Our Sense of Community

Our Sense of Community

Everyone is born, lives, and dies in this world believing that they belong to something or nothing at all: a family, a town, a neighborhood, a particular church, etc. In Imagined Communities, Benedict Anderson tells us that a nation is an "Imagined community that is imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign. It is not and cannot be based on everyday face to face interaction between it's members."

I believe that we as the people that make up this community of ours create our "nation", but we do not imagine it. To imagine something for me means that I dream of something that is not real, but to create something brings it to life. Although I would agree with most of what Anderson says, like for instance that print capitalism helps "circulate" this belief, I also believe the word "Imagined" would be incorrect.

Our country runs on rules, beliefs, and our sense of community, without all of these things our world, our nation, would run amuck. Our military men and woman are not willing to die for something they can not see or what they "imagine". They see what they believe in and what they create everyday; their families, friends and communities that make up our nation. Just because we can't put our hand on something does not mean that it's not real. With TV, movies, news papers, magazines, and the internet, we know about current events about people who live in other states and even countries from us. We can all relate to one other and feel apart of something.

Sovereign

Noun

1. A supreme ruler, esp. a monarch

2. A former British gold coin worth one pound sterling, now only minted for commemorative purposes.

Adjective

Possessing supreme or ultimate power

Nationalism

The article, What is a “nation”? is an interesting observation of the world we live in today. “Ultimately, it is this fraternity that makes it possible, over the past two centuries, for so many millions of people, not so much to kill, as willingly to die for such limited imaginings.” It is this line that captivates me most about this article. If a nation is a societal apparition, an intangible figment, why do we defend it so diligently? This raises the question of what we are defending it against? Country to country we have differences, but which of those oppositions are too offensive?
The article also talks about community and culture. I began to think about how we generalize our American culture, yet different sections of our country have diverse cultures. Southern traditions differ from northern traditions, just as west coast culture differs from east coast culture. Breaking down these portions of the country also breaks down their communities. My point being that dying for a national culture isn’t exactly what it is. If it is an imaginary thing, then all traditions and communities are imaginary as well.
I chose to look up the word “nationalism”. I chose it because of the context in which it was used, “Anderson values the utopian element of nationalism”. It is a word used frequently, but what exactly is nationalism?
Nationalism: Marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries.
I think we as Americans feel this way quite often about our country. But then I pondered, “how can nationalism be real if culture is imaginary?”
The article is definitely thought provoking in many ways. It made me question the ideas of law and politics and what it really means to be a free thinker.

Researched Word: Vernacular

Since I come from a country with a native language, Gaelige, I am always hearing the word vernacular. When I found it in the text, I knew it had to be researched. It sounds so medical, for a word that typically pertains to one’s native tongue. As it’s a word derived from the Latin for “native”, I think it’s interesting that it wound up describing native languages, as opposed to natives of a particular country. I found this definition on Merriam Webster’s site:

Main Entry: ver·nac·u·lar
Pronunciation: \və(r)-ˈna-kyə-lər\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin vernaculus native, from verna slave born in the master's house, native
Date: 1601
1 a: using a language or dialect native to a region or country rather than a literary, cultured, or foreign language b: of, relating to, or being a nonstandard language or dialect of a place, region, or country c: of, relating to, or being the normal spoken form of a language
2: applied to a plant or animal in the common native speech as distinguished from the Latin nomenclature of scientific classification
3: of, relating to, or characteristic of a period, place, or group; especially: of, relating to, or being the common building style of a period or place
— ver·nac·u·lar·ly adverb

Reference: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vernacular

Expanding Nations

It is impossible to cover the full history of world cinema in one 800-page book, let alone the history of cinema in one nation, but it is possible to cover the basis of the cinemas of the world. It is possible to find the root of cinema and the important events that make it what it is today. Like in the beginning, cinema is defined by invention; filmmakers are still creating new ways to film subjects and new technology to do so. Because technology is a key component and therefore money is needed for the technology, the United States has continued to dominate the world cinema market. Although the industries of India and Japan are larger than that of the U.S., they are unable to penetrate western audiences on such a grand scale. In the early stages of cinema, the U.S. even took from other countries, whether it was technology or personnel.

