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Gardener and Forest of Bliss

1. Is Robert Gardener an ethnographic filmmaker or visual artist? Does it matter when attempting to document culture?

From what I was able to take away from the short film, it would seem to me that Robert Gardner is a visual artist. The reason that I felt this way is because he was solely focused on the visuals of culture. One of the newer aspects that I haven’t seen in any other anthropology film this far, was that he didn’t have any dialogue or audio in his movie. Visual anthropology has a main goal of conveying a scientific message not conveying an artistic message. It can become problematic when you are trying to present a culture because using visuals that are pleasing to the eye are yes authentic, but it causes a problem in being able to show truth in your film.

2. What are Ruby’s main critiques of Robert Gardener and his films?

He critiques the fact that Gardener uses outmoded methodological approaches to film. He doesn’t use knowledge from prior ethnographic field work to organize his film. Finally he also claims that there is an artistic vision used in this film rather than connecting himself with the “other” in this film.

3. How does the notion of ‘salvage’ play into the critique of Gardener by Ruby?

Ruby argues that having to use a term such as ‘salvage’ in order to describe or have any reference to a culture is offensive because it diminishes the culture. The idea of salvaging romanticizes the idea of the peoples economic and political conditions which can cause them to be subject to feel oppressed.

4. What are the direct critiques of Bliss by Ruby?

Forest of the Bliss just like Gardener’s piece is focused more on the artistic aspect rather than the ethnographic piece of the film. Because there are no subtitles it gives the viewer a more difficult time understanding what is going on between the subjects and this causes Ruby feel that its incorrect because he cant figure out the authors intentions.

5. What is your take on the difference between Ruby and Gardener’s perspective on this film?

Gardener’s idea of an ethnographic seems more logical, but he also romanticizes the film rather than caring about the ethics of the film.Ruby feels that not all films are art, but also that all films are not ethnographic either. Art is expressed by the way that the artist wants it to be perceived, in this particular case Gardener did not think that this film was ethnographic.

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1. What is shared anthropology?

This is a type of strategy that was developed by Jean Rouch which is the involvement of both the ethnographer and the participants in the film. Both have a shared agreement and function on deciding how the film should be presented. This gives both the ethnographer and the participant the opportunity to make a true authentic and meaningful piece because each can add their own ideas to make the piece better.

2. How does Rouch himself and Feld discuss Rouch’s methods?

Rouch frequently talks about how he does not favor camera crews for various reasons. One of them is that crews do not particularly know exactly who and what to shoot the way that the ethnographer does. Most ethnographers will spend lengthy periods of time in a particular area to become familiar and know exactly what they want to shoot. Camera crews do not always access the amount of time that most ethnographers need to make these films, and also cost becomes a larger issue as well. Because the ethnographer most times will be walking around with his camera attached to him it is important for him to become familiar with the area. Subtitles are encouraged to help the viewers have an understanding of what they are watching, editing on the other hand is not always favored because most ethnographers want to keep the film as it is.

3. What is cinema-verite?

This is described as “a new type of art; the art of life itself.” In order for the ethnographer to reach the truth in “movement” these types of methods revolve around the various shooting techniques. In this method it is allowing the camera to show the viewer what they are not able to see or show them something they have never seen before. 

Chronicals of a summer:

1. What evidence of reflexivity do you see in the film?

There were two types of reflexivity that were expressed throughout the film. The ethnographers would approach many different kinds of people trying to evoke conversation between them. In the beginning of the film the woman who is part of the film making expresses her nerves about being on camera, Rouch assures her that he will not put anything into the movie that she does not want. This showed reflexivity because it was earlier mentioned that Rouch was not a fan of editing out parts of a film for fear that it would take away from the authenticity. However in this circumstance he was able to let go and agree to giving her a say in what she wanted to be presented of herself.

2. What evidence of Rouch’s methods do you see in the film including cinema-verite?

As mentioned above this type of method was used to strategize different ways of shooting. In the movie Rouch approached people on the streets asking them simply, are you happy? But the one thing that he did that I really appreciated was he wanted to shoot their everyday lives and routines.

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Media Journal

1. How do the Macdougalls discuss the history of photography in India?

This article talked about the history of photography in India from its beginning in 1854. It started as a small group of just a few people and several years later it blossomed into a larger group that was going around various cities in India. Photography increasingly became one of the most important tools for applications of jobs, art, passports, etc. Photography became a word that was used in Hindi to describe paintings. 

2. How do they discuss the process?

Filmmakers had the idea of having a singular photographer but unfortunately as they found out it became almost impossible. After being disappointed of how that turned out they decided to film in the town of Mussorie, all of the people who participated in the film were able to share about the different forms of history through photography. All of the people were more than happy to be apart of the film, and used various pictures to represent themselves.

3. Is it an ethnographic film?

I believe that it could be an ethnographic film because it looks into the different forms of art through photography, film, and paintings and is able to present a history. But what makes its ethnographic for me is that it didn’t just go into the history in India it also went into the history and influences that the West had themselves.

