To position my work, you may find my self-location here.
Those in media have heard at some point the words of Canadian academic Marshall McLuhan: “the medium is the massage [sic]” (1967/1996, p. 26), or more commonly “the medium is the message.” These are McLuhan’s famous words, his everlasting claim to academic fame that distracts from the prejudice at the foundation of his romanticized, colonial description of media. I will begin by identifying the faults in McLuhan’s sociological perspective before analyzing his theories. For McLuhan, media is a tool that is an extension of ones self, and “The extension of any one sense alters the way we think and act–the way we perceive the world.” (p. 148). I will explore the idea of media as an extension of the self by using the example of academic writing. McLuhan observes that we create environments through the use of media (p. 26). Indigenous people working in a variety of mediums create environments for decolonization and self-representation. I will use two examples of First Nations artists creating environments for Indigenous community through new media. I begin by identifying McLuhan’s prejudice, then I describe media as an extension of self, and finish with contemporary examples of Indigenous people decolonizing new media environments.
McLuhan succeeds at tokenizing and dehumanizing Indigenous culture within the context, and for the benefit of, explaining Western culture. While McLuhan was revolutionary in describing new theories of how media works, he simultaneously develops his ideas around colonial concepts, including his assertion that a “multidimensional space orientation” is “primitive” (1967/1996, p. 56). Many Indigenous people view the world from a non-linear worldview.
Many Indigenous people view the world from a non-linear worldview.
Stephen Loft (2012) envisions, and reclaims the concept of “multidimensional space orientation” as cosmology–the connections of the past to the present, of one another to the ancestors, and of the material to the spiritual (p. 175), as a way of viewing media within a contemporary environment. Despite the position of McLuhan being a white settler academic, he flippantly states in his book, “the new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village,” coupled with an image of an Afrikan tribe (p. 67) to describe the West’s “new found interconnectedness.” McLuhan makes uninformed sweeping statements that literacy divorced “us” [ie. Western culture, those reading The Medium is the Massage] from “tribal emotions” (p. 63). This description trivializes tribal people as having distinct non-human emotions aside from the Western definition of emotion. Despite the incorrect use of terminology, tokenizing of Indigenous culture, and the demeaning perspective of Indigenous worldviews as “primitive” in the eyes of the West, the use of McLuhan’s conceptualization of media may be applied in understanding Indigenous uses of new media.
McLuhan argues that the medium is a tool that represents an extension of self (1967/1996, p. 26). He states, “all media are extensions of some human faculty–psychic or physical” (p. 26). The various mediums we use for communication work in different ways as an extension of self, and thus have an effect on how we organize socially within those environments. It has taken me some time to articulate this in a meaningful way, but I will use the example of academic writing as an extension of self. Just as “Clothing, [is] an extension of the skin”, “electric circuitry, [is] an extension of the central nervous system” (p. 38-40), and the “academic paper” can be an extension of the Western pedagogy. Writing, albeit academic, is very personal. I felt my first blog did not adequately represent my ideas, my community, my family or myself in the good intentioned way I meant to convey my ideas (lets face it, a lot of terrible things have happened from good intentions–colonization and assimilation for instance). As any “good” student I set out to write an “academic paper,” which was technically what I wrote (I took a very linear path to writing an academic paper). The problem was that it did not feel authentic. For a moment I forgot my intention, to be critical through an Indigenous lens.
For a moment I forgot my intention, to be critical through an Indigenous lens.
I did not position myself within the academy in my first edition, neglected to include a self-location to put my perspective into context (you’ll see I now have a separate category in this blog called Self Location which will apply to my work moving forward), and when I reflect back I realize how crucial this step is. This is a convoluted way to say that the medium, the “academic paper,” was an extension of myself within the framework of a Western academic education. As McLuhan so eloquently put it, “all media work us over completely” (p. 26). I was caught in the Western academic trap. Perhaps this is what happened to McLuhan as well, as once I went down that path of writing an “academic paper,” I had to take a step back and question if this was how I wanted to be represented as an extension of myself. So how do other Indigenous artists and media makers represent themselves through media?
McLuhan asserts that we create environments for communication (1967/1996, p. 26). McLuhan states, “These environments are invisible. Their groundrules, [sic] pervasive structure, and overall patterns elude easy perception.” (p. 84, 85). Loft (2012) envisions new media as a means of creating a space for interconnectedness among Indigenous people in cyber space (p. 175). In my earlier rendering of this blog, I attempted to apply McLuhan’s concepts to the work of Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson. As I was writing, I felt very conflicted about my approach. I still feel as though Jackson does not deserve to be vetted within the context of McLuhan’s Western prejudicial linear worldview, however, Jackson is an important influencer in the Indigenous film community and I am still very compelled to use her work as an example of an Indigenous environment for communication and decolonization.