Cinema, especially that of the U.S., has expanded imagined nations. When people around the world can view the same Hollywood Blockbuster, we are sharing an experience and for the span of a few hours the film connects us all. We see the people who have been in our imagined communities and share at least on common interest. When we leave one imagined nation for another, it is easier to find others who have shared the experience as well. For instance, I am from Iowa but go to school in Missouri, when I go back home, I cross an imagined border and enter a new nation of filmgoers. In some ways, I am expanding the imagined nations of those closest to me.

We don’t always see the other people from our ‘nation’ but sometimes we find them when we are outside of our ‘nation’ and in another. For instance, finding another Iowan in Missouri, we have that common interest and share a common ‘nation’. It takes leaving to find more, and then when you return, you are more connected than before and it snowballs. The same can be said on a larger scale, like when traveling outside of the country, finding another American. You have at least one thing in common and that again expands your imagined nation. Our imagined nations are constantly growing in various and exciting ways.

Birth of a Nation

I am completely biased when it comes to the word nation: I grew up in a very proud nation that does not forget its history. I love my country, and therefore, I am a nationalist. Whilst reading "What is a “nation”?", I couldn’t help be think that Benedict Anderson had slightly exaggerated his theory about imagined nations, or communities. Then I realized I’m a citizen of a part-time political nation and full-time football team.

After re-reading the text a few times, I couldn’t help but feel that Anderson’s theories were, sadly, a coffee-stained, diner napkin blueprint for my little nation. When Anderson points out citizens of the same nation hold “a mental image of their affinity”, I couldn’t help but think of every other poem written by Yeats in his heyday. A beautiful girl named Caitlín Ní Uallacháin or, Kathleen Ní Houlihan, inspired a play of the same name in 1912, written by Yeats and his feminist cohort, Lady Augusta Gregory. A few Irish poets wrote about browbeaten Kathleen and her long, ringlet red hair and soft, fair skin. The poet loved her so much; he would do anything to make her his wife. Yeats was the king of metaphor. Kathleen, in a green dress, with the pale skin, and red hair symbolized a united Ireland, something that, just like Kathleen, still doesn’t exist today. In Ethna Carbery's The Passing of the Gael (1906), Kathleen is a source of comfort for those who crossed oceans to start their lives afresh during the famine. When they longed for their home, they thought of Kathleen. Her image is still prevalent in Ireland today, especially with the on again-off again peace process in Northern Ireland, and the British Monarchy’s lack of control but full ownership over the six counties that live in that union.
This brings me to the mention of “fraternity” in the text and the prevalence of “print-capitalism” in Ireland around the time Kathleen was born into the minds of romantics. A revolution started amongst those wishing to fight for Kathleen. Underground newspapers were produced in the Irish language, not English, full of propaganda and patriotism. Irish was forbidden, and a sense of “comradeship” was instilled in the young men and women who were literate; could speak Irish; and wanted to rise up against British rule. It was smart and it worked. Troops were rallied, and a small nation was united against something much bigger than itself. One of those newspapers still prints as Gaeilge (in Irish), and is now tied to a political party, amalgamating its demographic.

Without getting completely away from point of this text, I agreed with pretty much all of Anderson’s theories. It’s stated that “…yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion”. I had to smile when I read this. Aside from poor Kathleen, whose image has been used in poems, songs, and political speeches for ten decades, I could relate this particular quote to my imaged nation. Ireland is tiny, and it’s divided into counties no bigger than Boone, Callaway, and Osage tied together. This connects the people who live there even more which means, in a nation one quarter the size of Texas, with just four million people, everyone knows everyone. OK, maybe not everyone, but that doesn’t mean we can’t all just get along- for Kathleen’s sake.

For Carbery’s Passing of the Gael, follow this link & scroll down: http://mysite.verizon.net/cbladey/patat/Poetry.html#The%20Passing%20of%20the%20Gael

Similarly, here is another poem by James Clarence Mangan, Kathleen Ni Houlihan (1914): http://digital.library.villanova.edu/Cuala%20Press%20Broadside%20Collection/Broadside-00073.xml/Image?CurrentImage=2

ONE nation under God???

