Thesis Research

I've been doing research this week on mixed cultures

I learned some really interesting things at the MET about portugual(my mom is portuguese) and China (my dad is chinese). It was the portuguese that brought porcelain to europe. Chinese porcelain designs inspired chinoserie, a whole decorative arts movement in Europe. Sometimes I use pattern in my work and I thought it would be interesting to intergrate this style into my designs.

Portuguese decorative arts, especially tilework, were also highly influenced by the Moors who invaded Lisbon in 711 A.D.

I have also been doing research on this idea of the other and ethnocentrism. The very broad, and loose idea that I had for my thesis was investigating how people percieve me to different that I see myself. I think anthropolgy helps me refine my ideas of different cultures, and how they percieve each other.

I think that part of the reason that we still have racism is that some people still have an ethnocentric point of view. I think most people see their way of living, their culture as the best way, the right way and as long as we continue the see the world through an ethnocentric lense, there will always be racism and there will never be peace. For example, you always hear in the media about how the iraqi people don't understand democracy. I don't think that they don't understand democracy. It's just that our idea our democracy may not work for them. If you can justify anythingif you are convinced that one group of people are different than you.


Another example which I mentioned in class is immigration. I hear a lot of commentary especially from the right-wing media about "those illegal immigrants", "we can't reward those who don't respect the law".

Interestingly, I read that intermarriage lessens ethnocentrism.