THE ART OF BECOMING: FILMMAKING AND PERFORMANCE ON CAMBODIAN POSTCOLONIALITY AND DIASPORA by HIROKO HARA B.A., Tsuda College, 2003 M.A., The University of British Columbia, 2006 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Educational Studies) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) October 2012 © Hiroko Hara, 2012 Abstract Focusing on visual culture and artistic practice/performance, this study examines how individuals of Cambodian heritage living in Canada, Japan, and Cambodia sustain networks beyond borders through the application of technology, and what forms of expression using digital and non-digital media are actively practiced on a daily basis. Drawing on the concept of “heterotopia” by Michel Foucault (2002) and Trinh T. Minh-ha (1994)’s version of the notion of “hybridization”, I aim to attain the following three conceptual objectives: (1) to uncover the research participants’ (re)actions to the dominant meaning and representation of Cambodia, the people, and culture created by the media (i.e., TV, newspapers, magazines, etc.); (2) to show various forms of artistic practice and performance by the participants (e.g., photographing, filming, performing, painting, blogging, writing books, and teaching art); and (3) to propose a novel approach for education and research, which brings a critical lens in dealing with the issues of immigration and taking into account the significance of the arts for the daily lives of people living in the digital age. This study employs interviews and video recordings conducted in Ottawa, Tokyo, Hiratsuka, and Phnom Penh—the cities where the study participants reside. I apply a “speaking nearby” position as practiced by Trinh (1982) and incorporate film production and performance within the film. From the attempt to interweave these research methods and merge the boundary between the text and the image emerge not only diverse perspectives and forms of expression of the research participants in regards to his/her-story, home, food, language, education, time, space, and dwelling, but also intricate and heterogeneous modes of being and becoming of people in the globalizing times. ii Preface Ethics approval for this study was issued by the Behavioural Research Ethics Board at the University of British Columbia. The certificate number is H09-02961. iii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................... ii Preface ..................................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables ........................................................................................................................ viii List of Figures ........................................................................................................................ ix List of Illustrations ................................................................................................................. x Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................ xi Dedication ............................................................................................................................. xiii Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Rationale for the Study ................................................................................................. 2 1.2 Research Question ........................................................................................................ 3 1.3 Personal Context ........................................................................................................... 4 1.4 Terminology ................................................................................................................. 6 1.5 Reflecting Five Elements in Text and Film .................................................................. 9 1.6 Structure of the Dissertation ....................................................................................... 16 Chapter 2: Literature Review ............................................................................................. 20 2.1 Art and Pedagogy ....................................................................................................... 20 2.2 Postcoloniality ............................................................................................................ 24 2.3 Diaspora ...................................................................................................................... 28 2.4 Application ................................................................................................................. 32 2.5 Conceptual Framework ............................................................................................... 34 Chapter 3: Methodology (Earth) ........................................................................................ 41 3.1 Practicing “Blurred Genres” ....................................................................................... 41 iv 3.2 Visual Methods ........................................................................................................... 43 3.3 Performance ................................................................................................................ 48 3.4 Data Collection ........................................................................................................... 57 3.5 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 65 3.6 Reflexivity .................................................................................................................. 69 3.7 Prelude to Fire ............................................................................................................. 72 Chapter 4: Fire ..................................................................................................................... 73 4.1 History of Cambodian Diaspora and Stories behind It ............................................... 74 4.1.1 The First Story ..................................................................................................... 76 4.1.2 The Second Story ................................................................................................. 80 4.1.3 The Third Story .................................................................................................... 81 4.1.4 The Fourth Story .................................................................................................. 84 4.1.5 The Fifth Story ..................................................................................................... 86 4.2 Impact of Visual Culture and Technology .................................................................. 88 4.2.1 The Productive Side (Advantage Number One) .................................................. 92 4.2.2 The Productive Side (Advantage Number Two) ................................................. 95 4.2.3 The Productive Side (Advantage Number Three) ............................................... 96 4.2.4 The Productive Side (Advantage Number Four) ................................................. 98 4.2.5 The Productive Side (Advantage Number Five) ................................................ 100 4.2.6 The Problematic Side (Focusing on the Physical Aspect) ................................. 102 4.2.7 The Problematic Side (Focusing on the Emotional Aspect) .............................. 104 4.2.8 The Problematic Side (Focusing on Diaspora) .................................................. 105 4.3 Critical Lens on Media Representation .................................................................... 106 4.4 Decoding Critically ................................................................................................... 109 v 4.5 Encoding Critically ................................................................................................... 113 4.6 Prelude to Wind ........................................................................................................ 115 Chapter 5: Wind ................................................................................................................ 117 5.1 Style Number One: Teaching and Performing Cambodian Dance ........................... 117 5.2 Style Number Two: Starting from Painting to Covering Various Forms of Art ...... 122 5.3 Style Number Three: Making Full Use of Cyberspace Connecting Cambodia and Japan .................................................................................................................................. 126 5.4 Style Number Four: Teaching and Playing Musical Instruments ............................. 131 5.5 Style Number Five: Creating Installation Works ..................................................... 135 5.6 Style Number Six: Disseminating the Buddhist Teachings across both Physical Space and Cyberspace .................................................................................................................. 140 5.7 Style Number Seven: Writing Books and Delivering Lectures ...............................