M I G R A T I O N S. S E R I E S

The following feature story appeared in the campus publication MOSAIC in October, 1998.

MIGRATIONS, DIASPORIC COMMUNITIES, AND TRANSNATIONAL IDENTITIES- EXAMINING THE GLOBAL EBBS AND FLOWS OF MANKIND

The beginning — the very beginning — is always a good place to start. For the yearlong, college-wide series called "Migrations, Diasporic Communities, and Transnational Identities," that meant having Professor of Biology Daniel G. Blackburn discuss "The First Diaspora: The Peopling of the Globe by Humans and their Ancestors" as one of the first events in the series. Blackburn’s lecture was indicative not only of the historical scope of the series — which also includes more contemporary migrations — but also of the unprecedented range of academic departments that are participating. In choosing a broad subject for the series, says lead organizer Dario A. Euraque, associate professor of history and director of international studies, the goal was to "engage as many colleagues as possible, given the multidisciplinary nature of the theme."

Building upon the momentum of last year’s decolonization project, which examined the transformation of the world from an arrangement of colonial powers to a new world order, the 1998-99 migrations series includes a variety of linked courses, an independent study course, a faculty lecture series, an on-line discussion forum, guest speakers, and special events, performances, and presentations. Quantitatively bigger than last year’s project, migrations is also better, according to Euraque. He says series organizers have enriched and expanded the concept by integrating local community perspectives and by coordinating efforts with the arts faculty and the Austin Arts Center staff to make thematically related exhibitions and performances part of the Center’s offerings throughout the year.

One of more than a dozen students on the program’s student planning committee, Bryna J. McConarty ’99 says she sees the series as an irreplaceable opportunity to learn about a compelling intersection of ideas. No single class or set of classes, she points out, could treat the subject matter the way the co-curricular series can. As a neuroscience major with interests in other fields, she says, "I don’t see the series as part of my major but as part of my education in general." The subject of migrations resonates for her on a personal level as well, in the context of the history of her own hometown and her family’s Irish roots.

Migrations of spirit and of ideas

Professor of Theater and Dance Judy Dworin observes that with virtually the entire College looking at one central theme, the series "allows a kind of cohesiveness" in the College’s total learning environment. Dworin is teaching "Leavings: Stories of Migration," one of a cluster of first-year seminars linked to the series. Students in the seminar are examining migrations of Native Americans, African Americans, Tibetans, and Puerto Ricans, as well as their own "personal migrations" to Trinity. Dworin says the course will also explore broad concepts of migration, such as transformations that are the equivalent of "migrations of spirit." Ultimately, class participants will create an original group performance piece, which will include song, story-telling, and movement, and which will itself become an event on the migrations series calendar.

Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Director of the Aetna Mathematics Center Judith F. Moran, a presenter on the panel scheduled for December 1, will marry math with art and culture in a discussion of "Cultural Manifestations of Mathematical Patterns: from Moorish Ornament to Escher’s Prints." She says the focus is "the migration of ideas" that occurred when Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher went to Spain in the 1930s, made sketches of the centuries-old Moorish mosaics there, and then incorporated the Moorish patterns into his famous eye-teasing prints. From the Moors, who conquered Spain in the 8th century, to the 20th-century artist’s work, Moran says, "mathematically the structure underneath is exactly the same."

Community resources, community participation

Since the theme of migrations is particularly meaningful in the context of Hartford, a city of many immigrant groups and cultural flows, series organizers have tried to involve community groups in the project. Representatives from Cambodian, African-American, and South American groups have been among the interested parties. In addition, the Charter Oak Cultural Center has embraced the project and is the site of some of the series events, including the October 13 Reading Week Community Panel called "Music Matters — Musical Expression in the Experience of Migratory and Diasporic Processes." While it will be moderated by Instructor in Music Lise Waxer, an ethnomusicologist, the panel will include local and regional musicians and experts on Puerto Rican and Trinidadian musical traditions. Waxer says the event reflects a desire on the part of series organizers to have the discourse flow in both directions between the College and the community. Students in Waxer's "World Music" course will use the city as the source for a group project that maps Hartford’s ethnically and culturally diverse musical life. The class’s work will become part of the database of the Trinity Center for Neighborhoods.

Students participating

For organizer Euraque, one of the most exciting aspects of the series is that Trinity students have clearly invested in the project. In addition to the students who comprise the planning committee, there are individuals as well as student groups — including La Voz Latina and the Asian-American Student Association — who have signed on to host films and panels in the series or participate in other ways.

For Jocelyn A. Schneider ’99 the migrations series provided an opportunity to hone her design skills and improve the portfolio that she’ll take with her after she graduates with a degree in studio arts. Designing and producing the passport-themed brochure and poster advertising the series were, according to Schneider, a privilege. She felt entrusted by the steering committee to apply her artistic vision to the project.

Richard G. Walker ’99, a history major, has been a research assistant for the series and will be a student host for an upcoming film. He believes that one of the best benefits of the series is that it "creates a forum where professors and students can really interact in an academic and personal setting at the same time."

Such interaction is at the core of the series, which, after all, is not simply a set of calendar dates, but a process. Says Judy Dworin, "It allows people to be in conversations that will continue to be developed throughout the year."

-- Leslie Virostek