Focused Discussions
NUI Galway
Featured Iranian American Immigration and Masculinity: Relationships of Fathers and Their Children View Digital Media
Focused Discussion Neda Jahanbani
The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran set in motion a diaspora of Iranians, specifically in this study I look at Iranian immigrants in the United States. Iran historically and presently is a very patriarchal society and has a very prideful culture. The goal of this research is to study fathers of Iranian families that have immigrated to the United States to see how masculinity manifests itself in their homes. The main method used to conduct this study is interviews and ethnographic research done with the fathers of these families, and also their children. The reason for studying the children as well as the fathers is to see the effects of having an Iranian immigrant father from a different perspective than how these fathers visualize and understand themselves. Persian men are very prideful of both their leadership positions and their culture. I aim to to understand how moving to a country -where especially in post 9/11 times did not necessarily accept Persian culture much less appreciate it- affects the mindset and actions of these men.
Low-income Life as Defined by Television View Digital Media
Focused Discussion Porshea Patterson Hurst
We all seek to escape our daily struggles through TV or other forms of entertainment, but how well are we filtering messages discordant from reality? The average person has limited access to the real life equivalent of characters we see on tv, and, because of this, many people often reference popular TV shows, such as Superstore, in accordance to social issues, such as how workers struggle without paid leave. Who benefits from the idea of entertainment as escape only? How can we push creators to craft stories responsibly while also maintaining the luster of entertainment? Following observations shared in The Opportunity Agenda’s Power of Pop: What TV Gets Wrong About Getting By report, this presentation will lead a discussion on which strategies curb the inaccurate depictions proliferated in popular media. Participants joining this session can expect a conversation about narrative strategies that incorporate popular media with an eye towards aiding advocacy networks, fandom, and pop culture.
