Michael Oliphant
February
21, 2020
Image,
Identity, & Culture
The way a person identifies and
views themselves has always been a complex topic. Psychologists, philosophers,
and a number of other professions have debated and argued for centuries on how
to define identity. What is identity? How is identity formed? Do our identities
grow and change over the course of our lives. There are many different views,
but the topic of identity has become more controversial than ever. As Judith
Howard states in her article, Social
Psychology of Identities, “At earlier historical moments,
identity was not so much an issue; when societies were more stable, identity
was to a great extent assigned, rather than selected or adopted.” Earlier in
history one’s role in society, and to a greater extent how they viewed
themselves and were viewed by other was assigned to them. One’s identity was not
something they struggled to understand or were in conflict with. However, in
our society today, identity and the need to define one’s self seems harder than
ever.
According
to Judith Howard we identify ourselves using cognitive structures, or schemas.
There is self-schema, which is organized knowledge about one’s self. This category
of schema answers the question, “Who am I?” On the other hand, there is Group-schema,
which is organized information about one social status, class, gender, race,
and age. This could answer questions like, “How do other see me?” or “What is
my position or role in society?” Interactionism also plays a big role in
identifying one’s self. It is the premise that people attach symbolic meaning
to themselves, other individuals, objects, and behaviors. They develop these
symbolic feeling and transfer them to other people through interactions. This
would also play a big part in the development of collective societies and cultures.
According to the theory of the more you interact with other, the more your
position and role in society is defined, making it easier to identify one’s
self.
You can
also identify someone through Ethnic identity. This one is the most obvious and
simple. Most people do this when they look at someone they don’t know. “I think
that person is African, European, or Hispanic.” You can then categorize them,
assign certain behavioral traits, belief systems, and identify them. You can
also identify someone based on their gender or sexuality, and as we see today, these
categories or more fluid.
Identity is explored in the MOMA
exhibit, Private Lives, Public Spaces.
This exhibit displays a collection of seemingly random home movies from many
different people. The people in the home movies all seem to be from different groups,
class, ages, and ethnicities. However, there is one thing they all share. These
videos appear to be old, very old. I would estimate the most recent home movie
was made in the 1970’s. ‘
The first film that caught my
attention was of a middle eastern family. I watched as the camera filmed a man,
I assumed was the father of this family, carry his young child. He then gives
the child to a white woman, which surprised me. The camera cuts to a scene
where there are two more children, that appear to be middle eastern. The camera
then cuts again, to that same white woman in a building, surrounded by and
interacting happily with a group of middle eastern children. It is my
assumption that she was the middle eastern father’s wife, and together they
raised a small mixed-race family. This was surprising because I would assume
this video is from the 1960’s or 50’s, possibly earlier. I believe in a
situation like this, it would be quite easy to assume the identity of mother,
or primary caretaker, if you are the woman in the video. Her identity would
come from the interaction she has with her husband, or partner, and her interaction
with the children I assume she is raising.
In another video I watched as a
group of several well-dressed middle-aged people, white and black, partied and
laughed together. It appeared as if they were having a big celebration, and
they were getting drunk. They all appeared to be very happy and enjoying each
other’s company. In this video I believe that their identities come from their
positions or roles in this friend group. Some of them could’ve been couples,
while others could have just been friends. There identities would come from
their interactions with each other, as well as their history with one another. Their
identities and roles could also come from a hierarchy of age, ethnicity, status,
and occupation.
In the last home video, I chose
there was a large group of people, dancing together on a beach. I’m not sure if
it was a Hawaiian celebration, but that is what it appeared to be. Many of them
were standing and watching the individuals that chose to dance. There was one
individual in particular, a man dressed in a red flower-patterned skirt, dancing
his heart out. They watched, smiled, and laughed. Several people even danced
together. It appeared to be a celebration in this video as well. If I were
Judith Howard I would assume that the man dancing his heart out identified as a
confident and outgoing person, which resulted in his entertaining actions. His
position in that group could be the party starter, or someone that often gets people
involved.
Just as the sign at the start of the
exhibit, Private Lives, Public Spaces
states, “Home movies are made to entertain small audiences of family and
friends at private screenings.” I don’t believe any of the people filmed on
these vintage cameras thought that they would be played at the MOMA. These
short home videos are just a slice or small portion of their identities. Depending
on the situation, it could be a completely different side then they would
usually show. For example, many of the videos I watched were happy and
celebratory occasions. The people filmed would change the way they acted to fit
the situation, especially if they were being filmed. The audience for these
films were most likely small gatherings of family and friends, not hundreds of
strangers. The people watching would be individuals that the people being filmed
know, and were comfortable with.
Constructing an identity is extremely
complex, and hard to understand. I believe that it is a combination of genetics,
the environment you were born and raised in, and the people you interact with
on a daily basis. I also believe that one’s identity can grow, develop, evolve,
and even change over time. Depending on the situation one might need to play a different
role or hide a portion of their identity. For example, some groups of people
are noted for their ability to “code switch” in different situations. I don’t
think identity is something that needs to be defined in a scientific way, it is
simply who someone is, and everyone’s identity is completely unique.
I believe MOMA titled this exhibit Private Lives, Public Spaces because
they exposed these individuals private lives, pieces of their everyday
situations, and how “roles” they take on in those situations, to the public. These
home movies allowed people decades later to see who these people were in
intimate situations. These are private moments that are not usually shared with
strangers, but thanks to this exhibit, we get to see them.
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