Week 7 Reflection — HILD 12

Hi all. After reading about various accounts of social and political struggle through this course so far, I’ve seen the many actions people made to preserve their culture or fight for rights in the face of powerful governments/countries. With these movements came “cultural productions” highlighting the experiences of groups through art such as music, film, and literature while building community in even the most dire situations.

I think these cultural productions are instrumental in not only hearing the voices of those who faced injustice but also understanding how they banded together to either survive situations or resist oppression. Looking back to the Chinese who made safe places for themselves in Jamaica among each other and with Jamaicans, we can see how music drove a sense of community. The blending of both cultures and congregations of individuals from all likes of class and society inevitably helped support the anti-imperialist goals the people had in liberating Jamaica economically. I think literature also has a big impact in highlighting the political struggle groups face in a variety of situations. I like extending literature to include the petitions and proposals groups make to governments in hope for equity, equality, and support. In modern day we see this in statements made by groups on the internet posted on websites and social media. That being said, we also see the double edged sword of those with the loudest voices having the most visibility rather than those with the most humane ones and is worth being aware of. The landscape of these cultural productions will always be intertwined in reflecting the political struggles of groups across the world and usually has the most power to bring people together for a common cause.

My understanding of belonging definitely shifted drastically as I became exposed to more information through the internet, school, and my peers. All these avenues developing through the mediums such as music, literature, and film helped me find the communities I’m glad to be a part of today. Many of my political motivations and interests came specifically from non-fiction literature in books by entrepreneurs and politicians and I enjoy discussing the ideas with friends and family. I see these cultural pillars as ways we as people can continue to collect our diverse voices and ideologies. Any social or political movement thrives from collaboration and common discourse and as we’ve seen in the past through examples like the Japanese-Korean Taki Seihi strike, many age groups and ethnicities can take part. The last thing I would like to mention is a community building app I recently enjoyed using called Clubhouse. It seems to me like this is one of our modern day solutions for cross collaboration and cultural expression and has a unique way of creating meaningful connections. I believe in a world where cultural productions enable passionate groups to thrive in a civil way that steers clear from extremities and radicalism. Seeing examples of this in history and understanding how healthy movements were created can definitely translate into how we can support the creation of them today.