Jackson, L. [Catrina Longmuir]. (2013). How A People Live [Video file]. Retrieved from http://lisajackson.ca/How-a-People-Live
In the movie trailer for How A People Live (2013), Jackson creates a space–an environment–for the Gwa’sala-‘Nakwaxda’xw First Nations for self-representation through interviews with people telling their story from their perspective; and visual sovereignty by allowing these subjects to define their image on the screen. Another example of an Indigenous defined environment is A Tribe Called Red’s latest album We Are The Halluci Nation. These Mohawk, Cayuga and Nipissing Anishnabe artists use their medium for the purpose of creating Indigenous spaces while acting as role models for the Indigenous community. Their website sums it up in their words: “at their shows, a crowd of Aboriginal Canadians (which includes First Nations people, Métis, Inuit, and 631 other nations) mix with social activists, music heads and anyone looking for a great party and a safe space to come together.” (A Tribe Called Red Press Kit, n.d., para 3). A Tribe Called Red actively decolonize space by challenging racial stereotypes and reclaiming Indigenous representations in “movies, cartoons and media” by incorporating these images into their live performances for the purpose of creating “a new political context” (para 3).
A Tribe Called Red promotes inclusivity, empathy and acceptance amongst all races and genders in the name of social justice. They believe that indigenous people need to define their identity on their own terms. (Press Kit, n.d., para. 7).
A Tribe Called Red, Trudell, J. Northern Voice. [A Tribe Called Red]. (2016, July 12). We Are The Halluci Nation Ft. John Trudell & Northern Voice [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4xwN3yPZA0
In this seemingly simple video, A Tribe Called Red utilizes multiple means of visual and verbal communication. At their disposal, they use spoken word for storytelling and envisioning a space outside of reality (“we are the tribe they cannot see”), imagery of the land, symbolism in lieu of written words (the DNA symbol at 51 seconds), the symbolism of circular ways of thinking (“we are the evolution, the continuation” at 1 minute 4 seconds) (A Tribe Called Red et al., “We Are The Halluci Nation,” 2016). Both Jackson and A Tribe Called Red embody Loft’s vision of cyberspace while creating McLuhan’s concept of environment.
McLuhan was a visionary for his time, regardless of his misguided approach to describing media and the new environment(s) it creates. Before looking at the work of McLuhan, it is vital to recognize the prejudice underlying his body of work. Despite his inability to place Indigenous culture in a Western framework, we can still apply some of McLuhan’s concepts to Indigenous new media. McLuhan argues that the media is a means of communication that is an extension of self, which effects our social organization (1967/1996, p. 26, 41). There are plenty of examples of Indigenous people using new media to create decolonized environments, where I look at two contemporary examples of film and music. The book The Medium Is The Massage is a starting point for understanding media, however additional sources are required to put these concepts into ones own worldview.
Allen, W. (Director). [Tralfaz666]. (2011, December 1). Woody Allen meets Marshall McLuhan [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/sXJ8tKRlW3E?t=2m1s
References:
A Tribe Called Red Press Kit [Web page]. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://atribecalledred.com/bio/
A Tribe Called Red, Trudell, J. Northern Voice. [A Tribe Called Red]. (2016, July 12). We Are The Halluci Nation Ft. John Trudell & Northern Voice [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4xwN3yPZA0
Allen, W. (Director). [Tralfaz666]. (2011, December 1). Woody Allen meets Marshall McLuhan [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/sXJ8tKRlW3E?t=2m1s
Jackson, L. [Catrina Longmuir]. (2013). How A People Live [Video file]. Retrieved from http://lisajackson.ca/How-a-People-Live
Loft, S., Swanson, K. (Eds.) (2012). Coded territories: Tracing Indigenous pathways in new media art. Calgary, Alberta: University of Calgary Press.
