Module 5: Art and Social Change
Does the media portrayals of Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s stories change the way they are treated in society?
Renowned Indian American filmmaker Mira Nair has made a career of taking viewers into intimate and unexpected worlds. She has woven together remarkable stories, including a scrutinized romance between a Black Southern man and an Indian refugee from Uganda in Mississippi Masala. She has filmed the lives of stigmatized cabaret dancers in India whose money supports their families yet who are rejected by their community because of their work.
Listen to
Mira Nair on her origins as a filmmaker
Audio 26.05.01 — Mira Nair discusses her origins as a filmmaker. Her first film, Salaam Bombay! (1988), highlighted the true stories of “street children” and brought to light child welfare issues in India.
Courtesy of Credit Line. Metadata ↗
Through these compelling stories, Nair aims both to help people open their minds to those who live different lives, and also to connect to all of the human experiences they go through. She has often said that her films are not about politics, but they are political in that they strive to create understanding. She said in a 2017 interview in Image Journal:
“I think now more than ever is the time to transcend our boundaries with the other. That is what I like to do in my films, by going into prickly and specific worlds, which I hope in their truth, fun, or joy make you see yourself, so that you see that a person in Katwe is not removed from you.” 1
This chapter has tried to exemplify the women, groups, organizations, and communities telling their own stories, using their own voices, and how such work has empowered Asian American and Pacific Islander women and countered narratives in their portrayal. When mainstream media and dominant powers tell the story, it often does not reflect the lived experiences or three-dimensions of the reality of these women.
In this module, these stories of empowerment illustrate how social change can be accomplished through art and storytelling as counternarratives.
How can art be an effective conduit for social change?
What are some pieces of art or storytelling that have enriched people’s understanding of Asian American and Pacific Islander women’s experiences?
In what ways do artists and their artistic practices transform narratives about Asian American and Pacific Islander women?