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Push It Along

1. Why are the authors arguing for not making an ethnographic film about Baltimore? 

By making an ethnographic film about the growing issue that occurred in Baltimore regarding Freddie Gray there was a fear that there would be racism rearing its head in many forms. One of the main fears that the authors had was that their works could be taken in a more negative sense and cause more riots rather than getting the message that they really wanted out to the people. 

2. What do the authors mean when they say ‘push it along’ in terms of media?

They mean Wide Angle Youth Media this is mainly run by the young people of Baltimore. The young people are unfortunately not heard enough as much as they should be, so this gives them the opportunity to speak out. More importantly it gives the young people a chance to speak out about what their interpretations of the protests and hate are. Each one of them has been directly impacted by what has transpired so instead of conducting their own media, they will push along the media that they feel speaks to everyone. The main goal of this is for the authors to show their support of the community instead of feeling as if they are trying to jam their opinions down the community’s throat.

3. Discuss the process the authors advocate at the end of the article for engaging media and communities.

“1.    Have an interesting, diverse network.  It is not enough to include friends and anthropologists in your circle of social media contacts.  Not only should you be connected (however tangentially) to people in government and nonprofits, but you should make an effort to connect with people and institutions that are doing structurally similar work outside of your site.

2.    Contribute regularly to social media and take the time to learn trending hashtags that might be relevant to different communities.

3.    When you tweet media, you’re there to promote someone else’s work.  Make sure you acknowledge the media creator, using the account name (e.g., “@wideangleym”) or, if they’re not on Twitter, a link to their account on another social media.  Add a brief description tailored to your followers, but avoid interpretation.  The goal is to get people to share that media, not to demonstrate your own acumen.

4.    Add hashtags that will connect the media with appropriate contexts and will allow it to be found by people interested in these issues.

5.    Most importantly, for the purposes of this article, we must insist: when you re-tweet, don’t change their message.”

A lot of the time social media is used as a stepping stone to broadcast to the public and other forms of media what we really care about. For some it can be used for politics or any other forms of opinions, but in order to make your post seen by more people there are many other ways to do it. For example, instagram and twitter use hashtag that connect your post to many others that use the same hashtag so more people can see it. Its always good to be able to show the public how you’re feeling about a certain situation but also gives others the opportunity to say what they want to as well.

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Clean and Green vs. Anthropology by the Wire

1) Please discuss the Clean and Green team video in comparison with the Anthropology by the Wire reading.

     The Clean and Green project is based out in South Baltimore where young people can go out and clean up the streets of Baltimore. As some of the boys stated there needs to be more recreational centers where people can go to keep them off the streets. They clean up the trash and dirt that surrounds the city, and replant the flowers all around so they are fresh and nice looking. Anthropology by the Wire project is an multimedia project that is based out in Baltimore where students from Towson University can go out and conduct research on neighborhoods in Baltimore through an anthropological lens. The great thing about Anthropology by the Wire is that people who don’t have as much of an opportunity to speak up about how they have been disenfranchised, now have the opportunity to be heard. 

2) Please review the additional piece of media from the Anthropology by the Wire YouTube Channel Archive site in comparison with the Anthropology by the Wire reading.

    The site gives a more general description of the type of work that the students due and what their goals are. The videos are able to show the viewer the various different ways that the students are able to achieve their goals through the community and also through visual anthropology.

Questions to consider for your media journal entry:

1) What is the representational burden placed on Baltimore City?

     The burden is that there are so many abandoned apartment buildings that could be fixed up for others to live in, but there are also no places where young people can go to stay off the streets. Because there aren’t enough trash cans on the street corners people will throw their trash all around adding to the horrible condition that it is in. By employing young people they are able to learn about the environment more and more and how to keep it green from here on out.

2) What is Anthropology by the Wire?

    This project as mentioned above takes on Towson University students out to Baltimore and gives them the opportunity to conduct research on the different people who live there. Many people who have been laid off or had their resources used up by people who wanted to keep the money for themselves. By giving these people the opportunity to speak up we can find a way to make change.

3) How are notions of authorship discussed?

     Authorship is discussed in the work because those who go on these research trips are able to discuss their experiences and their findings. Through the video about the Clean Green Project all the guys who went out to help were able to voice their own opinions on what changes they feel like should be made to make the neighborhood better. They also were able to say what places were available but how expensive they are for some families who can’t afford them.

4) What are the promises and pitfalls of a networked anthropology?

    The promises of networked anthropology is to be able to share information and experiences by applying anthropology to them. This helps to expand itself to both profit and nonprofit organizations to evoke change. The pitfalls of networked anthropology is that although there are multiple ways of research there is no guarantee that there will be a solution to the problems. 

5) What are the details of the collaboration with the community of Sharp Leadenhall?

   In the interview one of the coordinators of the project talked about how there was a previous neighborhood clean up team but they weren’t enough. So by bringing in more young people they can teach them the importance and prevalence of environmental care, but also to show them that there are multiple avenues of job opportunities through this program.

6) What are the goals of the Anthropology by the Wire project?

     The goals of this project is to try and help both the researcher and the people who are being researched from an anthropological perspective. It gives the people an opportunity to be heard and hopefully have more opportunities for other job opportunities. But the real goals come from the people who conduct their research because they get the chance to see these neighborhoods from a different perspective and find new ways to help.