In the video we watched in class, we learned about Said's studies on the American's over politicized
views of people in the Middle east which connects to the dominating and misleading views that
orientalism projects. According to the video, orientalism began when scholars started developing in
depth studies of the Eastern world before having seen or met anyone from there. Some of these studies
were made solely based on what they thought it might be like. These beliefs were spread to people,
read by people and with the spread of these readings came the spread of misconceptions about this
specific group by the masses, the same way it has happened with America's portrayal of the Middle
East, in current times.
Of all the articles that we’ve read so far, I’ve found this one the most interesting. Although I am not Laotian, as a young woman of an immigrant family, I was able to relate to these girls on a certain level, but, at the same time, I was appalled by some of the things that they were subject to. Some of the things that I could relate to was the importance of family, both nuclear and distant. I don’t have any siblings and, like the girls in the article, my cousins are some of my closest friends. I always enjoy going to family events, because of the food, which is often traditional, and getting to hang out with my cousins. My family is a majority female and I was raised by a single mother, so the idea of a patriarchy and the reinforcement of the idea that “boys are better than girls” (and by their own families!) shocked me. This is not something I see too often in my family, but I’ve heard from my mom that growing up, her brother’s never did anything and were allowed to go outside and play for as long as they wanted, while her older sisters had to take care of the family and clean the house. One of my uncles, my mother’s brother, still has that mentality and tells his daughters that since they are girls they should learn to cook and clean.
It is interesting how throughout the article there is clearly tension between the old generation and views of people in the Middle east which connects to the dominating and misleading views that
orientalism projects. According to the video, orientalism began when scholars started developing in
depth studies of the Eastern world before having seen or met anyone from there. Some of these studies
were made solely based on what they thought it might be like. These beliefs were spread to people,
read by people and with the spread of these readings came the spread of misconceptions about this
specific group by the masses, the same way it has happened with America's portrayal of the Middle
East, in current times.
Of all the articles that we’ve read so far, I’ve found this one the most interesting. Although I am not Laotian, as a young woman of an immigrant family, I was able to relate to these girls on a certain level, but, at the same time, I was appalled by some of the things that they were subject to. Some of the things that I could relate to was the importance of family, both nuclear and distant. I don’t have any siblings and, like the girls in the article, my cousins are some of my closest friends. I always enjoy going to family events, because of the food, which is often traditional, and getting to hang out with my cousins. My family is a majority female and I was raised by a single mother, so the idea of a patriarchy and the reinforcement of the idea that “boys are better than girls” (and by their own families!) shocked me. This is not something I see too often in my family, but I’ve heard from my mom that growing up, her brother’s never did anything and were allowed to go outside and play for as long as they wanted, while her older sisters had to take care of the family and clean the house. One of my uncles, my mother’s brother, still has that mentality and tells his daughters that since they are girls they should learn to cook and clean.
the new, but both are codependent with one another to uphold their culture. In a way, both generations
have developed as subcultures under the Laotian culture umbrella. Both subcultures meet at a sight of
resistance, but that is what defines who they are as a a culture. This hybrid mix of traditional culture,
brought by the parents, mixed with the a reformed version of that same culture, that the new
generation lives by and perceives creates the culture that the rest of society witnesses. For example,
the parents of these Laotian daughters control the private sphere of their lives, but they rely on their
daughters to develop a voice for them and their community on the larger sphere and to be able to
communicate in the new world that they have been immersed in.
No comments:
Post a Comment