Along our path to discover individual identities, we, as human beings, dwell on the sense of belonging to a larger entity. You are not alone, so to speak. From Anderson’s perspective, this overwhelming passion to belong is linked to major outside forces (language, government, media diffusion). Although 25 years old, Anderson’s sophisticated theories continue to adapt and prevail in modern day society. These underlying factors continue to thrive and impact our individual collective imaginings, and furthermore provide indisputable bonds with people whom the ‘members’ never have met. September 11^th is a perfect example in which there was a real sense of nationalism brought together by real consequences and events.

It is terribly fascinating to attempt to grasp the certain ‘willingness to die for such limited imaginings’. The idea of an ‘imagined community’ which is both limited and sovereign seems ironic (but so does the title ‘Imagined Communities’!), but true. Not a single power can destroy something which cannot be defined, and no nation can encompass all therefore it is limited. Although this idea of separate nations is not at threat for complete abolishment, I feel it is threatened. The internet is ‘video’ which killed the geography-defined ‘radio star’. Because of the internet, the overlapping of ideas and information becomes an obstacle for people of a ‘nation’ to all be on the same page. Identities are no longer based on geographical loyalty. The idea of shared identities (based on nationalism) is faded because there are no geographical boundaries halting ideas/interests of others world-wide. And as far as language goes, not each nation bears its very own language. English is not kin just to the United States. Overlapping language is becoming less and less an outside force nurturing a nation.

All in all, this article provided a consistent brain boggler which forces the reader to question the idea and definition of a ‘nation’, as well as a sovereign nationalism.

WORD: I very much like the word ‘sovereign’, although have always based it’s definition by the context, not by a dictionary. There is a spunky little flow-hip hopper artist named lady sovereign, and she constantly feels the need to sing about how ‘bad-ass’ she is…so judging by the definition, the name compliments her to a ‘t’.

sov⋅er⋅eignv-/

–noun

1.	a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.

2.	a person who has sovereign power or authority.

3.	a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.

4.	a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.

–adjective

5.	belonging to or characteristic of a sovereign or sovereignty; royal.

6.	having supreme rank, power, or authority.

7.	supreme; preeminent; indisputable: a sovereign right.

8.	greatest in degree; utmost or extreme.

9.	being above all others in character, importance, excellence, etc.

10.	efficacious; potent: a sovereign remedy.

Imagined Communities

I like the idea of an imagined community being the basis of nationality/nationalism. This idea leads to a definition of “real community” as the group of people with whom one interacts on a very regular basis. Anderson states, “the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow members.” I think the idea that one’s community is made up of the people with whom he/she interacts consistently could lead to more valued friends, family, co-workers, etc. If a reader of Anderson’s work decided to focus more on treasuring her “real community” rather than thinking too much about the “imagined community” she has in her mind she might gain a greater sense of value for that "real community". On the other hand, I think it is important to feel a part of a larger group, even without knowing every member. Anderson’s idea does not seem to directly make nations out to be bad, but as I read about it I felt Anderson judging me for not instantly and completely agreeing. Nationality is a big part of culture. As it is, cultures bleed across borders. As a traveler moves from one country to the next he does not experience a complete cultural change at every boundary. Since cultures are not confined within borders, I wonder why it is necessary to apply positive or negative feelings to the idea of nationality. Clearly, geographical borders are man-made and changing, but their existence makes people feel as though they belong to a group. Overall, I think that on a small scale, imagined communities are worth thinking about in day-to-day life because it may add perspective to one’s relationships. On a global scale, however, I think that imagined community might be beneficial because it leads to a sense of belonging and tends to strengthen a person’s cultural pride. If an imagined community helps people feel cultural pride and belonging it is probably a good thing to imagine.

My term from this reading is ‘print-language’. I chose this term because I love the idea of differentiating between spoken and written language. Though something written and something spoken might be in the same general language, they are sure to sound very different. The definition is rather clear. Print language is the language used in the written word. I was very interested by the way print-language was brought up in the article. It said that the vernacular was used in mass publications, which led to a common print-language between people who had different dialects in their spoken languages.

Word Study: Sovereign

I chose the word sovereign from our reading because it was used many times and though I have heard the word many times in my life and do have the general gist of it, I have never actually looked it up and it was peaking my curiosity because I am not overly familiar with it. I wanted to know what they really meant in the article, so I looked up the dictionary.com definition for it, and it states:

sovereign 
–noun
1.
a monarch; a king, queen, or other supreme ruler.
2.
a person who has sovereign power or authority.
3.
a group or body of persons or a state having sovereign authority.
4.
a gold coin of the United Kingdom, equal to one pound sterling: went out of circulation after 1914.

