HILD 12 Medium Post #2
Art, music, literature, etc. all serve as mediums that convey and spread ideas of the authors to other people. But considering cultural differences in aesthetic and interest, I would like to talk about the case that these “cultural productions”’s target audience be the people with similar cultural backgrounds. That is, cultural productions of Chinese in Honolulu target other Chinese, that of Korean in Japan target other Koreans, etc. Thus, in analyses of the eruption of political struggles, they might convey and reflect the motivation, the process, the connection, and the other fragments of initiating and continuing struggles through author and audienc’s common identity.
In Karl’s Deterritorializing Politics, one of Liang’s Poem, the “Song”, showed that Liang begins locating himself to “Asia” and that he saw the “new world space” as “an opportunity to be taken up by purposive action” (68). In this example, from the poem, we could see how Liang has a better understanding of his identity and also how his understanding about international politics enables possible future actions. With the spreading of the poem, Liang’s idea then could join such conversation with other Chinese intellectuals/politicians. Literature then enabled others to have such complications on identity like Liang’s to further investigate “Chineseness”. Then they might also see the opportunity that lies in contemporary international situations from a similar perspective and position of being a Chinese. This might be an example that is similar to how cultural productions served as a medium of discussion in the eruption of political struggles.
In addition to conveying ideas, cultural production might also be the emotional connection and support within the group before and during the eruption of political struggle. In Tomiyama’s “Spy”, “As people withdrew from military law, Okinawan speech and song became the discourse of resistance … also bore resentment” (130). In front of the threat of death and after long oppression, Okinawan speech and song contains the idea of resistance and emotion of resentment to oppression. Since it is part of the reason that oppressors used for their suffering, cultural production directly resonates with their experience. With Okinawan speech and song representing Okinawan culture then to being an Okinawan, these cultural productions strengthen their Okinawan identity. By reinforcing one’s culture, they might bring the courage and determination to persist and struggle for their loved culture and fellows like how songs, stories, videos that resonate with our experience can affect us emotionally.
Hence, cultural productions are the medium of conversation and support between people in political struggle.
