Heein Choi's Independent Study Blogs (Year 2014, Fall Semester)

Asian American Leaders in 1969: Birth of Ethnic Studies

Dear members of our class,

            I am so excited to be able to have this opportunity together. I am excited to laugh with you, cry with you, and most of all, grow with you. This safe space that our Guru has created gives us the opportunities that previous Asian American studies majors and Asian American students never had before. However, it is also important to note that since we have this new opportunity, we must take full advantage and accomplish our goals. Before moving on to what we hope to accomplish in the future, I think it is important to look back at where we have started.

            Maybe just a little under a year ago, our other Guru, Max, had introduced us to AASI and the Asian American studies major. At that time, our numbers were small. To see our group and interest level rise to the point where we can’t use our old reliable room in Morton is an incredible achievement. Since last year, AASI’s Facebook page has gone from 0 likes to over 500 and reached over 4,000 people, simply on one post. One year has gone by and we have done amazing things.

            Although we have come this far, there is no limit to how successful we can be. As an organization, our campus brand will spread further once we establish ourselves into a formal organization. However some things that I always want to remind AASI, I hope we can expand just beyond the minority circle. Minorities already know that there are issues being a person of color in this country, while nearly 50% of whites argue that racism does not exist anymore. Let’s not keep preaching to the choir, but rather, try to inform the people that need to hear our message the most. I also am hesitant of building a structure that has exact positions in our organizations (secretary, president, etc.) While this might foster new voices to contribute to AASI, I don’t want the people that are elected secretary to feel that are pigeonholed into one area of AASI. The secretary should have just as much say as the president.

            All in all, our organization is doing a great job representing the voices that cannot be heard or are simply being ignored. Like the Cambodian-Americans that are struggling financially and academically, many people are ignoring our issues simply because we are successful statistically. However, once we explain how diverse being Asian means, I believe people will have a better idea.

Thank you.

-Heein

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Reflection #2: Rap Record
11:30 PM 9/29/14

Quick update on the rap record that Jon and I are thinking of doing.

At first, I viewed the concept of the song as just claiming our Asian American identity. However, last night at 3:22 AM, I set Jonathon this text:

"Heein: Yo. So I was thinking and how do you like this concept. We narrate the day Vincent chin died in his perspective or a third person perspective"

Basically, I hoped to frame the song like this:

Verse 1: Provide the back story of Vincent Chin. How he was preparing for his bachelorette party, how his mother didn't want him to go, and how he had no care in the world for Asian American issues.

Verse 2: Story of his death and the "punishment" of the murderers.

Verse 3: The meaning for Asian Americans now.

Just some late-night thoughts.

Also, last night, I reached out to G Yamazawa, the spoken word artist from over the weekend, and he asked if he could post my email on to his Facebook page. I was definitely honored to hear him respond back like this, and he and I arranged to meet over Thanksgiving break.

Hopefully, ASI can bring him back to Williamsburg and listen to his story of the only Asian American kid growing up in the South and how that upbringing shapes his career today.

Excited for the future.


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Reflection #1: Thoughts in the Shower
1:15 AM 9/29/14

What a day. I apologize for the informality of this post, but I just hopped out the shower and too many thoughts are going through my mind right now.

1. The first thought that came to my mind was with my talk with Jonathon Hsu today. I asked him for advice on what kind of projects I can do for the future for ASI. We bounced ideas back and forth and this is what he came up with:

Capture the artwork/way of expression/moment/random things you do that best conveys your Asian identity.

This weekend, I went to the spoken word event hosted by AMP, and the special performer was G Yamazawa. His resume is too long for me to write, but the thing that struck me was how similar we were. He grew up in the South in a predominately African-American community and his spoken words just struck a special cord with me. With every single story he told, I could relate to every single syllable flying out his mouth.

I even performed spoken word. Never in a million years would I ever think that I would do something like that in front of a crowd, but I felt like that this moment was too perfect to pass--I had to assert my Asian American identity in front of this predominately white crowd. Hopefully I'll perfect that and post that spoken word as part of this project.

I'm just really excited to work with a project in mind. Pallavi already agreed to be part of this project by showing off her traditional dances.