This did not give me a much clearer understanding of the word than what I already knew, so I looked it up again on google and it basically said that sovereign means the highest law of the land, one that exercises supreme authority within a limited sphere.

What does it mean to be a nation?

Nationality is something that is imparted to all of us as we grow. We learn it inherently through our parents, teachers, and other role models and media in our lives. Nationality and what it means to be part of a nation changes between all the nations of the world. According to the article, “ Benedict Anderson defined a nation as “an imagined political community that is imagined as both inherently limited and sovereign.”” I believe this to be at least mostly true. I am an American, but I believe that if I moved and spent the rest of my life in a European country, I may become accustomed to life there, but I will always be American. It is the nation I was born into, and the nation that I will always hold in my heart at least in part. Someone who has a more nomadic existence however and has never lived long in one country may not feel the same national pride that others get to experience, but perhaps will eventually find a nation to call their own. The article also says, “These communities are imagined as both limited and sovereign. They are limited in that nations have “finite, if elastic boundaries, beyond which lie other nations.”” I think that the “elastic boundaries” of a nation express this perfectly. The boundaries of a nation lie within the people, not in a physical outlining of land. Though I do believe that the location of a prescribed nation can affect the values of that particular nation due to many different factors. Some of these would be based on neighboring nations, natural resources, or climate. Natural resources and climate would directly effect the way the society of a nation functions, and they may value certain survival techniques or crops more than other nations due to rarity and survival instincts, but the neighboring nations may be one of the biggest factors. Neighboring nations could effect other nations by making the more warlike due to constant battles and infighting, or conquering nations could try to completely change their values over night, but they could also affect it in more subtle ways, by cross culturing their foods and religions, and intermingling of people. Those born with strong national parentage on both sides could be caught in a struggle between two nations and belonging to none. However, some could argue that this is an issue of ethnicity, not nationality, but I believe that if both parents have very strong ties to their own nationality, their attempts to impart these values to the child could end with the child never truly belonging to either. A nation can be full of many different types of cultures, and it is those types of cultures that are mostly what comprise the nation, there is the factor of “comradeship” but I believe it is due in large part to the cultures of a nation. These are what bond people together and give them that form of “communication” that is stressed in the article. It is through these cultures that each specific nation is defined, and though they may share similarities to other nations, it is what makes each unique to the world.

Word Study: Inchoate

The word inchoate is defined by the Miriam-Webster dictionary as “being only partly in existence or operation.” In our article this week, What is a ‘nation’?, this word is used as an adjective to describe a nation that is developed “through ‘cultural signification.’” In context, we see that an unformed, disorganized, or partially operating nation is, according to author Benedict Anderson, open to development via the selling of cultural products (i.e., the novel was a communications tool used to shape and form culture, and thereafter, a nation). 

Discovering "Community" Through Mass Communications

“We don’t live in a bubble” is an expression we have often heard at rallies or other conferences with regards to our obligations and responsibilities in the care and welfare of human beings, other creatures on the planet, and even the earth itself. Rarely would a person argue that air pollution, for instance, does not harmfully affect an animal or another person. A sense of moral or ethical obligation, therefore, is reinforced through a healthy sense of community, guiding our actions (or should be guiding them) respectfully towards the people with whom we work, learn, live, etc. Although we may never meet the majority of the people in our community, which may be defined here as local or national, we nevertheless feel inextricably connected to them because their life actions affect ours, and vice versa, through (but not limited to) organizational outreaches, votes, and by other means such as international, national, and local media communications.  

Benedict Anderson, the author of Imagined Communities, written in 1983, propounds the theory that an imagined community is one in which it is impossible for each member to know everyone “face to face,” though they are members of, for example, an art community and share “similarities” within that area of human interest (Malikin 1). Anderson believes that the media, especially the first form of capitalist printing, helps breed these imaginings.

While it is certainly true that the mass media spread ideas of community on a large scale, one must consider that this is only natural, considering humans are the drivers of the communications machines, and humans inevitably gravitate to other humans. We are creatures with an insatiable curiosity about our fellow-beings (how else do the paparazzi survive?). Even on such a broad basis as nationality, there is a very basic, sometimes comforting knowledge, that no person is ever truly alone in his or her life journey. Familial/biological ties, common experiences, geographical location, and so on bind us to each other, and through these “communal” identifying factors we can also achieve personal identity.

