Persepolis and the Complexity of Subjectivities

Persepolis is a French semi-autobiographical film written by an Iranian woman, Marjane Satrapi. Originally a comic, the film illustrates the struggle of Marji (Satrapi’s young-self) and her family during the Iranian revolution during the 1970s. The story follows Marji through the development of her identity and multiple subjectivities. Although literary theory engages in many different interrelated theories and frameworks (Gray 2010:63), I will focus on the multiple subjectivities of Marji and the concept of diegesis in an analysis of Persepolis.

Literary theory emerged from the analysis during the shift from pre-modern to modern narratives. During this time, there was a drastic change in belief, thought and society; a shift from feudal to democratic, religious to secular societies (Gray 2010:63). As a result, the formation of modern subjectivity and its relationships to the modern narrative changed. The author became involved in the structuring of the story by choosing whose point of view to promote and when, in order to establish authority (Gray 2010:63). Satrapi claimed the authority of Persepolis by telling the story of herself and her family, from her point of view. She reflects as an adult, on her story as a child, teenager and young adult. Therefore, the story is a reconstruction of an older voice reflecting on a younger one. In this, the author/filmmaker became a character or internal lecturer (Gray 2010:63). Satrapi chooses to promote her own point of view, during a time of reflection and reconstruction.

The narrative convention of upmost importance to literary theory is the formulation of subjectivities, both of the individual and the state (Gray 2010:63). The trailer to Persepolis opens with Marji saying “my ties to Iran have always been and will always be profound.” The film follows Marji’s development of a self-conscious individual awareness of the self (Gray 2010:63) and her simultaneous awareness of her relationship to Iran. Initially, the audience can view Marji’s maturing as a young woman. In a comical dance sequence to “Eye of the Tiger” Marji becomes and empowered subject with the will to fight back against the gender roles expected of her in Iran.

Eventually, when the revolution enters a state of war, Marji’s parents force her to immigrate and go to school in France. When her parents are saying good bye at the airport her father tells her to “never forget who you are and where you come from.” As she continues to mature into a young woman, she also begins to grapple with her identity as an Iranian woman in an unfamiliar nation. During a scene where Marji has met a potential love interest, she tells the man that she is French and denies her identity as an Iranian.

Literary theory also considers the concept of diegesis and the subject. Diegesis is how the audience becomes involved with the “world of the film.” An audience may gain an understanding of the diegesis, or feel involved within the “world of the film” through the subjective portrayal of characters, actions and events. Satrapi makes this possible with a thorough set up of the time, place and events which lead up to the Iranian revolution and the Islamic Republic and the Shah. However, most importantly Satrapi illustrates Marji’s complexity as a character and her development as she matures.

Radio and the Creation of Vibrant Communities

Radio stations have multiple benefits to the communities they serve. Beyond providing entertainment, radio is able to create and recreate the social landscape of the community. As a public space, the radio offers an alternative to physical space, for the empowerment of communities and community building.

The Women’s Talk Radio in Guatemala about violence against women aims to teach and create a different consciousness about what it means to be a woman in Guatemala. In a country where women are often afraid to walk down city streets alone, the radio gives an alternative yet highly public space in which they can express themselves and describe their struggles as Guatemalan women. The radio’s audience is for the most part, a community of women listening to the radio as a form of entertainment as they do housework and chores. Many of the station’s listeners are women whom perhaps are not politically engaged in their current communities and who do not necessarily know their rights as a woman in Guatemala. As a result, many of these women chose to get involved in one of the many events advertised on the station. In this, the radio station encourages women to learn one’s rights as a woman and become politically aware and engaged. For example, in class we were told the story of a woman whose son was physically abusing his wife. Absolutely terrified, the woman approached some police officers on the street to ask for help. When the officers attempted to ignore her plea for help, she was able reify her rights as a woman and demand their attention and help in the situation. By helping her daughter-in-law, this woman became part of an empowered community. As an active member in the Guatemalan women’s community, they both are able to teach and continue to create a different women’s consciousness. Through this, there is a cyclical reconstitution of the women’s community.