2. These are my texts to Jonathon Hsu..

"Heein: Yo
Heein: This is heein
Heein: Want to make a rap record
Heein: No this is not a joke"

Thankfully, Jonathon really matched my excitement. Jonathon and I are starting a rap group... Hopefully we can keep it low-key for a bit and receive advice from Professor Thulwell and G Yamazawa, who is also a rapper, and perfect a record. Music has always been a huge part of my life, and I want to contribute back to this art form by adding our wrinkle to the mix. Even though it'll sound ridiculously amateur and the first record might be weak, I'm just excited to show my true colors in my passion.

Of course in the shower I thought of the perfect hook. During the spoken word, one of the dopest lines by G Yamazawa was "Don't worry if I eat dogs, 'cause I eat cats like you." Hopefully we can sample his voice and have that looping over some scratches of the record.

Needless to say.... I'm fucking excited.

From bondage to freedom - The 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indian workers in South Africa

Please read this article in preparation for our guest lecture from Dr. Kirpal Singh.

source: http://www.sahistory.org.za/people-south-africa/indian-south-africans

The feature on Indian South Africans forms part of our larger feature on the People of South Africa. It is a long term project to build a comprehensive overview of the rich diversity of peoples, traditions and culture that address the question, 'Who are South Africans?' This year, 2010, is the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the Indian indentured labourers and the birth of this community in South Africa. We are using this to launch and major project to build a comprehensive social and political history of this African community.

Origins:

South Africans of Indian origin comprise a heterogeneous community distinguished by different origins, languages, and religious beliefs. The first Indians arrived during the Dutch colonial era, as slaves, in 1684. A conservative calculation based strictly on records shows over 16 300 slaves from the Indian subcontinent having been brought to the Cape. In the decades 1690 to 1725 over 80% of the slaves were Indians. This practice continued until the end of slavery in 1838. They made up the majority of slaves that came from the Far East and were by the 1880s totally integrated into the Cape White and Coloured communities.

In the second half if the 19th Century, Indians came to South Africa in two categories, namely as indentured workers in 1860 and later as 'free' or 'passenger' Indians. The former came as a result of a triangular pact among three governments, which stated that the indentured Indians were to work for the Natal colonial government on Natal's sugar plantations. The 'free' Indians came to South Africa mainly as traders alert to new opportunities abroad. These 'free Indians' came at their own expense from India, Mauritius, and other places. However, emigration was stopped in 1914.

Between November 1860 and 1911(when the system of indentured labour was stopped) nearly 152 184 indentured labourers from across India arrived in Natal. After serving their indentures, the first category of Indians were free to remain in South Africa or to return to India. By 1910, nearly 26.85% indentured men returned to India, but most chose to stay and thus constituted the forbearers of the majority of present-day South African Indians.

With 1994 and the advent of a democratic constitution, immigration policy restrictions, imposed by the apartheid regime, were scrapped. People from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, arrived in South Africa as new immigrants. However, there is a major cultural division between these new groups and Indian South Africans.

A key factor that helped forge a common South African "Indian" identity was the political struggles waged against harsh discriminatory laws enacted against Indians and the other Black oppressed groups in the country. As a consequence, the Indian community established a number of political formations, the most prominent being the Natal Indian Congress (NIC) established by Gandhi in 1894, and the Transvaal and Cape Indian Congresses in the early part of the 20th century. Members of the Indian Congress, together with socialist activists in the Communist Party of South Africa were instrumental, from the 1930s, in building cross racial alliances. The small Indian, Coloured and White progressive sectors joined with progressive African activists and together, they conducted a common non-racial struggle for Freedom and Equality.

Language, culture and beliefs:

English is spoken as a first language by most Indian South Africans, although a minority of the Indian South African population, especially the elders, still speak some Indian languages. These languages include Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Punjabi, and Gujarati. Indian South Africans are predominantly Hindu, but Muslims, Christians, and Sikhs also came to South Africa from India from as early as 1860.

Hindu, the most prominent religion in India, originated 5000 years ago. The Hindu religion prescribes a three fold approach to serving God. This approach includes knowledge, or the studying of the Bhagavad-Gita and other texts; yoga, to connect both body and mind, and devotion or bhakti, which promotes serving God through prayer and benevolent acts. Notable Hindu festivals include Diwali/Deepavali, the festival of lights, and the Tamil Thai Poosam Kavady annual festival.

