Long time, no see!
So, I'm guessing if you're still here you might have some interest in what I'm doing while I'm away. Well, I had to turn in my three research project proposals recently, so I thought I'd share and let you see what I've been and will be working on...
First up...
I'm taking a class on Raza Women. For my additional project I'm going to read the book Desert Blood by Gaspar de Alba and discuss how the book intersects with what we've been discussing during the semester. As the book is on the Juarez femicides I'm guessing I'll be talking a lot about Latinas and violence; you know, happy stuff! Am pretty sure I'll find myself having to critique the book for ignoring trans Latinas, but, I'll hope for the best until proved wrong. Still, I'm planning to have to do supplemental research to talk about that in the paper.
Second...
The project I am proposing is one that will require me to research the Wizard Rock community and genre. I plan to do this through primarily internet research and the podcast WZRD, as well as by looking for documentation/discussion in film and print. The final project will consist of a paper of 15 double-spaced pages sharing my findings and analyzing them within the context of the course and our discussions of gender, race and class in popular music. It is also likely, should time permit, that I will analyze one or two songs by a Wizard Rock artist(s) as Sheila Whiteley does at times in her book.
Already since turning this project proposal in I have found in preliminary research that I might end up talking about "filk" (genre focused folk music) initially as a precursor to wrock, and that thinks like trock (TARDIS rock, aka Dr. Who themed rock music) also exist. Might have to inform her of changes as I turn more stuff in on the schedule she (professor) laid out for me.
and Last...
For my research project during this term I would like to analyze three episodes of science fiction television and their portrayal of Indigenous people; specifically, “The Paradise Syndrome” from Star Trek, “Journey’s End” from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and “The Blessing Way” from The X-Files. While the primary “object” of investigation in this project would be the way these episodes deal with race, I would approach the subject from an intersectional perspective, analyzing the way in which gender, sexuality, ability and other axes of identity as well as structures/issues of power, such as colonialism and Whiteness, complicate the projects of these episodes and their impact on the audience. At this time the questions I have are rather basic; “how are indigenous people portrayed in these episodes?” and “how have such portrayals changed over time?”
Thoughts are, of course, welcome.
