Media Representations of International Marriage In Australia.
Identity and Essentialism
International marriage is a concept which involves cultural struggles in it. Reality and ideology of culture in a society is being changed, every day passes and new ideas are changing the nature of culture as it is stated in text book, culture is shifting reality always (Holliday, Hyde, Kullaman 2004). The concepts of Identity & Essentialism are two important factors in phenomenon of International marriage which can be applied to media representations of International marriage in Australia ( Australian Wife overcoming Cross-Culture Hurdles, Hiragana Times, Feb 2012). The article explores issues about adopting to a new culture surrounded by essentialist views of cross culture marriage through membership and identity. In order to communicate with an individual of a different culture being non essentialism is a necessary need. “becoming self by defining other” Holliday, Hyden, Kullaman 2004 is discussing people are capable of moving through cultures. Culture of an individual can be change with being through process of lose and reconstruction of identity.
Australian Wife overcoming Cross-Culture Hurdles, Hiragana Times, Feb 2012, is a article written and published in Hiragana times which is representing a young Australian woman called Roxanna Gwyn-Kabayama who went to Japan in 1999 for business purpose and then she married to Shiego Gwyn-Kabayama who is from a traditional family in Okinawa. The article is focusing primarily on the presented character’s initial struggles specially Roxanna Gwyn-Kabayama with Shiego’s traditional life in contrast of Roxanna Gwyn-Kabayama own modern life in Australia as it is stated in the article itself. Roxanna finds herself deeply tied to her Australian identity and soon she realizes that she is not able to convert her identity completely to a traditional life. The article presentation is focusing on cultural limitations where individuals do not want to go beyond of their own culture and it is explained and presented through the relationship of Hiragana Times article’s characters.
Holiday, Hyde and Kullman, 2010 are stating that people always judge against certain social groups by assigning qualities which are taken from minimal clues. Minimal clues are mostly result of stereotypes in media as it is presented in the Intercultural communication book (Holiday, Hyden, Kullaman 2010), normally stereotypes, however negative or positive are infected by the nature of prejudices, Therefore the article by Hiragana Times, Australian Wife overcoming Cross-Culture Hurdles (Hiragana times, 2012) is presenting that Roxanna Kabayama did not have an idea of traditionalism in Japan due to stereotypes in media about Japan, Roxanna Kabayama imagined Japanese lifestyle like her own Australian lifestyle in which social statues of people are same among them ( Gender roles for instance). Despite of the fact that many of Japanese people are still following their traditional life but in media, Stereotype of Japanese lifestyle is represented through technology and entertainment. Once Character of Hiragana Times, Roxanna Kabayama met Shiego Kabayama, soon she realizes, Shiego Kabayama was not what she expected in terms of how the stereotypes about Japan were presented to her. The essentialist view is presented through a psychological distance here and it is highlighted by the prejudice of Roxanna Kabayama (Holiday, Hyden, Kullaman, 2012) and her first time meeting with Shiego Kabayama. Shiego Kabayama told Roxanna Kabayama that he is from a village near Okinawa and his traditional life in which family values and gender roles are very different from the way that Roxanna Kabayama expected and experienced in Australia. According to HIragana Times the presented character of Roxanna Kabayama did deal with her wrong judgments but as Holiday, Hyden and Kullaman are stated prejudices are able to be solved but in the other side, stereotypes are resistant to any change (Holiday, Hyden and Kullaman 2010).
Identity is playing an important role in Hiragana Times article, Australian Wife overcoming cross culture hurdles, presented character’s relationship and as well as their marriage. Article presents Roxanna Kabayama as a non-essentialist Australian character through membership as it is stated in article that she was ready to learn her partner’s culture but the partner’s family were enforcing her to leave her Australian identity behind and turn to what they demanded to her. This created an essentialist view for both of Hiragana Times character. Therefore, During Roxanna Kabayama’s first meeting with Shiego Kabayama’s parent they asked her to get pregnant and stay at home to take care of the child but Roxanna Kabayama was not ready to become a mother nor she was not agree to be the only one to accept the responsibility. Dr Abigail Powell, is presenting in his journal that more than 62 percentage of Australian households with children below eleven years old, both parent were in paid work. therefore, in Australian culture it is not only the woman who is expected to take care of child ” Traditional roles could change if women take the first step – out of the house” Powell, 2011. According to the Hiragana times article, the Australian protagonist, Roxanna Kabayama were faced to situations which her weakness in Japanese language led her to failure in communication with Shiego KAbayama’s family. “Language learning and Identity” Holliday, Hyden and Kullaman, are discussing how individuals learn a second language after they have gone through the process of language shock and culture shock. Therefore, Both of the characters of Hiragana Times are presented in the way that they have tried to deal with these situations by using membership and defining themselves by adopting to each other’s culture. As the result, For example, as it is presented in the Hiragana Times article, Roxanna Kabayama the Australian Character did change her own family name to her partener family name to make a sense of belonging for her partner’s family. “Becoming selfother” Holiday, Hyden and Kullaman 2010, is claiming that Culture is absorbed by individuals from environment. During the process of shaping a new identity by absorbing a new culture, individuals will go through process of lose and reconstruction of identity.
