針對台灣大學生對印度形象之探究 - 政大學術集成

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(1)國立政治大學國際傳播英語碩士學位學程 International Master’s Program in International Communication Studies College of Communication National Chengchi University. 學. ‧ 國. 立. 政治大碩士論文. ‧. Master’s Thesis. y. Nat. io. sit. 針對台灣大學生對印度影像之研究. n. al. er. India's Image among English Speaking Taiwanese University Students. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. Student: Al Haris Noman 孟立誠 Advisor: Dr. Sumei Wang 王淑美. 中華民國一○六年一月 January 2017.

(2) 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i Un. v.

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(7) Acknowledgements I would first like to thank my thesis advisor Dr. Sumei Wang. Dr. Wang’s office has been always accessible. I could always go to her whenever I needed help in regard to my research or writing. She has allowed me to pursue my research interest, and has guided me back on track whenever I lost track of my work. It is through her support, when I ran into personal problems and was finding it difficult to carry on with my research, that my research endeavor has been successful. She has been a constant source of inspiration and strength.. 立. 政治大. I would also like to thank the experts, who were committee members for this thesis, Dr.. ‧ 國. 學. Tingyu Kang and Dr. Eva Tsai. Their critical and encouraging comments have been helpful in carrying out this research.. ‧. I must not fail to acknowledge the contribution of students of the International Masters. y. Nat. io. sit. in International Communication Studies (IMICS) and other Taiwanese students who. n. al. er. participated in my focus group discussions. They took time from their busy schedules to participate in them.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. I must express my profound gratitude to my parents and to my friends for providing me with unfailing support and continuous encouragement throughout my study and research. This thesis would not have been possible without them. Finally, I would like to thank the Government of Taiwan, Taiwan’s Embassy in India and the Taiwan Education Center in JMI University, New Delhi. They provided the Ministry of Education (MOE) scholarship, which allowed me to undertake this master’s degree and research..

(8) I’m here, under the blue sky of Taiwan, but I feel India so close to my heart. It’s a matter of pride to tell my friends about India. Describing the beauty and incredibleness of my country to my friends here gives me immense pleasure.. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. i n U. v.

(9) Abstract This thesis explores India's image among English speaking Taiwanese university students. Its purpose is to know the range of images Taiwanese have about India. The sources of these images are also explored. This research seeks to unravel the influence of movies, textbooks, personal interactions, and mediated (cultural) interactions in shaping India’s image. For the above, the theoretical and conceptual framework is largely drawn from works. 政治大 media representation, Bollywood and cultural interaction. This thesis follows the argument 立. related to imagination and representation, particularly scholarship related to concepts of. that media representation is taking new forms and meanings influenced by globalization,. ‧ 國. 學. Bollywood movies, and mediated cultural interactions. Besides movies, school textbooks. ‧. were found to have a major influence, especially during a formative, young age. Movies. sit. y. Nat. and textbooks together have been a major influence in facilitating the shape of India’s. io. al. er. image among Taiwanese.. iv n C U for this study was participant h emethodology influence perceptions about India. The n g c h i taken n. In this thesis, I hope to illustrate the range of images of India and the key sources that. observation and focus group discussions (FGD). For this study, three focus groups were conducted with English speaking Taiwanese university students. In the first FGD, a Bollywood movie was shown to participants, so as to initiate a common point for discussion to take off. The subsequent two FGDs were held with those who have been to India and with those who have never been to India respectively. Keywords – image, imagination, Bollywood, mediated cultural interaction, representation, textbooks..