Muslim/Islamic influence began in South Africa with the arrival of indentured workers from the west and south coast of India. As only 7- 10% of these workers were Muslim, Sheikh Ahmad, the founding father of Islam in Natal, and later Soofie Saheb ensured that impoverished Muslim Indians were not drawn to Hinduism. Therefore, a concerted effort was made to retain their religious heritage, through the demarcation of Islamic festivals and the establishment of Muslim schools or madrasahs.

The Islamic community continues to thrive in South Africa, in both Natal and the Western Cape - where indentured labourers moved with their families after the completion of their contracts. Followers of the Muslim faith are committed to praying at least five times a day, and are not permitted to drink alcohol. Notable Muslim celebrations include Eid, and Ramadan.

The Sikh faith forms a slender portion of the local population, and is a religion influenced by both Hindu and Islam. The Sikh religion is concerned with a belief in One Immortal Being and ten gurus. Many Sikhs wear an iron or steel bracelet as a symbol of their devotion to their religion. Originating in the Punjab region, prominent Sikh celebrations include Parkash Utsav, which celebrates 'Divine Light' or 'Divine Knowledge'.

The diverse Indian population in South Africa is concentrated in Kwa-Zulu Natal's largest city, Durban, which has the most substantial Indian population in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa as a whole also has a substantial Indian population, with over 1 million people of Indian descent. Therefore, Indian influences have contributed to the multi-cultural diversity of South Africa. The local culinary landscape has been infused with a diverse array of Oriental flavour - most notably in the Natal region. Popular dishes include curry, and an intrinsic Durban dish called 'bunny chow', which is half a loaf of bread, hollowed out and filled with curry.

South African Indians retain a sense of cultural and social connection to India, and a concept of primary local and secondary ancestral identity is prevalent among people of Indian descent.

Welcome to Asian America

Welcome to you all who will explore the world of Asian America through performance. This blog documents your artistic process and journey as well as your research of your characters and the diverse Asian American communities where they exist.

To navigate the wonderful work of the scholars and artists of Asian Pacific America on this blog, please click on an author.

To initiate you into the history of Asian Americans at William and Mary, please research our forefather Art Matsu: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Matsu

In terms of the pioneer actors in Hollywood of Asian descent, please meet Sessue Hayakawa: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessue_Hayakawa

The earliest of documented American scripts depicting the Asian American experience came out of Hawaii led by Gladys Li (Ling-ai Li) who wrote "The Submission of Rose Moy" (circa 1924-28).
http://books.google.com/booksid=QQI3FR5Elg0C&pg=PA187&dq=gladys+li+the+submission+of+rose+moy&hl=en&sa=X&ei=OUpUrmDG6WsiQK_oIHoAQ&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=gladys%20li%20the%20submission%20of%20rose%20moy&f=false

Francis Tanglao-Aguas, MFA

My Project Proposal--Revisted

So originally, I had planned to do a live performance part to my project. However, I've decided to nix this idea, since the whole point of my project is to sensuously share my own personal experience between food and culture. Therefore, I've got an audio track and three large foam boards that chronicle my family's history (through food).

Displaying projects at Swem

Hey there classmates, I contacted the folks over at Swem about displaying our personal creative projects from April 15th to May 15th and they said I needed to give them exact dimensions of each piece so they know where our display could fit. Please post how much space you think your project will take up, for example, my scarf could be folded up as small as a shoebox or stretched out the length of two couches. I go by visual measurements, but by all means if you're more exact please list those instead. Thanks!

Amazon.com: Leche (9781566892544): R. Zamora Linmark: Books

Amazon.com: Leche (9781566892544): R. Zamora Linmark: Books

Plays

So, we all discussed our ideas, and I think Tea was the general consensus. We also worked up a cast list (some alterations were agreed on) and we were wondering about how much time we're going to have to pull together all three different aspects of the final. The timeline is going to require a lot of group work, in order to minimize our workload (a play would mean individual memorization of lines, as well as time in class to rehearse) so if anyone wants to cover simply themes of immigration: gender, economic opportunities, general world events that conspired...I think that would be the best.

thoughts etc to Japan...

playssss

hey guys,
had surgery this morning and won't be able to meet with you all this afternoon
but wanted to give my opinions on the plays

tea was definitely my favorite play, i thought it was the best written and an absolutely beautiful play full of real passion and emotion.
didn't like it quite as much as i love Roar though

the other two plays i found too bigoted for my personal tastes. While it was an interesting experience (of which I am grateful for) reading them in class, I did not think that they were as well written as tea. There was certainly some raw emotion exhibited, however I had a hard time feeling much empathy.

