Medium Post 2
What each of the groups of people that we have discussed thus far share, is being treated with suspicion due to their societal treatment as somehow not fully belonging (here, I am talking about the Chinese in Honolulu, Koreans in Befu, and Okinawans on the battlefront). We have also seen how these people fought back at times, and at others, simply tried to carve out other socialities to survive and to live out their own ideas of abundance. We have not yet discussed place-making in terms of the creation of art, of music, of literature, etc. What place do you think that these things, which we might put together as “cultural productions,” has in analyses of the eruption of political struggle? Your observations do not have to be based on research, per se. Think about how art, music, literature, and other cultural productions have shifted your own understanding of belonging, of community, and of the kind of world you want to bring into being, in meaningful ways.
One basic way to understanding how cultural production contributes to the political environment and issues in context of its cohabitation and belonging is through geographical and statistical pattern within the state. The first thing to look at is how one form of cultural production was implemented. The usual answer typically included the importing and immigration of a group of people.
As these people settled, they developed many tools and concepts from experiences which becomes the root of culture: language, art, music, literature, practices, social structures, etc. As a result, it establishes a collective identity that is different to others and cementing a state of existence within the world. The political aspect in the context of culture here refers to how the nation’s identity is carried out, what rules are established. Anything that goes against the rules means going against culture. Naturally, it is possible to negotiate or compromise these rules for hopes of a solution. However, sometimes negotiation is not an option therefore, the next possible one is, disappointingly, violence establishing who is right or wrong, who is more powerful and dominant identity, etc. Therefore, whoever is the victor could establish rules over the weak. This concept is especially relevant when there are multiple different cultures within a nation.
Not all nations go down the root of political disputes and/or violence and was able to house many various identities and cultures in a relative tolerant coexistence with each other. However, nations who do, which are most, use their own ideologies, practices, and culture to capitalize on the “lesser” states which either absorbs or drive away the natives just establish the sense of “belonging” means not living in tolerance and acceptance but in a sense capitalized ownership.
Honolulu and China serve as such of an example. Honolulu in Hawaii already housed its own culture and identity. However, imperial, and colonial nations like China have set foot onto native soil and slowly pushed the natives away from their homeland while China establishes their own cultural ideas and practices. On the one hand, it culturally changed and diversified Hawaii. On the other, the population and root of tradition of Hawaiian practices and customs dwindle as China capitalizes resources and people. Hawaii in terms of culture and living initially belongs to the indigenous people living here. However, the “belonging” constitutes to the perception that it’s location by proximity and who laid claim to it is to colonial nations such as China but most essentially the United States.
Another example is the negative effect on Korean workers and people Japan has in terms of labor and segregation. The sense of “belonging” constitutes to the powerful nation who has military, racial, and economy can dictate one’s culture and livelihood. To live in Japan successfully, a working Korean must abide by the nation’s rules and societal structure. Only a handful were able to do such as they were able to fit in with the criteria of what Japan saw as “the perfect Korean citizen in Japan” standards. To belong means to accommodate in other words.
Cultural production serves as both a point of discussion of the result of change within the collective identity over time and how the concept of “belonging” is used in context. In the political sense, culture production plays into the sphere of dominance. The dominant culture will thrive more successfully and the expense of absorbing or dispelling others for the sake of capital and material gain. At the same time, cultural production could also play into two different cultures coexisting and accepting each other within the same sphere, but that only constitutes if both mutual act on it without one or the other eventually taking advantage of the other.
It works within the local or even domestic scale as well. Every individual has an interest of art, literature, music, etc. Those who share a similar interest will group together in a sense of “belongingness” based on that interest. In this complex world, there are groups of people with different interests in different groups that both coexist with each other but also conflict with each other, at times it causes many problems. That is because people have opinions. However, it is the stronger and more powerful ones that take effect and spread more quickly driving out or absorb others. As a result, the sense of belonging becomes, who shares the same opinion will be accepted. Those who contrast will just drown or be swept away.
It comes down to fear. Fear essentially means people do not have control over things and think rationally. To belong in this context constitutes to what will happen if one feels and thinks differently. To belong is a safety blanket to protect against the outside.
