The Gates and Hall readings hit the nail on the head for me and were both rich with discussion points and design considerations. They addressed issues of cultural development and the reality of this as an ongoing process, or as Hall says, as a way of "becoming rather than being" (2000, p.225). This sense of continual renewal and influence seemed to elude our previous discussions, as we were tempted to label the development of indigenous cultures as being no longer 'pure'; according to Hall's theory, this statement is somewhat meaningless and ignorant: what is the litmus test for the purity of a culture? To what can we compare it? Just like the human development or advancements in technology, the formation of culture is not static or devoid of context. It has been cultivated since the beginning of time and will continue to change until the end.

Hall specifically addresses and then continues to refute the 'cultural identity' (2000, p. 223) concept that looks back on history (whatever that is) to locate the essential element of a culture and identify that as being the most important to its identity. This ties back to the theory of essentialism, as discussed in Fischer's article, which we had previously found to be an unsatisfying manner of identifying cultures. As our class participation showed, each of us has unique identities that encompass a variety of elements. I personally identified myself as:

a designer, a student, an only child, a daughter, a critical thinker, a friend, one of german/polish heritage, a Minnesotan, a Wisconsinite

While there were overlaps between elements chosen by each of us, the identity pinwheel (shown on the right) was complex and revealed that this definition (yet again) is different for all of us. This exercise poked more holes into the 'cultural identity' and essentialism theories; when given the option to hypothetically remove one piece of our identity, it was almost completely different for all of us, rendering an "essential element" non-existent.

Much of this reading ties in directly with my thesis ideas, which are thus far focusing on the visual representation of a group's identity and designing an experience that allows this identity to formulate and construct itself over time, based on the interactions of that group's inhabitants. In this class, I think that representing the identity of an otherwise 'invisible' or marginalized societal or cultural group can have rehabilitative qualities that improve a group's sense of self-worth and self-understanding. This process could also empower these groups to break the cycle of falsely constructed or ill-informed identities to which they have been subjected. However, it is also careful to consider how applying an "imaginary coherence" on refugee populations or otherwise dispersed cultures could trivialize the "experience of dispersal and fragmentation" (Hall, 2000, p. 224) to which the group has been subjected. In any case, I think there is an ethical responsibility by those who produce and disseminate visual materials, to realize the impact of these representations and how, if representation is seeing and seeing is believing, then there needs to be careful consideration given to the context of the representations created.

References:
1. Gates, H.L. Jr. (1996). Planet rap - Notes on the globalization of a culture. In Marjorie Garber, Paul B. Franklin, and Rebecca L. Walkowitz (eds.) Field work - Sites in literary and cultural studies, London: Routledge, 55-66.

2. Hall, S. (2000). Cultural identity and diaspora. In Nicholas Mirzoeff, ed. Diaspora and visual culture - Representing Africans and Jews, London: Routledge, 21-33.

Previous reading reference:
Fischer, E.F. (1999). Cultural logic and Maya identity: Rethinking constructivism and essentialism. Current Anthropology, 40(4), 473-488.