came to be in the first place
9/5 Romance and the Yellow Peril
Cultural Fear
Asian men are depicted as a sexual and economic threat in Hollywood films
Typically plays the role of a dangerous stranger or predatory figure
Romance is used to reflect racial separation
White male often saves white woman from asian man
Hollywood uses Asians as "racial otherness" to avoid the immediate racial tensions between black people and white people.
9/17 South Asians and the Hollywood Party
South Asians were portayed as clumsy and overly polite (Apu from the simpsons)
Apu was voiced by a white man
Reduced their complex identities to a sort of joke character or a laughing stock
Peter Sellers (British actor) often uses brown face to portray south Asian characters ("The Party")
Made use of exaggerated gestures, accents, and stereotypes
Cultural Appropriation
By having white actors like Sellers perform in brownface,,Hollywood contributed to the erasure of authentic South Asian voices in cinema
Hollywood took away opportunities from South Asian actors and gave these opportunities to white actors
9/17 Made Up Asians
Yellowface Defined
Presents Asians as exotic beings
Often shown with slanted eyes and broken English
Yellowface: White actors that portray Asian characters
Cultural Impact of Yellowface
Established a clear distinction between the West and the "exotic" East
Marginalized Asian communities by stripping them of their right to represent themselves
9/24 The World of Suzie Wong
9/24 "Recuperating Suzie Wong”
Portrays British as the top class and Americans as inferior
As long as Suzie is in her lingerie, "Robert is able to see her as oriental first, prostitute second or not at all"
Societal Norms
"Chinese women are thought to be pure and reserved"
Suzie being a prostitute goes against this belief
It is common to see lower class women in sex work
Often shown getting with white men
These women fit into to "Lotus Flower" role
Should be easy and obedient
Western Fascination of Asian Women
Susie's hyper-sexuality are critical to her appeal of white men
9/26 Hypersexuality of Race
Suzie can control Robert by directing her attention to other men
Productive Perversity: Using hypersexuality to frame Asian American women in a better light
10/1 Enter The Dragon
Bruce Lee's iconic role
subtly addresses racial inequality through the camaraderie between Lee, Roper
Challenges traditional Hollywood stereotypes of Asian men as passive or villainous
Bruce Lee portrays a charismatic and heroic
10/3 Better Luck Tomorrow
Stereotypes and Model Minority :
Traditional Asian stereotypes are depicted early in the film, but they are slowly challenged throughout the film and called into question
Ben is focused on his flaws rather than his achievements
The characters committing crimes directly goes against the model minority
Almost as if they were trying to escape the model minority
Steve vs Ben
Steve doesn't see Ben as a threat
Ben cedes all power to Steve after the winter formal when Stephanie goes back with Steve
10/3 Straitjacket Sexualities (Shimizu)
(127) "These [Asian] men don't know how to interact very well-they slide into friendship and there's a fundamental lie at the core, which leads to very difficult situations"
The fundamental lie is Ben's lack of confronting his own feelings
10/1 “Bruce Lee and the Anti-Imperialism of Kung-Fu”
Redefines Asian masculinity by portraying Asian men as powerful and independent
Kung Fu is framed as a symbol of resistance against imperialism and oppression
Presents Kung Fu as a tool for challenging Western dominance
Gighlight the resilience of Eastern philosophies in the face of Western exploitation
10/8 View History and Memory: For Akiko and Takashige
Inter-generational story
Everyone wants to forget the bad memories
Tajiri uses both real images and imagined versions of the past to show how people's memories can be different from the truth when they are trying to forget certain events
She feels as if she is a ghost among the living
The film employs a variety of sources due to people's disjointed memories
10/10 “In the Afterglow of Regenerative Violence: Third Cinema and Asian America Media Discourse”
Tajiri wanted to find explanations for the disjointed memories
Third Cinema: "An array of media practices that resists reduction to a shared set of formal or thematic features"
Mimura explores how Third Cinema's emphasis on anti-colonial and revolutionary narratives intersects with Asian American media in order to challenge dominant representations
First Cinema: "Regardless of its formal and thematic diversity, is characterized by an ultimate commitment to corporate profits and mass entertainment"
Second Cinema: "Offers meaningful challenges to studio system productions; however, its defining pursuit of questions of art and aesthetics displaces the possibility of sustained, radical critique, and thereby remains circumscribed 'within the system'."
10/17 Who Killed Vincent Chin
Asian Americans were blamed for the downfall of the auto industry
Often used as a scapegoat for many issues
Chin’s death was a result of anti-Asian sentiment due to economic tensions in the U.S. auto industry.
His death became a unifying moment for Asian Americans; Led to significantly increased activism and raised awareness to racial violence
The court case exposed the failures of the US legal system
The white men who killed Vincent Chin received minimal sentences
This caused Asian Americans to demand for equal treatment under the law
10/17 “Detroit Blues”
There was feeling of hatred towards Asians all across the United States
The downfall of Detroit was blamed on Japanese people
In the 1970's, anything related to the Japanese was considered to be a threat
Asian Americans were typically kept out of conversations about race
10/22 AKA Don Bonus
Depicts Don's struggles with school, family, and identity, offering an intimate, first-person perspective of his life.
