As per the assignment instructions, Brooklyn and Celine have made a multimedia mash up of pop culture posts and links, all related to themes extrapolated from works by Sara Ahmed. The blog’s homepage acts as the ‘hub’ for the mash up, where all posts exist both individually, and collectively as a piece of feminist and intersectional work. You will also find an About Us page that introduces you to the blog’s authors. The page you are currently on is intended to: 1) give readers a background context for the meaning of the blog’s mash up art, and 2) meet the written requirement for the assignment, where students are asked to provide an explanation of motivation and process of the multimedia piece.
In Queer Phenomenology‘s introduction, “Find Your Way,” Ahmed introduces readers to the concept of orientation; she draws attention to how people often only become aware of orientation after acknowledging a disorientation. To describe this further, Ahmed details her experience of migrating, moving, and inhabiting and how “orientations, then, are about the intimacy of bodies and their dwelling places” (8). She uses concepts of lines, direction, sociality, and the body to articulate how identities exist (read: are oriented) in space and society. In particular, Ahmed shares with readers her leaving “the ‘world’ of heterosexuality, and [becoming] a lesbian, even though this means staying in a heterosexual world” (19). Meanwhile, On Being Included‘s introduction, “On Arrival,” discusses diversity and racism in academia and how Ahmed came to her research project; Ahmed emphasises issues around diversity policies in universities and introduces readers to her “arrival story”: Ahmed not only occupied a position on the “race equality team responsible for writing [her] university’s race equality policy” (4), but was invited onto the team based on her own race and diversity. In On Being Included, Ahmed also ties her discussion back to her earlier work by explaining how “phenomenology provides a critical lens through which to think about ‘institutional life.'” (On Arrival 15).
Brooklyn took on the role of designing the platform for this multimedia project. The choice to use UBC Blogs as a host was based on ease of use, and the appeal of using an academic institution’s tools to discuss issues within the institution itself. Brooklyn designed the blog with attention to the ‘theme’ and customization options that would best reflect an artistic mash up while also providing room for written explanation. The explanation of the blog was also composed by Brooklyn. Brooklyn and Celine each took a role in curating digital content they felt reflected aspects of Ahmed’s work. Brooklyn’s motivation in choosing her posts came from Ahmed’s poignant discussions on institutional race diversity, the queering of space, and the relationship between orientation, identity, and society. She also felt it important to include posts of various types (i.e. quotes, hyperlinks, videos, art, etc.) Celine chose to post pieces highlighting racism, the need for inclusion, and diversity, and used photos, quotes, and articles to represent her findings.
Works Cited
Ahmed, Sara. .Introduction. Queer Phenomenology: Orientations, Objects, Others, by Ahmed. Durham: Duke University Press. 2006, pp. 1-25.
—. Introduction: On Arrival. On Being Included: Racism and Diversity in Institutional Life, by Ahmed. Durham: Duke University Press. 2012, pp. 1-19.