CBQM is a citizen-run radio station in the Teetl’it Gwich’in community of the Northwest Territories. While the purpose of this radio station differs drastically from the Women’s Talk Radio in Guatemala, it also functions for empowerment and community empowerment and building. CBQM describes itself as an expression of aboriginal pride. The radio station is used to advertise events for aboriginal peoples such as the annual Elder Dinner and events for aboriginal youth. It also features live aboriginal musicians. While the majority of people on CBQM are aboriginal, white individuals are also involved; including the local minister and police officer. The police officer uses his time to address public issues such as the egging of houses. The minister used her time to share recipes and deliver messages and announcements. CBQM has a wide variety of topics on the radio station involved in maintaining the intimacy of the community. The nature of CBQM as a citizen-run radio station is unique in the way it reflects and serves its community. All community members have access to the radio station as explained by Fred, a citizen radio operator. He said on air, “if you wanna get on CBQM just call in and they’ll give ya the keys and teach ya the controls.” In this, the community is reflected quite clearly in that they are also the radio station operators. The radio station operators are able to bring forth a wide spectrum of topics that pertain directly to the larger community. While the radio station operators are involved in the community in a number of different capacities, they are able to discuss the topics that are relevant to their involvement.

The Women’s Talk Radio about violence against women and CBQM both create and recreate the communities they serve. Both stations are involved in empowerment whether as an expression of aboriginal pride or education surrounding women’s rights. The radio stations also function to build community through a variety of different events in which listeners can attend, enjoy and become engaged community members.

I'm Confused...is this Insulting? The Recreations of Bollywood in Popular Media

The reuse by Euro-Canadian and Euro-Americans of cultural or ethnic traditions are highly contested. As a Euro-Canadian individual in a globalized society, I have struggled to understand what is appropriate and what is inappropriate or Orientalist in nature, in these reused cultural performances. I have often been shocked by diasporic communities’ responses to comedy routines and movies which I would have assumed insulting to these communities. Following are two examples of the reuse or remix of Bollywood dancing. Similarly to Ghost World and the Heavenly Ten Stem’s discussed by David Novak, the two examples hang in a balance between mockery and tribute. Both illustrate the ways in which media is diversified by the detachment of Bollywood from original contexts in transnational circulations.

The comedy network in 2007 featured a segment of a “white man doing the Bollywood dance.” The skit involves a white comedian dancing around and lip-syncing to a slow, unidentified Indian song. Later, he is joined by his “female counterpart;” a hand puppet. He interacts with his hand in a way that is obviously mocking the exacerbated expressions common to Bollywood films. In this cultural appropriation example, I would have expected conflict around the cultural authorship. Similarly to Ghost World, I initially viewed this skit an undeniable form of Orientalism. It involves an uneven power relationship; the white man pretending to be an Indian man (and woman). Further, it appeared to be outwardly mocking the styling of Bollywood film. However, the skit does not grant the comedian access to culture, rather it functions to alienate him from the very idea of culture. The skit from the beginning was distanced and detached from its original context of Bollywood. It is not compared or discussed in relation to legitimate Bollywood films and artistry. Instead, the skit creates an outrageous reproduction based upon a few highlighted and exaggerated features common to Bollywood productions. This in turn further distances the viewer from the original context of Bollywood.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4bNU8-Mvus

The popular primetime show So You Think You Can Dance introduced Bollywood during season five. Caitlin and Jason, two of the show’s most popular contestants performed a dance choreographed by Nakul Dev Mahajan to the popular song Jai Ho. In the comments posted on YouTube many individuals identified as Indians or individuals trained in Bollywood dance. Amongst these key commentators, reviews were mixed. The general consensus was that the dance and costumes were insulting to Indian culture. The dance was categorized as Bollywood, yet many thought it would be better described as a fusion between hip-hop, contemporary and Bollywood. The performance was criticized for being a “tourist Bollywood,” too tainted by Western influence. Also, a number of comments point out that lifts are not characteristic of the Bollywood genre. It appears as though the Indian individuals who commented felt that the performance was not about representing Bollywood, instead it merely revealed aspects of a global popular culture. They did not just perform a dance, they attempted to appropriate Indian identities, and their failure to do so correctly displayed their ignorance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9b776fQ0MM&playnext=1&list=PL74E254C2C12CFC36

The two examples provided are very different. It is important to keep in mind that a consensus on each cultural performance is likely impossible; different diasporas and individuals likely interpret each piece differently. The comedy skit is detached from the outset and continues to distance both the performer and viewers from Bollywood culture. However, the performance on So You Think You Can Dance blatantly attempts to appropriate Bollywood identities. The Indian individuals who commented on the performance felt that this was particularly insulting because it lacked the respect Bollywood deserves. In other words, while it attempted to pay tribute to Bollywood, it failed to do so and resulted in mockery.