Historical Storytelling
Chronicling a life started under military rule and continuing across the world.
Reading Analysis:
In this workshop we were asked to construct a historical story-telling video for someone in our lives. This task drew heavily upon the importance of story-telling, which research suggests is critical to the construction of identity and selfhood (Hughes, 2019). Though it may appear paradoxical, humans find themselves in each other, or rather, in each other's stories. Why, then, do humans construct their own stories? If all they need for identity are the stories of others, why make their own? In an effort to "...engage in a hermaneutic circle..." humans construct their own narratives for both themselves and others (Hughes, 2019). It may be helpful here to envision a human story as puzzle piece. Humans give shape to their own puzzle-piece stories in order to see how they fit together with the story shapes of others. This allows them to draw meaning from a glimpse of the whole, rather than simply part. Though I am not the subject of the story-telling video I created (above), I endeavored to make it as authentic as possible - to depict my subject as she wishes to be depicted, and to ensure that she determines the shape of her story piece.
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Video Explanation:
This historical storytelling video is centered around the experiences of my wife, Jihyun, who was born and raised in South Korea, and moved to Canada last year.
The events described in the video are lesser known in the West, but have been deeply impactful in the Korean peninsula.
In this video, Jihyun describes being born shortly after a successful military coup led by Chun Do Hawn. Growing up under military rule disguised as democracy meant freedoms were heavily restricted and free speech was non-existent. She details how a societal push for democracy was met by brutal oppression that directly impacted her family.
This authoritarian backdrop is then contrasted with a look at modern Korea as many perceive it, an e-sports mecca birthed from an industrial leader.
By describing the changes her society has faced and the tremendously disparate generational gap, Jihyun draws attention to the mashed up amalgam that is modern Korea, internet and tech giant with Confucian, conservative values.
The video finishes with Jihyun's description of her move to Canada in the middle of the pandemic. She details how employment uncertainty and early concerns amidst rampant reporting of hate crimes toward Asians permeated much of her life. The video finishes by highlighting her experience of working and living in Canada.
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References
Hughes, R. (2019). Citizen documentary: A method to document and mobilize social justice research. In K.
Cooper & R. Hughes (Eds.), What does it mean to become worldly? Toronto, Canada: Life Rattle Press.
