Research Blog Post 1

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This quarter, we're dedicating much of our efforts toward researching in-depth a specific humanistic topic and primary source representing that topic. Afterward, we'll collect all of the information to write a research paper and prepare a multimodal presentation on the subject.

Before I start exploring some options for what I'd like to write about, it's helpful to lay out the basics. A humanistic research project is a work that analyzes and explores the significance of a particular text, film, album, or other type of production. While doing this, a humanist might ask questions about how certain formal features of the primary source do cultural work, or they may wonder about what societal values and beliefs pushed the creator to make this thing, or they could examine the effects of the work on its audience and how consumers responded. Alongside keeping these types of questions in mind, I also need to think about what topics pique my interest. Some topics and disciplines I'd be happy to center my project around are film analysis, comparative literature, colonialism, socioeconomic class, and environmentalism among others.

The Journey So Far

Looking back at the previous quarters of Humanities Core, two primary sources stand out to me as I'm thinking about this project. They were both interesting to explore and analyze, and I think they're good reflections of the kind of culture and mindsets that they came from.

A translated version of the Huarochiri Manuscript | Image

The Huarochiri Manuscript

A text from the beginning of winter quarter, Professor O'Toole's lectures on the Huarochiri Manuscript got me thinking about how it was a work that really represented the Andean people whose stories were recorded in this text. With many of the stories involving an underdog surviving through a conquest and rising up to defeat the conqueror in some way, the Huarochiri Manuscript seemed to me to contain a wealth of humanistic value in how it fights back against an oppressive force, and how it demonstrates the kind of competitive culture that is characteristic of a society familiar with conquest.

The Twilight New Moon film cover | Image

Twilight

When I first realized we would be looking at Twilight for this course, I couldn't think of too many ways it might reflect the theme of Animals, People, and Power. However, as I noticed more how the werewolves were portrayed and learned from the course materials how they were based on the real-life Quileute people, I began to see more and more how the films do cultural work. They definitely reflect a certain side of North American culture that holds views and stereotypes of American Indians that can be harmful. This humanistic topic is one I found really interesting, and I might want to feature it in my project.

STORMING BRAINS

I began to look around for primary sources that I might want to center my research project around, based on some of the topics of interest I mentioned before. I found that I really enjoyed examining film — both live action and animated or CGI — so I considered a Disney classic or other modern films that are either aimed at kids or are family friendly. But I also found myself thinking about a very different medium: video games. Here are just some of the works I found that intrigued me:

A poster of the film Avatar (2009) | Image

Avatar (2009)

One of my favorite reads from the past quarter — or maybe even all year — was Paul Nadasdy's "Transcending the Debate over the Ecologically Noble Indian." It really gave me a new outlook on how American Indians are portrayed in popular media as ecological protectors, even though that flattens their beliefs and practices in a way that can actually be harmful. I was thinking about how I could apply that to my project, and Avatar seemed to be both a perfect example and extremely visible. It's not a secret that the Na'vi are a parallel to indigenous people, but that association is clearly made through many cliches and stereotypes. In its goal to promote environmentalism and conservation, Avatar makes a sacrifice for convenience and furthers the kind of noble savage trope that Nadasdy describes. If I went along this path, I think I'd zero in more on the animalistic side of the film, possibly how the Na'vi interact with the fantastic creatures of Pandora.

Shadow of the Colossus

Trying to find primary sources outside of the common media of films or texts, I remembered Shadow of the Colossus, a video game from 2005. The interactivity of video games feels like it could have a lot of both thematic and humanistic significance. Shadow of the Colossus is a game about defeating majestic, often peaceful beasts in a massive wasteland. Overall, it's a work that appears to say something about the relationship between humans and animals as well as how humans treat non-human life. And the fact that players need to actively participate in this kind of dynamic adds an extra level of depth. I think this primary source is a great expression of Animals, People, and Power, but I feel like there may also be something else hidden deeper if I look more into the many aspects of the game.

A poster of the game Shadow of the Colossus | Image

Decisions, Decisions

These two works — Avatar and Shadow of the Colossus — are ones that really pique my interest. I'll keep exploring possibilities for primary sources for now, but looking into these has given me a better idea of what kind of thing I'd like to explore and center my research project around. I see a lot of potential for writing on a humanistic topic involving one of the themes involved here, but I've also begun to think about very different topics and media, like comics or speeches. Right now, I'm finding myself really fascinated with the concept of the ecologically noble Indian, and I wonder what primary sources I might find that either use or criticize it. I'll look deeper into all of these to see what works I can discover, what kind of cultural work they perform, and anything else that might help me make a final decision.

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