As to how these communities are formed, especially national communities, the possibilities are endless. Language is one consideration, as Anderson proposes in his book, and especially the marketing of “national print-languages” (Malikin 1). Another consideration is the familial bond, which can be highlighted in the case of the ancient Hebrews who, according to their Scripture, were the descendants of Jacob (later “Israel), grandson of Abraham (Genesis). This family nation continues to exist today, though their nationality exists even beyond certain, limited geographical borders. On the opposite spectrum, the United States of America formed out of resistance to another nation, and was/is a melting pot of various families, ethnic groups, religions, cultures, and the list continues.

Regardless of the means by which these national communities were founded, we have the benefit in today’s world, especially in America, of feeling interconnected with humanity in our own homes, cities, states, and around the globe, via channels of mass communication. Although Anderson says that the media “create imagined communities,” it’s relevant to our times that say that these communities, though we cannot possibly interact personally with each individual who makes them up, are not imagined because what we do in Columbia, Missouri, does truly impact those who live in St. Louis or Kansas City, or beyond. The media has made possible greater interactions, actions that might only be through cyberspace, but can nevertheless make an impression on individual lives. If individuals look not at the geographical borders of nations, but balance “patriotism” – a sense of duty to look out for and provide for one’s friends, families, local acquaintances – with respect for all humans here and abroad, the human community will no longer be so fractured, or so greatly affected by the basic issues (war, starvation, illness) that plague many “nations” today.

 

Malikin, Polina (2009). “What is a ‘nation’?” With references to:

Anderson, Benedict (2006). Imagined Communities (New ed.). London, New York.

Interview with Benedict Anderson by Lorenz Khazaleh, University of Oslo website.

The New American Bible (1992). The Book of Genesis, Chapters 25, 27, 35.

What is a Nation and Introduction Responses by Lydia Lane

What is a Nation:

In the reading "What is a Nation", I found it interesting when Anderson discussed the fact that many people in imagined communities never even see each other. when I think of my own experience, I realize that when I meet a fellow American or Native American* with ancestors from the same tribe, there is often a possibility that we have nothing else in common. When we do find something that we share, it is usually not something uniquely attributed to our national community at all. In general, I bond with people over film, but even American films are internationally loved and appreciated, so the things we truly find to be common ground have nothing to with with our imaged community at all, instead it comes from our own individual preferences.
*While, according to the reading, being Native American does not connect me with any
modern nation because it is an ethnic group, it does connect me to a historical nation, seeing
as the present day United States was once divided into smaller tribes that were each a nation
on their own. Knowing where I come from in regards to that division makes me feel as
though I do, indeed, belong to the Cherokee nation in regards to imagined communities.

While reading I stumbled on the term "Mass Collective Identity" which I have a general understanding of, but decided to explore more in depth. I found an excerpt from Karen Christensen and David Levinson's Encyclopedia of Community: From the Village to the Virtual World Volume 1 that explains:

"A person's individual identity derives from a set of personal features that distinguish him or her from other individuals ('I am female, a New Yorker, a lesbian, a lawyer, and I like French Cuisine'). A person's collective identity is based on features that he or she shares with other (but not all other) individuals in a given social context such as gender (women), city of residence (New York), or sexual orientation (lesbian)" (pg 239).

It is clear that in the reading Anderson is focused on one specific feature (nationality) that people use to identify themselves. Based on my further research however, I realized that people need things like nationality, gender, and sexual orientation to define who they are. It is a unique combination of which groups a person belongs to that allows them to define their own individuality while still fulfilling the basic human need to feel as though they are a part of a group.

