Private lives, public spaces

In the “Private lives, public spaces” exhibition many personalities, cultures, and concepts spread across different screens. Considering the fact that viewers never met the characters displayed, they are invited to construct an identity for them based on what they see. As these were originally home movies and not intended for the public, what is perceived may not be what was. Judith Howard explores the sociology behind the construction of identities and the symbolic interaction of it in her essay ‘Social psychology of identities’, some of which can be connected to these films.

Howard starts off by mentioning that “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.” Since the home videos were made in these times it is evident that women and men had specific roles. There is a specific video where a mom and baby are seen in the screen as she encourages him to take some steps. I can only assume that the father is not seen because it was mainly the mother’s job to cater to the children. It can also be concluded that he might be behind the camera since the newspaper Ad featured also shows the father holding the camera as the mom caters to the child. This Ad in itself, already establishes what role each parent will play in the making of their home video.

According to Howard, one way we identify ourselves is through cognitive structures, one being a group schema. She says,

“The central tenet of social identity theory is that individuals define their identities along         

   two dimensions: social, defined by membership in various social groups; and personal,

   the idiosyncratic attributes that distinguish an individual from others”

There is a specific video that starts with a seemingly native young woman performing the hula and then switches to a child, seemingly, mimicking her dance moves. If I was to connect this video to what Howard is saying, I would conclude that the boy identifies with this group of people and as a result his identity is influenced by the culture. The two individuals can be from two different parts of the world and have different cultures. However, as a viewer I can only assume that their identities were borne from membership of a group.

            Another way Howard says we may identify ourselves is through Interactionism. This is where the symbolic meaning people attach to things and others is developed and transmitted through interaction. As a result, language is important. One central thing within most of the home videos is interaction. If I was to look at these videos with Howard’s words in mind, then I would have to assume that each character displayed a part of their identity through the way they spoke or what they spoke about. However, since no one audio is heard from the actual footage, as a viewer, I was missing out on a huge part of their identities. As Howard mentions, “at the most basic level, the point is simply that people actively produce identity through their talk.” You may not be able to tell everything about someone after overhearing or having a conversation with them, but at the least, you would be able to say where they were from or get a sense of their beliefs.

            Thirdly, Howard goes on to say that we also identify ourselves through Ethnic identities. I think the first thing anyone thinks about who we are is who we look like. You can get an idea of one’s identity through their ethnicity, whether its about their background, possible views, and even how they are perceived in the world. I think it’s important to note that the home videos \ feature mainly Caucasian families. Howard mentions some articles that “assume that identity development is particularly complicated for those belonging to ethnic and racial minority groups, owing to negative societal stereotypes and discrimination.” I’ll have to admit that the moment I saw predominantly white families, I immediately concluded that they couldn’t afford to make the home videos, although it was a fact at the time. Then again, it is because of those stereotypes and discrimination that those black families were not able to make home videos.

In conclusion, I believe to ‘construct an identity’ is to accumulate what is around you, whether it be culture, beliefs, and sometimes even opinions and decide which you want to identify with. I believe that the people in the home videos were expecting to be seen as their perfect selves. I believe it was a way for them to document their lives but mainly the parts they wanted to remember. This also leads me to believe their intended audiences were their themselves and families. If anything, I believe they wanted to remind themselves of their good memories as well as have a tangible way in showing others their happiness. It’s because of this that I believe the museum called the exhibition ‘Private lives, public spaces’ because they knew that the way some people display their private lives in public spaces might not reflect how their life truly was.