December 11, 2015 - 11:58
when amy and i first brainstormed this project, i didn't have a very specific idea of what i was trying to prove or where we were going to conclude it. in a way, our presentation reflected that; we didn't have a conclusive "this is better, this is worse, this needs to be fixed, this is something more people should consider" ending. i think perhaps this is because of the nature of our project-- instead of examining a specific influence within the contact zone (e.g. gender, sexuality, socio-economic class), we chose to observe a specific type of contact zone and see what it showed us about those influences. what we didn't realize was that, in a sense, there IS no one type... in a classroom environment, every influence collides. at Bryn Mawr, each person brings an individuality not only characterized by their status as a student, but by their beliefs and ideas and values. so, in the end, we were examining not one zone, but a very small microcosm in which multiple contact zones met and intersected. it was interesting, yes, but it was also overwhelming. i ended up having more questions than answers. at the end of last night, i asked myself why i'd picked a project with so much intersection of identity, rather than in-depth exploration of a single influence-- and whether i'd really picked the right project.
with that in mind, watching the presentations this week gave me even more questions to ask. i'm curious about the ways in which the way we present ourselves affect both how we are perceived and how we perceive ourselves-- not only with personal style, but also in regards to ethnic/religious background, socio-economic class, and gender identity. i'm also curious about how that is affected once one comes to BMC, because i've noticed myself and others presenting differently than when we all first arrived here. basically, i'm interested in the intersection of the multiple influences within the contact zone... which brings me again to our project. maybe it was the right one for me after all.