I'll try and add some more detail later when I'm not doped up on pain killers.
Let me know if you guys have any questions for me and please let me know what you discuss

Play Choice

Of all the plays read, I found myself to like Bondage the most because of its intriguing dialogue and all the different themes that it touched upon. The amount of characters are few, but even so, the writer really allows you to get to know them through all the witty and quick dialogue. By the end of the story, alot about these characters has been revealed, and through that essentially all the various themes are cleverly touched upon. Its not that the other two plays weren't enjoyable or well-written (they were all great in their own right), its just that I feel like this particular play stood out to me on many more aspects (comedy, story, character development, dailogue, etc...) than the other ones, and I feel as if it would be the best one for us to produce collectively as a class.

play critique

my favorite of the plays we've done has been tea

Class Play

Tea: I loved this play because of the incorporation of many different women, all sharing a common ground and footing while also allowing the audience to feel the intense emotion and hardship of their positions. I also loved the subtle differences in rhythm throughout the dialogue as well as the flow from past to present.

Bondage: The fluent dialogue between false reality and true reality kept me interested and challenged throughout the play. I liked the dynamic between Mark and Terri and felt that portraying this couple may breakdown previously held pretenses if acted by our class.

A Language of Their Own: This play stirred me most in that I felt a level of embarrassment throughout the reading. I admit that I am not as comfortable as some with homosexual relations, but that is what theatre is for and I am happy that my horizons have been widened by the experience of reading it. I hope that we perform this in some respect as a class effort.

If we perform two of these plays I would like to do Tea and A Language of Their Own.

Tea/Bondage/Language of Their Own Response

Although I didn't get a chance to finish Language of Their Own in class, I enjoyed this play the most, then Tea, and finally Bondage. Language of Their Own was a bit unsettling at parts, but in an intriguing way, whereas I found Bondage to be a bit uncomfortable. I feel that Language of Their Own was able to address the racial issues much more subtly than Bondage, in which the racial question seemed more contrived. I enjoyed Tea because of the dynamic amongst the 5 different women, which was emotional and in that regard opposite to the subtle delivery of Language of Their Own, and I especially enjoyed the way in which each of the women played other roles as well.

Bondage response

I preferred the play Tea to Bondage because Tea had more characters and I liked the story better. I liked the interplay of different generations and the struggles with race the characters faced as a mother, daughter or husband. I know that Bondage also has struggles with race as well as dominance/submission and sex as power, but I still prefer Tea.

A reflection on the class discussion

After Tues's class (2/22/2011) coupled with the statement that Francis said about himself in a constant struggle to discover his identity, something clicked in my head that made me realize that I think to a certain extent, we all are on this quest of constantly attempting to ascertain who we are in terms of origin and identity. From my perspective, I always assumed that I was a 100% Pakistani and that was the extent of my background, however deeper thought into the subject made me think for a second of the obvious fact that Pakistan as a country itself is relatively new (only 60 years old) and that my true identity is that I am from the South Asian region, perhaps mixed with Afghan from the North, and slightly even Arab from the Middle East. Now does it really make a difference to understand fully what I am and will it even impact my life greatly, probably not on a day to day basis, however in the scheme of things, it certainly is interesting to learn and find out what different nationalities and peoples that one is comprised of, and it is for that reason that I want to constantly keep finding out more and more of who I am.

TEA Response

TEA gave me a new perspective on picture brides I didn't see in the film, though it may have been because of the difference in location. In the film, the brides were sent to Hawaii where their primary role was to work in the fields with their husbands and then to provide companionship. While there was romance, I felt that in TEA the women actually knew and somewhat loved their husbands before they were married, and so their role was primarily companionship. It is this focus on companionship, rather than the labor issue, that makes it more clear of the brides' actual relationship with their husbands that I felt was a little bit lacking in Picture Bride. Also, the variety of the husbands' backgrounds and the wives' personalities gave a more wholistic view than did the single story of Riyo and her husband.