(11) Table of Contents 1. Introduction.................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 India through the eyes of my Taiwanese friends and classmates .......................... 2 1.2 Motivation ............................................................................................................... 5 2. Literature review.......................................................................................................... 6 2.1 Definition of Image ................................................................................................. 6 2.2 Country image ........................................................................................................ 7 2.3 Categories of definition........................................................................................... 9. 治政 2.5 Theories on representation ................................................................................... 10 大立of representation and meaning production ................. 12 2.6 Approaches to the study 2.4 National identity and National stereotype ............................................................. 9. ‧ 國. 學. 2.7 Impact of globalization on the study of media representation ............................ 14 2.8 Movies: Imagination and representation ............................................................. 17. ‧. 2.9 Media representation(s): The case of Bollywood ................................................. 18 2.10 Mediated (?) identities cultural interaction ....................................................... 21. sit. y. Nat. 2.11 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 22. er. io. 3. Methodology ............................................................................................................... 24 3.1 Research design .................................................................................................... 28. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. 3.2 Data collection process ......................................................................................... 29. engchi. 3.3 “The Lunchbox” ................................................................................................... 30 3.4 The mood of the field ............................................................................................ 33 3.5 Data Sources ......................................................................................................... 33 4. India through the lens of Bollywood; Pilot FGD and its results ............................... 34 4.1 Introduction of FGDs; second and third.............................................................. 39 4.2 Population, poverty and the slums ....................................................................... 41 4.3 Question of modernity, health hygiene, security ................................................. 48 4.4 Indian Food ........................................................................................................... 52 4.5 Gender relations and family life in India ............................................................. 60 4.6 Tradition, religion and the caste system .............................................................. 64 i.

(12) 5. Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 74 5.1 Reflection .............................................................................................................. 78 5.2 Limitation ............................................................................................................. 79 5.3 Contribution ......................................................................................................... 79 5.4 Future course of further research ........................................................................ 80 References ...................................................................................................................... 82 Appendices ..................................................................................................................... 87 Appendix 1: Background information on focus group members ............................. 87 Appendix 2: Focus Group Questions ......................................................................... 90. 政治大. Appendix 3: Public screening of movie “The Lunchbox” in Taipei Public Library. ..................................................................................................................................... 92. 立. Appendix 4: Henna/Mehndi and Forehead markings: Bindi and Tilak .................. 93. ‧ 國. 學. Appendix 5: India in three Words: Tag cloud .......................................................... 94 Appendix 6: Articles from textbooks in Taiwanese high schools .............................. 96. ‧. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. ii. i n U. v.

(13) List of Tables Table 1 List of images of India from the movie “The Lunchbox” .................................. 36. 立. 政治大. ‧. ‧ 國. 學. n. er. io. sit. y. Nat. al. Ch. engchi. iii. i n U. v.


(15) List of Figures Figure 1 Slums in India. ............................................................................................ 43 Figure 2 Living in poverty in Mumbai ........................................................................ 44 Figure 3 Slums in Mumbai. ......................................................................................... 44 Figure 4 A Microsoft branch in Bangalore. ................................................................ 46 Figure 5 Bangalore is the center of high technology in India ...................................... 46 Figure 6 The caste system .......................................................................................... 67 Figure 7 Devdas is an Indian film. .............................................................................. 67. 政治大. Figure 8 The caste system from Brahminic scriptures. ................................................ 68. 立. Figure 9 The Ganges river is India’s holy river. .......................................................... 70. ‧ 國. 學. Figure 10 The Taj Mahal. ........................................................................................... 70 Figure 11 A worshiper is prostrating. ........................................................................ 71. ‧. Figure 12 The Mahabodhi Temple. ............................................................................. 71 Figure 13 The facade of the Hindu temple................................................................... 72. y. Nat. n. al. er. io. sit. Figure 14 Buddha statue in India. ............................................................................... 72. Ch. engchi. iv. i n U. v.