Explores the experiences of Cambodian refugees in the United States.
Highlighting issues of cultural displacement, poverty, and systemic barriers
Showcases Don's resilience and determination to graduate from high school and carve out a future for himself.
Film questions the idea of the American Dream
10/22 "Refugeetude” (Nguyen)
"refugeetude": a condition of perpetual displacement and marginalization experienced by refugees
Refugeetude is shaped by societal perceptions of refugees as burdens or perpetual foreigners
Nguyen critiques how mainstream media often simplifies refugee narratives
Portrays refugees as helpless victims or threats, rather than complex individuals
10/24 Erie Country Smile
Examines the struggle to belong in predominantly white spaces like Erie County
Challenges one dimensional portrayals of Asian Americans by showcasing nuanced, lived experiences
10/31 Saving Face
Tensions between traditional cultural expectations and modern individual desires
Wilhelmina and her mother.
Wil feels pressure to maintain her family’s reputation while her mother feels societal shame from the unexpected pregnancy
"Saving Face" refers to the Chinese concept of maintaining dignity and one's reputation
10/31 Sohn's Inscrutable Belongings
Inscrutability: Asian Americans are often perceived as unknowable or mysterious by the dominant culture
Reinforces stereotypes of Asian Americans as perpetual foreigners or faceless individuals within larger societal structures.
Sohn critiques how the media perpetuates inscrutability; presenting Asian Americans in ways that obscure their humanity and agency.
11/5 Mississippi Masala
Addresses how immigrants struggle with belonging in new countries while maintaining connections to their homeland.
The film critiques how racism and economic inequality shape power dynamics between communities of color.
We see there is a societal disapproval of their relationship (due to racial and cultural prejudices), while also celebrating their love as a rejection of this disapproval
11/5 At the Crossroads of Two Empires
Seshagiri examines how diasporic South Asian identities are shaped by British imperialism and American global dominance.
South Asians in the U.S. experience a dual marginalization: First, as remnants of British colonial subjects, and second, as immigrants navigating American racial hierarchies
South Asians are often perceived as outsiders within both colonial and post colonial contexts
11/12 The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Explores the tension between Changez’s Pakistani identity and his attempt to assimilate into American corporate culture.
Post-9/11 Islamophobia: highlights how 9/11 exacerbated the alienation of Muslim and South Asian communities
We see Changez being viewed with suspicion and hostility due to his ethnicity and religion
11/12 Model Minority Terrorist
Sohn critiques the "model minority" stereotype
Claims this erases individuality and complexity
Examines how post 9/11 narratives associated South Asian and Muslim identities with terrorism
11/14 It Lives Inside
Samidha initially rejects her cultural heritage
This reflects the struggle many children of immigrants face in navigating dual identities.
Demonic spirit could serve as a metaphor for the emotional toll of cultural dissociation
The film shows how moving away from ones cultural heritage can lead to personal struggles
11/21 Everything Everywhere All At Once
Multiverse concept introduces chaotic experiences for the characters
Multiverse represents the chaotic experience of identity that immigrants must face as they navigate cultural and generational expectations placed upon them
Evelyn's alternate lives shows the "what ifs" of what her life could have been
This showcases the pressures of assimilation vs individuality
Intergenerational Trauma
Strained relationship between Evelyn and her daughter Joy
Evelyn has a tough time connecting with Joy
Reflects the struggle between traditional immigrant values and the younger generations desire for self discovery
11/19 Robot Stories
My Robot Baby
The Robot baby could serve as a metaphor for how we think of life and responsibility
This raises concerns about our emotional attachment to non human beings
Cultural anxiety around parenting
This scenario reflects the widespread fear that parents have: the need to be perfect for their children
The Robot Fixer
Bernice's journey shows how grief can lead to the pursuit of deeper connections with loved ones
Added complexity by to the already existing cultural loss by giving the immigrant feelings of grief
Machine Love
Loneliness and Desire
Uses the Archie's longing for affection to parallel that of human isolation in society
Blurring the boundaries between humans and AI
Portrays AI as being capable of emotional depth; challenges the distinction between humans and robots
Clay
Poses question about the value of human life
Life only has meaning because it is finite?
Attempt to cheat death through technology takes away from fundamental human traits
John doesn't see the point in living forever if he cannot continue making sculptures
11/21 The Transformers
Critiques the lack of representation and the stereotypical portrayals of Asian Pacific American (APA) women in film
APA women often depicted as hypersexualized figures ("Dragon Lady")
Race and Gender
APA women face oppression both as women and as members of a racialized community
Critique of Hollywood
Hollywood’s historical and systemic biases have excluded APA women from meaningful roles
Calls for structural change in film industry to let APA women have more freedom in their storytelling
11/26 “Asian American Media Activism”
Asian American media activism emerged during the 1960s and 1970s
Early efforts of activism focused on countering harmful stereotypes in mainstream media, such as the “Yellow Peril" and the "model minority"
There was a lack of funding as well as limited access to mainstream distribution channels which made this more difficult
Asian American filmmakers established independent media outlets to tell authentic stories in order to better represent their communities
Highlighted issues like intergenerational conflict and struggling with identity