I enjoyed reading TEA (and not just because we were able to go outside when the weather was so nice) and while I'd love to have TEA be our performance for the APA History showcase I'd still be interested in reading other plays as well. I haven't had much experience with theatre, I've only watched plays/Broadway shows or read some Shakespeare for class, but the last time I was in a play was in elementary school.

Project Proposal

Experimental Film exploring the complex set of relationships between history, humanity, and society today.

Topics to be explored:
War, Peace, Psychology, Corruption, Humanity, Revolution, Nationalism, Imperialism, Colonialism, Nation-building, Religion, Crime, Capitalism, Climate Change, Energy

Secondary sources to be examined (more to be listed as research ensues):
Film:
Che (2008)
The 11th Hour (2007)

Literature:
Cosa Nostra (2004)
Imagined Communities (1983)
Strangers from a Different Shore (1990)
Various works of Philosophy

Timeline (transient):
Now until March 1: ongoing background research and introspective thought
March 1 - March 15: pre-production stage
March 15 - March 21: filming
March 21 - 28: post

Project Proposal

Final Project Proposal

Description:

This project will contain a combination of three artistic components, spoken poetry, dance, and graphic art. I will author a spoken poetry piece, record myself performing the poem, and then compose a choreographed dance set to the words of the poem which will be performed live to the recording on the day of the presentation. I will also create a visual representation of my poem, which I will convert to a digital file and then display on a projector screen as the backdrop of my dance performance. Dance choreography will incorporate elements of Bharatanatyam, and the overall performance should take approximately five minutes. I choose to symbolically utilize three talents I have that are in various stages of development, in order to show my past, present, and future. Visual art is something I have always had an interest in but left behind as a child without any serious attempt to develop my talents in this area. Dance is something I took up instead of art, chose to train seriously in, and am now most familiar with. Spoken poetry is something I have been introduced to recently at college, and will be attempting for the first time; perhaps something I will keep up with in the future. I will use all three mediums to express what I believe is my own culture, and history. I am choosing to do it this way because as I create this project, I expect to find myself along the way, and gain an understanding of myself through the arts. I seek to challenge myself, and understand myself.

Schedule:

February 19-March 5 – Compose spoken poetry piece, practice various ways of reading it, and record a final version.

March 6- March 19 – Choreograph dance to spoken poetry piece and find appropriate costume.

March 20 – March 27 – Practice dance and create visual backdrop for performance.

March 27-? – Continue practicing until performance, including a few run-throughs at the actual place of performance.

Future Plan:

I would like to record my performance on the day of the actual project, and perhaps one other time at another location. This way I can upload my video to youtube, and gain publicity this way. I can also perform this piece after I graduate at cultural programs that I will most likely be asked to participate in.

New Project Proposal

I have changed my mind about my project, here's what I'd like to do instead:

The final project I would like to propose involves working with my hands to create a product that embodies who I am as well as benefitting others. I am interested in knitting a scarf as my final project because it is a visual representation of my history or folklore. I have actually never knitted anything before but I have always been interested in starting up the craft. I have two roommates who are avid knitters and very advanced. At night they relax by creating socks, slippers, mittens, blankets, scarves, and sweaters. I see knitting as a way of bonding with others through the act of physically creating a garment that can be worn. This garment then becomes a physical expression of who I am.

Beginning knitters always start by creating a scarf and that is what I plan to do. I plan to use red yarn to symbolize my Asian heritage. Red is the color of blood, my ancestry, and red is also a color of celebration, acknowledging and glorifying my heritage by eventually wrapping the scarf around my neck – which is a very vulnerable spot on the body. I am interested in working with my hands to create something because of my background as a dancer. I typically just focus on creating art by moving around using my feet, but knitting will allow me to express my artistry using my hands and then wearing it around my body.

My timeline for this project is to first purchase needles and yarn and then get my roommates to teach me the basics, how to knit and purl. I will then have until April to complete the scarf. The length of the scarf will be based on how much time I devote to the project. And I plan to use my newly acquired skill to benefit those in need. I know of different organizations that ask for handmade scarves to hand out to the homeless during the wintertime, as well as to senior citizens. The Special Olympics also asks for handmade scarves to hand out to their athletes. I would like to know that my work benefits others.

Also, when we present our pieces as a group for APA month, the public could wrap my scarf around themselves and then photograph themselves wearing it -- symbolizing them "wearing" my history.