Assignment 1 MCS
Multicultural Studies: 100 Assignment 1
Lecture: Review of keywords in Cultural Theory.
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View the Film “The Stuart Hall Project John Akomfrah.”[footnoteRef:1] Links of videos and readings are hyperlinked in module. [1: ] |
Part I:
1. Who was Stuart Hall? And how do you think the field of Cultural Studies & Ethnic Studies relates to the field of Chicano Studies, for example?
2. How is the Caribbean a place of identity according to Stuart Hall?
3. Within the context of the film, what does it mean to be of ‘hybrid’ cultures?
4. How does the concept of colonialism relate to the concept of cultural hybridity?
5. What were the aspirations of the middleclass Jamaican society? As was the case of Stuart Hall’s mother. Why do you think she aspired to that?
6. What nationality was Stuart Hall? How did he struggle with his identity? How do you think that relates to the experiences of Mexican/Americans and other ethnic minorities living in the United States today?
8. Stuart cites Antonio Gramsci saying we need to understand the world with the “pessimism of intellectualism and the positivism of the will” What do you think this means? Elaborate.
9. Write two paragraphs in which you discuss Corky Gonzales’ poem I am Joaquin[footnoteRef:2]. What is the most significant struggle he faces? Why and how is Native American symbolism used for self-identification? [2: ]
10. Which are the forces that influence people to choose certain identities?
11. Interview your parents to assemble a family tree. (5 points).
Part 2: From Peter Smith’s book, Talons of The Eagle, and article The West and The Rest by Stuart Hall.
12. Would the concept of racial discrimination fall under what category of power based on Peter Smiths distinction between soft and hard forms of power?
13. The San Patricios suffered what type of discrimination? Racial or Ethnic and explain how.
14. In what ways is democracy a discourse of power during the early 20th century according to Peter Smith? In other words what ideology allows us to best explain American expansionism at the time?
15. According to Stuart Hall what is the history of ‘rude’ and ‘refined’ nations and how has this ideology legitimized the colonization of other nations? Give an example.
16. According to Stuart Hall how can we define what is Western ideology racially, ethnically, economically, religiously, etc…?
17. What were the basic rules of the “European game”?
18. What led the United States to enter the global competition for imperial power?
19. What was the immediate purpose of the Monroe Doctrine?
20. From the standpoint of the United States were the principle obstacles to democracy in Latin America? How important was racial prejudice?
21. What was the meaning of dollar diplomacy?
Rubric: 25 points.