The theme of place can be incorporated into identity politics ahead of race, gender, class and sexual orientation. Robertson and McDaniel state that “Where you hail from and where you now reside are two of the most significant facts about anyone”(151). If we take this into consideration, does that mean where you were born and where you live, in essence a place, act as the foremost definition of who you are? After we have spent countless weeks defining contemporary art, artists and meanings of identity, in all actuality is where the art or artist is from or currently living the “ centeral faucet of someone’s identity” (151). This idea of place as the main identifier of a person discredits the contemporary artists’ appropriation and subjectivity of gender, race and sexuality. Instead of using the political, social, cultural, philosophical, poetic and psychological references derived from biological differences, contemporary artists explore instead explore the said references implicated in Place. A place not only used to define a person, but also, a place used to define “their attendant physical, historical, and cultural attributes, condition what one knows and how one sees” (154)
Growing up in Montclair, New Jersey, one of the most culturally, politically and socially diverse cities in the country, has had a very large impact on my development into who I am. My place, my town, my community, my home, my elementary, middle and high schools, my parks, my shops, my streets, my neighborhood, all combine to give me context as to who I am, who I want to be and who I will be. My place has made me understand when Robertson and McDaniel stated that “place is a function of both perception and cognition” (154).
But the trouble with My Place, is that no one else can understand or ever fully grasp what it means to be from, grow up in or be influenced by My Place. Instead everyone has their own Place that as an alternative influences them and their outlook on art, history and life. No two people will have the same Place, and therefore just like all gender identities, it is hard to appropriate yours or anyone else’s place into a common, universal identity.
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I found the idea of "My Place" very interesting. I agree that a person's place is extremely relevant to their identity, believing that a person's environment play a huge role in who they are. In my opinion, a place does not hold the only key to who a person becomes or how they identify themselves within society. I think there are a lot of factors outside of environment that can manipulate what "the place" tries to instill on a person. However, I do strongly agree that a person's place does have a very strong part in the molding of an individual. Like Clare said, "no two people will have the same Place, and therefore just like all gender identities, it is hard to appropriate yours or anyone else’s place into a common, universal identity."
ReplyDeleteI liked when you said,"But the trouble with My Place, is that no one else can understand or ever fully grasp what it means to be from, grow up in or be influenced by My Place". This statement is very true, and I find myself thinking about this in the context of where I am from. It is so hard being here in Tuscaloosa, because people like to poke jokes at where I am from. Sometimes I think that "Place" can also have a negative affect. For Instance, I grew up in Winston County, Al, and if anyone knows about the Free State of Winston, then you can see why people make fun, or think that because I am from there I am a certain way. It is not fair to people to place them in certain category because of where they come from.
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