Introduction to the Book:

I thoroughly enjoyed the introduction to The Oxford History of World Cinema: The Definitive History of Cinema Worldwide by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith. In the introductions I was fascinated by his definition between cinema and film using the idea that cinema "does not deal with every use of the film medium, but focuses on those which have concurred to turn the original invention of moving images on celluloid into the great institution known as cinema, or the 'the movies'" (pg xxi). To me this seems to be a very educated way to look at cinema, and a much more realistic classification of what information should be included in the book.
Nowell-Smith also writes about the importance of the audience and even censorship in the success of cinema, an idea that I have always been fascinated by. The most common example of this theory is the success of film noir that lasted very briefly in the overall history of film, but reflected a time when the audience demanded a product and Hollywood delivered. During the era of film noir, people of the United States were feeling pessimistic and dark due to the war overseas, and that is exactly what they wanted to read about in books and see on the silver screen. Hollywood producers picked up on the fact that Crime Novels were very profitable in the publishing world, and therefore decided to take the same hard boiled, anti-hero tone and put it on the screen with what the French later dubbed "film noir". Thanks to government censorship under The Hayes Code, film noir mastered the sexual innuendo, an idea that thrilled audience even more than actually seeing any sex on screen, therefore giving the movement even more popularity with the general public. Once the overall mood of America changed, however, the film noir dropped dramatically in popularity and a new genre entered its golden age.

In the introduction, Nowell-Smith refers to cinema as "the seventh art", which made me curious about what the other six were. According to The Dictionary of the History of Ideas, the classification of arts began with the Greeks who "regarded both sciences and crafts as belonging to the realm of art. Geometry and grammar were indeed areas of knowledge, rational systems of rules, methods of doing or making things, and so they certainly answered to the Greek meaning of the term 'art' [as well]" (http://etext.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/dhi.cgi?id=dv1-56).
As humanity progressed, however, this definition began to change. In the nineteenth century, the definition of art was narrowed to fine arts and eventually sculpture, painting, poetry, dance, architecture, and music were decided upon as the six arts (http://etext.virginia.edu/cgi-local/DHI/dhi.cgi?id=dv1-56). Once film was introduced to the world, it became the seventh, and final, fine art to date.

References:

Anderson, Bendedict (2006). Imagined Communities (New ed.) London, New York Interview with Benedict Anderson by Lorenz Khazaleh, University of Oslo Website.

Christensen, Karen, and David Levinson. The Encyclopedia of Community: From the Village to the Virtual World. Vol. 1. Thousand Oaks California: Brekshire Publishig Group, 2003. Print.

TATARKIEWICZ, W. "Classification of the Arts." Dictionary of the History of Ideas. The University of Virginia Library, 1 May 2003. Web. 29 Aug. 2009. .

Class Review 8/26/09

In our first day of class, we went over the syllabus in detail and discussed the general philosophy of the class. If you need a copy of the syllabus, please ask me or Kathy Vogt (administrative assistant in the Film and Media Department). In class, we also went over how to use the blog as well as the expectations for each posting. If you would like more help using the blog, please schedule a time with me or stop by my office hours (M/W 2-3PM). In addition, students completed surveys about films that they have seen &/ would like to see. This information will help shape the schedule of the class. Last off, we agreed to going on at least one field trip to the Ragtag Cinema for the Passport Film Series (which presents contemporary films from around the globe with screenings every Wednesday and Thursday @ 7pm).

Homework for Monday's class:
1. Read the syllabus and come prepared to ask questions, make suggestions, and finalize the syllabus. After Monday's class, we will stick to the syllabus and I will treat it as a contractual document.
2. Get the course textbook: The Oxford history of world cinema (ed. G. Nowell-Smith) and read the General Introduction (pp. xix) and Introduction (pp. 3).
The book is available at the Stephens bookstore (please ask if you don't see it on the shelves). You can also check out the book at the Stephens Library (it is on 4-hr course reserve). The call # is PN1994.R36. The book is also available for purchase online, new and used. Please make sure to take shipping time into account if you buy online.
3. Read the article (hand-out), "What is a nation?"
4. Respond to the reading in a blog post.
5. Choose one word or concept in your reading that you are unfamiliar with or confused by. Research the word/concept and post your findings on the blog as well. This is part of the weekly writing assignment.
6. Look over your schedules for the next 2 months and research the films in the Passport Series. On Monday, we will decide which films we want to see and schedule our field trip/s.
7. Get excited about international cinema, global politics, and foreign cultures!

See you Monday!

Welcome!

This blog was created to provide a space for students in the International Cinema course to voice their thoughts about the power of cinema and its relationships with different cultures as well as its varied meanings in different contexts. The writing, research, and information on this blog is based on a concurrent class - International Cinema - at Stephens College. We invite your comments!

Thank you for reading!