(17) 1. Introduction Before I started taking Chinese classes in Taiwan Education Center (TEC), JMI University, New Delhi, I had a blurred image of Taiwan as an independent country because of the past experience with an electronic keyboard which was given to me and it was Made in Taiwan that led me to imagine Taiwan as a technologically advanced country but still I was not aware what had changed in the mid-nineties’ in terms of Taiwan–India relations.. 政治大 Once I started my classes 立in TEC in JMI University, New Delhi, I realized how. Taiwan had already established an embassy in New Delhi (Taiwan-India Relations).. ‧ 國. 學. different Taiwan was from China in terms of language, culture, and technology. I also learned that the writing script of Chinese language has been transformed in mainland China. ‧. from traditional Chinese to simplified Chinese and what I was learning was original Chinese,. sit. y. Nat. i.e. Traditional Chinese, not the simplified Chinese taught in other Indian Universities.. n. al. er. io. I had a good idea about Taiwan's expertise in manufacturing electronic components and. i n U. v. products such as chips and iPhone but unfortunately many people in India are not aware that. Ch. engchi. the brands they love and buy regularly are from Taiwan, not from China. Some even get confused with labels on products from China (People’s Republic of China), Taiwan (Republic of China) and Thailand, in spite of clarification given by the vendors or retail shop owners. I had been informed by my Taiwanese teacher in India that Taiwanese were friendly and helpful, so I should not be worried and when I finally moved to Taiwan in 2014 I comprehended the zenith of kindness and helpfulness which I got from this society.. 1.

(18) Sometime I got apprehensive when others offered to help me because I was wondering why they wanted to help to a stranger and would decline their generous offer several time.. 1.1 India through the eyes of my Taiwanese friends and classmates For someone from India, life as a new student in Taiwan can be quite interesting. “So how do you like it here, in Taiwan?” This was a common icebreaker with new classmates from other countries. “I love Taiwan; it’s fun to be here!” was my general response. After all,. 政治大 friendliness and generosity from friends and strangers alike. 立. I did not have any excuse to complain; overall what I had experienced here was warmth,. ‧ 國. 學. “I would love to go to India, but am little bit worried about the safety and other things over there…” Some hesitation about a country far away was quite normal among Taiwanese.. ‧. I wanted to know more what they think about India, so inquired;. y. Nat. er. io. sit. “Other things like what?”. “Well, it is a new place, it is not safe for women to travel alone; that is what I heard. n. al. Ch. from others; plus I don’t speak Indian.”. engchi. i n U. v. “Do you see elephants in your roadsides sometimes, like wandering?” “Do you worship Cow?” “Is it all very crowded where you live?” “Do I have to use hands to eat “Curry” in India?” “Should I bring canned and packaged food supplies when I visit India, just to be safe?” “How is weather in India?” 2.

(19) “Do you know how to dance in Bollywood Style?” “Why are you guys so good in Mathematics?” “Do you do Yoga?” “Do you watch Bollywood movies?” To describe and to answer these questions was not difficult, but sometimes I would meet questions which were of cultural and social in nature and difficult to answer it.. 治政 “Do you still have a caste system in India? 大立 ‧ 國. 學. “Why do you have this system?” “Do people get discriminated because of caste?. ‧. “Why do the women put a Dot on their forehead?”. y. Nat. al. er. io. sit. “Why do buses and MRT in India have separate seats and compartments for women?”. n. “How common is arranged marriage?”. Ch. engchi. “Why most of the Indian women wear a Sari?”. i n U. v. I tried to explain these socio-cultural questions with my limited understanding of my own country’s customs and traditions; however my normal reply to these types of questions were that every country and culture has its own way of life and customs to follow. Moreover, there were some questions from a few Taiwanese friends and acquaintances that had been to India and wanted me to explain some of their observation on these things: “Why do men stare at women passing by?” 3.

(20) “Why is the river “Ganges” so polluted, despite of this fact that it is quite sacred to a lot of Indians? “Why do people have to bribe to get things done?” “Why does everybody honk all the time while driving?” “Why do people throw garbage in the public places?” These were the most difficult questions to answer. I would often find myself speechless and then reply:. 立. 政治大. “India is developing and things are getting better.”. ‧ 國. 學. “Every place in India is not like this.”. ‧. “It depends on the place.”. y. Nat. Or sometimes I replied, “Even I don’t know.”. al. er. io. sit. “Not everyone is like this”.. n. iv n C U were something like: h ethatn seemed The most politically correct answers g c h toi work “It’s not everyone and everywhere.” “Things are changing!” “India is going through this growth phase.” Or plain and simple, “I don’t know! I wish I knew!”. 4.

