About
project rationale, methodology, limitations + looking ahead
project rationale :-
This autoethnographic project was inspired by my own experience as a South Asian woman and came from a desire to better understand the ways in which I, myself, have internalized the stereotypes and narratives associated with the South Asian identity.
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As an international student from a single-parent household, I've spent most of my academic career tirelessly working to ensure that I'm able to 'get' to the next step, no matter the toll that has taken on me. Despite all the effort and sacrifice that has gone into getting to college, I distinctly remember when someone I met for the first time jokingly said "Hey, what is the point of you getting your degree if you're just going to end up opening a convenience store?". In that moment, I was shocked, confused, and honestly, very hurt. The "opening a convenience store" part did not hurt, the imposed one-dimensionality that suggested that there was nothing for me beyond living up to a stereotyped South Asian character (Apu) did.
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While this was a personal experience, it exemplified how our media consumption is far from neutral - we're not just consuming content but we're also internalizing 'baked in' ideas and ideologies, regardless of whether we recognize its impact on our understanding of the world around us. This project, therefore, not only aims to contribute to the larger discourse surrounding media representation but it also aims to serve as a medium through which the harm caused by these (mis)representations is validated and the reclamation of these identities is celebrated.
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larger context:
The Beyond Apu project is my Film and Digital Media capstone project that I planned and executed as a senior pursuing a B.A. in Film and Digital Media + B.A. in Philosophy at Loyola University Chicago. This project was conceived, planned for, and executed over the course of the Spring 2021 semester with the guidance of my supervisor, Dr. Florence Chee. While I hope that this can be work I re-visit over time, especially as I engage with more critical media theory, I hope this further contextualizes the parameters of this project.
methodology
I conducted this exploration by collecting and analyzing various media artifacts (= tv shows, instagram accounts) from an interdisciplinary perspective, using media theory and philosophy - like critical race theory and post-colonial theory - to 'unpack' the larger net impact of South Asian representation for both, those within the community and those outside of it. You can find more on the theory + research + sites of study (i.e. the instagram accounts and tv shows) here.
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above: a visualization of where i was situated over the course of this exploration
