Dia

spo

ras,

fe

min

ists

an

d

sub

alte

rns:

Wat

er a

nd

The

N

ames

ake

We

ek

10

• India!'• Return'to'ideas'of'diasporic'cinem

a,'feminist'

films'and'the'subaltern.'

• Films:'The$Nam

esake$(Nair'2006)'and'W

ater$(M

ehta'2005)'

Tod

ay:

Wh

at do

yo

u th

ink o

f w

he

n y

ou

thin

k of In

dia?

• PostDcolonial'naEon'• Cosm

opolitan'• D

iverse'languages,'ethnic'and'religious'groups'• D

ivide'between'poverty'&

'wealth,'‘caste'system

’'• Social'issues:'patriarchal'em

phasis?''• Cinem

a:'one'of'the'most'prolific'countries'w

ith'established'cinem

a'tradiEon'back'to'1900s'–'well'beyond'Bollyw

ood.''– ‘N

ew'Indian'Cinem

a’'argued'to'strongly'emerge'post'W

W2'and'Pakistan'

parEEon:'emerging'selfDdefiniEon'in'postDindependent'era.'

Ind

ia

• Marginalised'groups'outside'hegem

ony.''

• Link'to'power'–'poliEcs'of'representaEon.'

– Whose'view

point?'Who'is'‘subject’?'

• ‘Postcolonial'agency’'–'whether'm

arginalized'peoples'can'speak'for'them

selves'or'to'be'represented'and'spoken'for'in'distorted'w

ays'by'others.'

Sub

altern

– from

Spivak

• Spivak'argues'that'someone'w

ho'is'not'subaltern'has'to'make'a'num

ber'of'adjustm

ents'to'‘hear’'marginalised'or'subaltern'people.'

– But'not'about'creaEng'a'space'where'subaltern'can'speak,'or'just'listening'to'them

:'it'is'about'meaningful'dialogue.'

– Is'it'possible'to'meaningfully'represent'or'‘give'a'voice’'to'those'w

ho'might'otherw

ise'not'appear'in'film

s?'

• For'cinema:'narraEves'and'characters'can'be'argued'to'be'developed'to'

expose'viewers'to'‘other’'people'and'their'experiences'and'challenges,'

familiar'or'otherw

ise.'– H

ow'do'certain'film

s'encourage'audiences'to'communicate'w

ith'their'poliEcs,'stories'and'characters?''

– How

'do'films'opEm

ise'chances'that'the'story/characters'will'be'‘heard’,'as'if'the'audience'is'

speaking'with'them

'in'Spivak’s'sense?'What'exam

ples'can'you'think'of'from'this'unit’s'film

s?'

– What'are'possible'lim

itaEons'here'(think'language,'experience,'perspecEves…)'

Sub

altern

• Nair'and'M

ehta'are'both'seen'as'feminist'

filmmakers.'

– Some'fem

ale'filmmakers'do'not'explicitly'claim

'to'be'fem

inists,'but'their'films'can'be'interpreted'as'fem

inist'by'view

ers.'– Som

e'male'directors'm

ight'similarly'idenEfy'or'be'interpreted'

as'proDfeminist'in'their'film

ic'treatment'of'w

omen.'

Fem

inist film

s/filmm

akers

• Meaningful'representaEon'of'w

omen'points'of'view

'and'experiences.'– W

omen’s'lives'and'stories'given'respec^

ul,'sensiEve'and'extended'treatm

ents.'

• CriEques'of'oppression'of'girls'and'wom

en.'• Fem

ale'character'development'and'lack'of'stereotypical'

or'oneDdimensional'fem

ale'roles.'– W

omen'represented'as'fully'rounded'beings,'w

ith'diverse'characterisEcs.'

• Lack'of'objecEfied'or'feEshized'status.'

Fem

inist film

s/filmm

akers

• Mehta'and'N

air’s'character'construcEons'argued'as'“Indian'w

omen'w

ith'agency'and'not'simply'as'

ideological'constructs'of'naEonalism”'(M

oodley'2003,'p.67)'

'• Global'fem

inisms'–'not'hom

ogeneous'experience''– 'Postcolonial'fem

inisms…

?'

Fem

inist film

s/filmm

akers

• Films'm

ade'by'people'living'outside'their'‘hom

eland’'• O

fen'concerning'diasporic'experiences.'

• Ofen'directed'tow

ards'audiences'who'share'

their'situaEon,'and'audiences'aware'of'states'

of'affairs'in'‘hom

eland’'or'‘new'hom

e’.'

Diasp

oric cin

em

a

• Both'films/film

makers'this'w

eek'can'be'argued'as'‘diasporic’:'– M

ehta'is'IndianDborn'living'in'Canada.''– N

air'is'IndianDborn'living'in'New

'York,'before'that'Uganda.'

– Water'concerns'issue'w

ithin'India;'The$Namesake$has'an'explicit'

narraEve'of'diasporic'experience'across'generaEons.'

• Naficy'(‘A

ccented'Cinema’):''

– Characters'and'‘journeys'of'transformaEon’'(physical,'m

etaphoric,'philosophical)'

Diasp

oric cin

em

a

• Something'to'think'about:'

– QuesEon'if'diasporic'representaEons'confirm

'or'challenge'‘Orientalist’Dstyle'stereotypes.'

– How

'might'this'occur?''

– What'do'you'think?'W

hy?'

Diasp

oric cin

em

a

• Based'on'novel:'narraEve'spans'around'30'years'between'India'and'U

SA.'

• Represents'experiences'of'Ashoke'and'A

shima'as'firstDgeneraEon'im

migrants,'

and'their'AmericanDborn'children.'

• Exploring'and'negoEaEng'idenEty'–'centrality'of'name:'im

portance'to'father'and'burden'to'son.'

The Nam

esake (Nair 2

00

6)

• Consider:''• RepresentaEons'of'places,'spaces,'people,'cultures,'idenEEes?'

• Symbols'and'them

es?'

• RepresentaEons'of'diasporic'experiences?'

• Part'of'‘elements’'trilogy.''

– Deal'w

ith'specific'issues'and'themes:'arranged'm

arriage,'hom

osexuality,'patriarchal'culture,'parEEon'of'India,'religion,'misogyny,'treatm

ent'of'widow

s.'– Issues'for'film

'producEon:'sets'destroyed,'eventually'shot'in'Sri'Lanka.'

• Consider:'– RepresentaEons'of'subaltern?'– Fem

inist'film?'

– Symbols,'them

es,'spaces…'

Water (M

eh

ta 20

05

)