Essentialism means culture or any object’s basic characteristics which are not able to be converted to other characteristics, it is stated according to Holiday, Hyden and Kullaman. The essentialist view of International marriage is presented by Hiragana Times article, Australian woman overcoming cross culture hurdles, through the characters. During Roxanna Kabayama meeting with Shiego Kabayama when they were dating, As it is presented in the article Roxanna was asked Shiego Kabayama to accompany her and her friends to night clubs in Okinawa and drink with them. Shiego Kabayama did not like this idea and he preferred to spend his time with Roxanna at restaurant and nor Roxanna did not want to spend time in restaurant. Characters of Hiragana Times are presented that they find themselves, defined by their nationality therefore, when this occurs Roxanna Kabayama wants to entertain herself in the way she did in Australia. In addition, This also sets an essentialist views which Roxanna Kabayama is not trying to adopt herself in a new culture or at least balance herself. In the other hand, As it is quoted from article in the Hiragana Times, Character’s have tried to persuade each other in a discussion about culture and how much effort they need to make this relationship work. Therefore, The relationship between them suffered from being essentialist about their identities. The essentialist view point is mostly assumed by Roxanna Kabayama character and she is the person who is attached to a physical location and cannot flow over other locations.
The non-essentialist view means people are able to flow and interact with other cultures as it is stated by Holiday, Hyden, Kullaman 2010. Therefore, According to the Hiragana Times article, Australian wife overcoming cross culture hurdles, The first demonstrated fact about Roxanna Kabayama is that her birth place is totally different than Japan. “About Australia: Indigenous peoples: an overview” Johan Mc.Klen 2010 is discussing that Essentially Western Culture is influenced by the Australian continent and diversity input of Aboriginals & various waves of multi-ethnic migrations and the common theme of culture is egalitarianism in which all the people are having a same social status. Therefore, According to the Hiragana Times presentations of characters, When Roxanna Kabayama came to Japan and met Shiego Kabayama she left behind all of her wrong thoughts and she started to know him and learn about his culture. Shiego Kabayama did manage to set up some discussion with her to try to balance her culture with him. Shiego Kabayama told Roxanna that he does not want she listen to what his parent are told her and he wants this marriage and their roles to be equal and even after wedding Roxanna and Shiego left Okinawa to Tokyo.
Throughout the article we have seen the personal development of Hiragana Times article character’s identity in terms of lose and reconstruction of identity as they undergoes a self understanding in which they found that it is not required for them to leave behind their orginal identity ( For Roxanna, Australian Identity) and simply by having a non essentialist view they are able to create a new culture for themselves that they can reconstruct it according to other cultural values that they are being faced (Japanese culture). In the climax of Hiragana Times article it is presented characters as non-essentialist couple finally and they are have set up a business in Tokyo and their life is free of cultural issues that they used to have. They still have their own cultural values without losing of it. Australian Wife overcoming Cross-Culture Hurdles is showing Culture is not attached to a certain location and it can be changed to other as well, in addition for have a clear understanding of a different culture individuals are not required to be part of that culture and simply by being non essentialist they can have a clear understanding of a new culture.
Reference:
- Holliday, A., M.Hyde, and J, Kullman. 2004 Intercultural Communication. Oxford. Routlege.
- Le, C.N. April 16, 2012. “Interracial Dating & Marriage” Asian-Nation: The Landscape of Asian America. Accessed 4 of May. http://www.asian-nation.org/interracial.shtml
- Times, Hiragana.4 January 2012 .Australian Wife Overcoming Cross Culture Hurdles, Accessed 1 of May. http://www.hiraganatimes.com/hp/marriage/kiji-022e.html
- Craig, Lyn. 7 July 2011. Rebalancing gender roles by leaving men to hold the baby. Accessed 3 of May. http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/rebalancing-gender-roles-by-leaving-men-to-hold-the-baby-20110706-1h2dr.html
- Racism Noway, 9 May 2008. Understating racism in terms of of the Importance of Culture. Accessed 3 of May. http://www.racismnoway.com.au/about-racism/understanding/culture-language-identity.html