So What is My Project?
For my final project, I have created a website for a digital exhibit that will reflect on how British influence changed Indian society and cultural norms. My digital exhibit will focus on how gender in British India was portrayed in Bollywood media. I will be taking a deep dive into films made by Deepa Mehta, best known for her trilogy Fire (1996), Earth (1999), and Water (2005). The question then asked to the audience is, how did the Hindus people fight back against European influence on gender and politics?
Component of the Exhibit
This exhibit will include a mix of items for people to connect with in their own time, so they do not feel overwhelmed. The first component (and the base) of the exhibit is the movie trailer links. These movies show a reenactment of what it was like to live as a woman during this time and how these women found ways to fight back. Having only the links gives the viewer an idea of what the movie is about and leave them to decide if they would like to see the whole movie.
The second part coming off of that would be the legal documents that were referenced in the movies that shifted society. Watching the full movie is not required for full understanding of the documents, just another way to connect. Adding these documents gives the group a bit more evidence to how the English empire was directly affecting the rights and freedoms of Indian women. To be clear, not all of these acts had a negative charge. For example, The Hindu Widows’ Remarriage Act of 1856, helped those women who became widows to reenter society. All of this can help the view to see that this is a complex issue.
Finally, the third section is a network analysis. This is a reflection of the information used on the site to see how it is all interconnected. If a visitor is more interested in data driven information, they will be able to see how within the small number of movies being reviewed, there is an overlap in information from documents and issues being covered within those movies. I added this section, one, because I know that not everyone learns through watching or listening. But two, even within historians, there is a need for data and visuals. In this case, statistics and numbers would not really be useful, so I think a network and showing the strength in connections would be more beneficial.
Overall, there are various avenues to take when viewing this site and still have an educational experience from each of them. My hope is that visitors will have the desire to stack them and look at all these sections, but I do understand that there are different learning styles. This is why the sections can also standalone.