McLuhan, M., Fiore, Q., & Agel, J. (1996). The medium is the massage: An inventory of effects. London: Penguin. (Original work published 1967)
Thank you for your blogpost, Lisa! I was interested in your blog after hearing about your dilemma over whether to post it publicly, and am glad to have the chance to read it. Your analysis of McLuhan’s ‘tokeniz[ation] and dehumaniz[ation] of Indigenous culture’ was insightful and I appreciated your examples of Lisa Jackson’s film work and A Tribe Called Red’s music and visuals. Your wariness over applying McLuhan’s ‘Western prejudicial linear worldview’ to their work is an important thing to think about in this class, and in all academia, I think. I was most struck by your ‘self-location’ in the blog, both around your position as an Indigenous and academic writer, and your personal struggles on how to write this piece and whether to share it publicly. You have inspired me to be much more self-reflexive in my next blog post.
Your post has left me wondering about a few things… What does McLuhan’s quote, “clothing is an extension of the skin” (your title) mean to you? How does it relate to your claim that ‘academic writing is an extension of the self.’ Clothing both warms us, protecting us from the environment, and conceals us. It can be a political colonizing act, such as when Indigenous children were forced to wear ‘Western’ clothing in Residential Schools. Or an act of resistance (http://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/first-nations-law-student-gets-ok-to-wear-regalia-to-call-to-bar-in-ontario-1.3123665). How does ‘academic [blog] writing’ differ from traditional ‘academic writing?’ Does it change your conceptualization of self?
Hi Kate!
The title “clothing, an extension of the skin…” was a direct comparison to an academic paper as an extension of Western academia and pedagogy. In my initial version of this blog I struggled to draw the same comparisons as you, clothing having both a functional purpose and at the same time can have ulterior motives in a colonial context–for the purpose of assimilation. I immediately drew the comparison of children in residential schools, however in the same way I was hesitant to look at Jackson’s work within McLuhan’s Western framework, I ultimately decided not to look at residential schools through McLuhan’s Western lens. It was difficult to figure out why that was uncomfortable for me, because at first it was a gut feeling, but I realized it was an internal conflict of my First Nations upbringing/worldview and my Western academic education. As for the title, in many Indigenous cultures you’re told stories without the moral explicitly laid out for you at the end of it and you’re left to figure it out on your own. I suppose this was my subversive way of incorporating my title into that imagery of assimilation from my first blog. When I rewrote this, I tried to flip the narrative to incorporate positive examples of Indigenous uses of media to challenge that discourse. I’m hoping to do a vlog for my next piece to avoid the task of academic writing all together!
Hi Lisa! I really enjoyed reading your blog post because you positioned yourself and because of your examples of new media in Indigenous communities. First off, your positionality was really helpful to me because I too face this struggle of sometimes forgetting my Indigenous lens. That we are in academia but we can be critical and have our teachings and Indigenous perspectives lead our work. Having a separate post on your positioning is a very helpful way to combat this issue because in the academic sense it avoids repetition. Yet, and possibly more importantly, in an Indigenous and blog friendly sense, it allows easy access to your position IN YOUR OWN WORDS (couldn’t underline so this will have to do, but promise I’m not trying to shout).
In addition I really agree with your point that McLuhan’s argument “that multidimensional space orientation is primitive” is an uninformed statement; that actually many Indigenous people have a non-linear worldview and it is a complex cosmology. Many of his arguments are sweeping statements, something that I touched on in my blog as well, though with different wording.
Lastly, in my opinion, your Indigenous new media examples at the end of your blog is a great ending because it highlights the positive uses that media play in Aboriginal activism and strengthening Indigenous communities. That though McLuhan may not have realized the potential for minority groups in a positive manner that we are already (and have been for some time) taking these actions. I look forward to reading your next blog post!
Hey Danielle, I totally agree that it’s important to have a self-location that is written in your own words, it avoids the issue of having your identity dictated for you. It’s an important part of screen sovereignty (one of my favourite topics), that allows you to define your own image. I really like what Dowell (2013) says in her article that there is no singular Aboriginal media aesthetic, but there are multiple aesthetics that reflect various nations and protocols. So the self-location piece helps when we’re in a place with such a diverse population where we can’t assume we know everyones history or experience, and definitely cannot make assumptions about people by reading their academic work. Thank you for your comment on the use of new media; I tried to leave it on a positive note after critiquing McLuhan!
Great to see so much fruitful conversation circulating around this piece already, Lisa! I didn’t get a chance to read your initial post, but it seems to me like you made the correct decision in re-writing and sharing the inner dialogue you experienced in making that decision is clearly helpful for other students as well, so thank you for being so open and honest. I really, really like how you build self location into your blog and reference it with the hyperlink here. I’m wondering if maybe you could take this even further–perhaps with geotagging or some sort of GIS? Maybe a google maps widget? Looking forward to reading more from you; this is a great start.