Intellectual Autobiography

While I have always had an interest in media, especially film, my curiosity with the idea that media can be tools with which to learn about other cultures probably began during my freshman year at the University of Michigan. A victim of the hierarchical registration system that left international freshmen with what some considered the "leftovers" of the academic curriculum, I reluctantly enrolled in a Russian Cinema course upon the enthusiastic urging of my advisor. At first, I was furious that my first film-related endeavor at college would bear no resemblance to the production courses I had dreamed of taking in high school. Yet I surprised myself as week after week, the screenings became eagerly-anticipated opportunities to delve deeper into the society and background of Russia, a country becoming increasingly fascinating to me with every new film I saw. Whether through Eisenstein's rebellious use of montage in Strike or the anti-Communist undertones of Vertov's Man With a Movie Camera, Russian cinema showed me how films can serve as aesthetic microcosms of history. By the end of the semester, my visions of someday achieving fame and glory in Hollywood were replaced by a desire to discover how else I could learn about the world through cinema.

I realized then that since childhood, I have been using film to connect with other people and cultures. As the daughter of Indian immigrants, born and raised in Kobe, Japan, movies were irreplaceable elements of my upbringing, becoming an integral part of my ability to bond with my own grandparents. Our conversations were usually amalgams of halting, ungrammatical Gujarati and fragmented English, neither generation sufficiently fluent in the other's language of choice. Bollywood blockbusters compensated for our awkward communication; our shared love for them allowed us to reach a comfort level that did not rely on verbal eloquence. Thus marked the beginning of my fascination with film, which in turn, became the foundation of a relationship with my grandfather that erased all boundaries of age or language. His passion for them was infectious, and it was through him that I was first exposed to the genius of Satyajit Ray, the legend of Raj Kapoor, and the iconic celebrity of Amitabh Bachchan. To this day, Indian cinema has remained my connection to him, as well as to the country I am a native of but have never lived in, showing me how film can be a tool through identities are both built and maintained.

Back home, quintessentially Japanese cartoons always took up a considerable portion of my evening television quota during my childhood years; it was not uncommon that an episode of the American sitcom Full House might be followed by an hour of the immensely popular Japanese Sailor Moon. My love for anime provided a channel through which I acquired a better grasp of contemporary Japanese vernacular and ultimately, a sense of belonging in an otherwise exclusive society.

My exposure to Hollywood also began early, thanks to the foreign satellite dish installed in our apartment building, through which my mother would tape whatever late-night film she deemed appropriate enough for my sister and I to see. Countless trips to the local video rental store, along with occasional splurges at the theater, kept me updated on the industry's latest turnouts and gave me numerous snapshots of life in America, where I expected to eventually study; once again, it was film that educated me in many of the trends, values, and conventions of a nation that, until that point, I had felt a flimsy connection to.

Upon realizing my unique relationship with film, I sought ways to learn about and build upon it further. The Russian cinema class was thus only the first of many subsequent efforts to expand my appreciation of film as a window into other societies. The remainder of my undergraduate years was spent taking as many other classes as I could that dealt with the cinema of various nations or specific demographics. A seminar course on “Asian Americans in Film and Television” revealed the history of misrepresented Asian minorities by the American media. During a summer abroad in London, I was exposed to the rich history and fascinating social context of British cinema and television, so often dwarfed by the larger shadow of Hollywood. A class on contemporary Hollywood itself looked at its industrial practices, which often shun unconventional projects in favor of those that guarantee large profits. My endeavors augmented my fascination with the ability of cinema to reflect and reproduce historical and current contexts. I learned that be it a form of escapist entertainment or an expression of political rebellion, behind every film is a rationale that illuminates the circumstances framing its production. I gained greater respect for films’ ability to allow me to connect briefly with not only the cultures contiguous to my background, but those extending to peoples, areas, and issues that had once seemed alien and inaccessible to me. Moreover, I realized the crucial role films play in shaping images of a community, and how, depending on the people creating them, these images can either challenge or exacerbate stereotypes. This idea in particular resonated with me; being born and raised amidst three different societies, I have often observed and been a victim of stereotypical assumptions no doubt inspired by popular perceptions of Bollywood musicals or Japanese cartoons; thus, the end of my undergraduate years left me eager to investigate the idea of films as facilitators of such images.

However, moving to New York after graduation, I found the dismal economic climate a challenge for finding a stable job. I settled for a year of unpaid internships at a talent agency, casting company, and in particular, a human rights non-profit organization committed to using popular culture and the media to raise awareness and encourage action against domestic violence, immigration detainment, racial injustice, and HIV/AIDS in both India and the U.S. I was amazed at how effectively such issues could be brought to communities’ attention when they came in the forms of online games, music videos, or blogs. It was here that I realized how, until then, I had primarily been focusing on cinema as a medium to learn about and relate to a society. Working at Breakthrough helped me to recognize the value not just of films, but also of these numerous new media technologies in relaying messages. Intrigued, I began to explore these new methods of interaction. I became a regular reader of Sepia Mutiny, an online, self-proclaimed “cultural interest discussion forum” focusing on issues affecting the South Asian diaspora (Sepia Mutiny, 2009). I took part in webinars examining the ways social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have transformed the way we communicate. I even started my own blog, indulging in a longtime hobby of reviewing films. In short, I became another member of what Henry Jenkins has coined “participant culture” (Jenkins, 2006, p. 3). Yet, I am aware that my experiences to date have provided but mere previews of the kaleidoscopic nature of the media—I have still to more comprehensively explore the way in which, from various angles, they can be used as social commentaries, technological innovations, vehicles of globalization, or simply creative outlets.

It is this last motive, the opportunity for self-expression, which appeals to me most. Despite the fact that a year has passed since I graduated college, my initial curiosity in media’s stereotypical representations of ethnic communities has not been dampened. This era of media transition and convergence culture seems like a perfect opportunity to cultivate this interest—after all, as Jenkins says, no longer is the media dominated by large studios or corporate conglomerates; rather, the age of “interactive new media” has enhanced the role consumers play in “driving the process” (Jenkins, 2006, p. 8). Now, we have the tools to create our own media, construct our own representations, and tell our own stories. It is my hope that through the interdisciplinary curriculum of The New School, I can go from being a passive consumer to an active producer. I would like to take classes that develop my skills in the latest multimedia. I am excited to engage in discussions about the role that media plays in shaping identities and projecting images. I plan to conduct research, and display through projects and papers the relationship between media and the people who produce as well as perceive them. In doing so, I am optimistic that the Media Studies program will prepare me for a future where I can successfully combine my personal immigrant history and my interest in emerging new technologies in order to achieve my goal of one day producing my own media that tell rarely-told stories by often-muted voices and communities. Only with this more sophisticated and refined grasp of media as a cultural artifact and canvas for expression can I expect to one day make my own contributions and, ultimately, inspire others to regard it with a similar respect: to approach it not just as mindless entertainment that we passively observe, but as a stage for meaningful and eye-opening discourse in which we can actively participate.

Works Cited
1. Sepia Mutiny. (2009). Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved September 22, from Sepia Mutiny Website: http://www.sepiamutiny.com/sepia/faq.php

2. Jenkins, Henry. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York: New York University Press.