Sky Team- 9-30-16
Yesterday, the Sky Team met together and the most important things we discussed were the “why” of our research project and the reason our topic was important to research and talk about. We concluded that our topic was important because we have the opportunity to recognize a very under-represented group of peoples (Uyghur women and Uyghur queer individuals). Through the Sky Team’s research, we begin to barely skim the surface of the construction of gender identity and expression of gender minorities in Uyghur communities. We also have to be aware of the intersections of culture, race, time period, etc., that play a huge role in how gender is expressed or repressed. Furthermore, we will be paying close attention to who is writing, talking, taking pictures, filming, etc. when analyzing the research and artifacts.
In relation, I am actively avoiding pretending like our research is going to magically improve the lives of thousands of people and that we are somehow saviors by shining light on this subject and these people. The research encompassed in our project will be in no way an in-depth study. Moreover, we as individuals have to recognize our biases when it comes to writing about a whole other group of people who we know little about. We come from a place where people can more or less (depending on individual situation, of course) talk about gender politics and queer identity—we have the opportunities and language for discussing these things. We need to be aware of how we may be mapping our biases or our language and understanding of the world onto another group of people. Honestly, it is really important for the whole class to remember the lenses that we are looking through when researching and writing about each project topic.
 
Story Maps Tech Lab
In class, we also learned about Story Maps and Time Maps, which are the programs that the teams will be using to create the final project. (The Story Maps and Time Maps will then be linked to the final Silk Road website!) The actual Story Map and Time Map websites do not seem too hard to understand in regards to putting information in, in order to create the final product. However, I do worry about the narrative part for our Story Maps because I am not exactly sure what a narrative looks like in the context of this project. But I am sure that all the teams will get it and understand it once that section of the project is begun.
 
Final Thoughts for This Week
I am nervous for our team in regards to deadlines, and I think some members of the team feel pressure about deadlines as well. We really only have a little over a month to get things done- all of the research, artifact gathering (putting those into shared shelf), and creating the Story Map. The Sky Team seems to be on a good path, and the topic seems to be igniting curiosity and enthusiasm, so I hope that procrastination does not get the best of our group members! Additionally, from talking to other students in the class and reading some other blog posts, I do not think that we are the only ones who feel behind and who are having a slow start to the project. I think that Fall Break will be a great opportunity for the entire class to catch up and move forward with the projects.