The ‘An Indian from India’ Series Exposes Ethnic Differences & Stereotypes
Rahul Kalvapalle — April 28, 2014 — Art & Design
References: annumatthew & lens.blogs.nytimes
‘An Indian from India’ is a photo series that pairs portraits of Native Americans with photos of photographer Annu Matthew, who is Indian—Indian as in South Asian, brown, from the country India, etc.
Like many people of Indian origin living in North America, Matthew has faced the frustration of having to clarify that her being ‘Indian’ means she is from India rather than Native American. “It’s all because Christopher Columbus went looking for the Indies and found North America instead,” Matthew explains. “Then he named the people here Indians.”
That confusion, and what it says about colonial history and race relations, inspired her to put together a series of photos in which she pairs classic 19th century portraits of Native Americans with portraits of herself in the same pose.
Aside from clarifying the difference between Indian and Native American, the ‘An Indian from India’ series also aims to highlight how colonial-era photographs of both Native Americans and Indians perpetuated and reinforced racial stereotypes held by the colonizers.
Like many people of Indian origin living in North America, Matthew has faced the frustration of having to clarify that her being ‘Indian’ means she is from India rather than Native American. “It’s all because Christopher Columbus went looking for the Indies and found North America instead,” Matthew explains. “Then he named the people here Indians.”
That confusion, and what it says about colonial history and race relations, inspired her to put together a series of photos in which she pairs classic 19th century portraits of Native Americans with portraits of herself in the same pose.
Aside from clarifying the difference between Indian and Native American, the ‘An Indian from India’ series also aims to highlight how colonial-era photographs of both Native Americans and Indians perpetuated and reinforced racial stereotypes held by the colonizers.
Trend Themes
1. Identity Reclamation - There may be opportunities for artists, photographers and designers to create identity reclamation visual series that highlight issues certainly not limited to the ‘An Indian from India’ series.
2. Decolonization Education - There may be opportunities in education — especially history and social sciences — to teach about colonialism and the effects it has on the world today.
3. Intersectionality - There may be opportunities to explore intersectionality as it relates to race, nationality, ethnicity, and culture.
Industry Implications
1. Art and Photography - There may be opportunities for artists and photographers of all levels and backgrounds to create visual art which addresses the issues raised by the ‘An Indian from India’ series.
2. Education - There may be opportunities to explore decolonization efforts in educational platforms, tackling stereotyping and misunderstandings around cultures and identities.
3. Social Sciences and Humanities - There may be opportunities to further study the connections and intersections between race, belonging, and identity through a decolonial lens.
5.6
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness
