Program(s):
Being here in India we have been keeping journals and writing in them every day as per the request of Bruce but it has also been a great way to reflect on our times here so far. Unintentionally I have touched on the topics of gender, race, and identity all of which I would like to focus on for my research paper. Many of the females on the group have had to adjust to a distinct “culture shock” that we have attributed to our position here not only as women but also as foreigners. Another aspect of our trip that I had not put into consideration until our arrival has been race as well. Last semester I wrote a paper on the Asian American population at Lewis and Clark and would like to further my research here. I will be focusing on the contrast in all of our experiences here as Westerns, emphasizing that we have all had distinct understandings of our time while here, but also how race plays a crucial factor in unraveling specific differences.
Something that I was not anticipating while here was the constant question of my ancestral background. There have already been multiple times in which people have asked where our group is from and my response as American is not accepted. People are curious as to where my mother was born or myself, not caring that out of the twenty one years of life I have spent four months of it in my birth country of South Korea. Not to mention that after this trip I will have lived in India for three. Having the physical difference between myself and the group has changed the way in which people have responded to my position here in India. To my surprise, during a meeting with students from Delhi University, I befriended two girls who looked more similar to myself than what I would have thought of someone Indian. This has furthered my understanding of race being something that is socially constructed rather than biologically and reveals my prior naive stereotype of others while scorning those who have done the same to me. Race is a part of one’s identity that is constantly being negotiated both by the person as well as those around them. The hardest part of racial issues for myself has been when other’s judgements and assumptions of my life have been solely focused on my physical appearance. When I want to react to people’s racist comments it is easiest to become angry, however I have realized that this will not solve my situation or help for them to understand that race is not a monolithic occurrence, but am still working on countering these instances in my life.
List of specific activities I have completed on this project:
September 6th- Met girl from Delhi University who I was able to talk with and connect with as well as set up future time to meet up.
September 12th- Visited Feroz Shah Kotla and met another girl from Delhi University and was able to talk with her on her experience moving from Northeastern India.
September 15th- I interviewed Tirsa about my research and was able to connect with her on our mutual feelings towards certain aspects of race and identity that we had both been struggling with while here.
September 23rd- I was able to interview my Delhi friend as we walked around Sarogini Market and the Mall in Saket
October 6th- Observed other students at Madras University and was able to hear from other Lewis & Clark students about their experiences as well
October 22nd- Talked and met with people from the mobile shop next door who explained to Lexi and me their performing of rituals for puja
October 24th- Had a somewhat formal interview with Hannah after previous conversations that brought up topics that I found informative to my research