(21) Once after going through all these astonishing questions, discussing and interacting with Taiwanese from different socio-backgrounds, I realized that people in Taiwan have certain views, opinions and images about India.. 1.2 Motivation Predispositions and misperceptions about India reflect in the behavior, consumption preferences and interaction process of the Taiwanese with the people of India or things from. 政治大 and most of them had not travelled to India, read any books related with India, and not had 立. India. Some of the opinions, beliefs and images were positive while others were negatives. ‧ 國. 學. the chance to meet people from India before.. This interaction process is not limited to the Taiwanese side only. People from India. ‧. who have been working in Taiwan for several years in information technology and software. Nat. sit. y. development have emphasized that they were forced to behave smartly, to be very effective. n. al. er. io. and efficient in their workplace, and to live up to the constructed image of people of India. i n U. v. being smart with numbers. They had to overwork to keep this illusion true.. Ch. engchi. There is an interesting Chinese proverb: 三人成虎 sān rén chéng hǔ (three/ people/become/tiger) Three people spreading rumors of a tiger’s existence could make one to believe there is one around. An explanation of this “Three men make a tiger.” proverb is that, it is an individual’s tendency to believe and accept an unverified fact as a reality as long as it is repeated by enough people. These interesting stories and questions made me wonder; what images and perceptions do the Taiwanese have about India? What are the sources of these images?. 5.


(23) 2. Literature review 2.1 Definition of Image This section discusses the concept of image. Firstly, a general definition of this particular concept is presented. Subsequently, the relationship between identity and image is elaborated on. Lastly, this section concludes with an overview of specific information regarding the term ‘national identity’.. 政治大. The use of word image varies with context and people. Pearce (1988, p.62) is of the. 立. view that Image is a term with vague and shifting meanings. Sometime it could mean. ‧ 國. 學. objects like photo or video on other occasion abstract entities such as perception/impression. ‧. of people or country. In the online edition of ‘Oxford Dictionaries’, ‘image’ has been defined as, ‘‘the general impression that a person, organization, or product presents to the. y. Nat. io. sit. public’’ (http://oxforddictionaries.com/). According to this definition, image is equal to a. n. al. er. ‘general impression’. In the case of this paper, it is a ‘country’ that relays a general. i n U. v. impression to the public at large. This ‘image’ is what individuals absorb.. Ch. engchi. Renato Taguriri (as cited in Nimmo, 1978, p.43-44) while agrees that ‘Image' is what people rely, perceive and integrate, however in his definition components of beliefs, values and expectations are important to what people perceive and integrate. Further, he writes that image is dynamic and is constantly defined and redefined by experience, it is “everything a person has learned relevant to a situation and to the acts that occur within it…and image is a tendency composed of thoughts, feelings, and inclinations” (p.226). Lippmann (1922), however, slightly differs from Taguriri. He writes that image is what in people’s head, and is of the view that people’s sense experience is based on their definition instead of the other 6.

(24) way round. For Taguriri experiences constantly changes images while in case of Lippmann that may not be a possibility as people’s experience are rendered unimportant in face of their definition which precedes their sense experience.. 2.2 Country image Wang (2006) tries to draw analogy between soft power of a nation and its image, is of the view that nation's image is dependent on political and economic capital. Nye (2004). 政治大 sources including education systems, media and popular culture, science and technology, 立. writes that “Soft power emanates from influence that is communicated…through a variety of. ‧ 國. 學. brands and products, and business practices”. He gives examples of cultural exports, such as – music, movies, consumer goods which become representative of and powerfully linked. ‧. with the country from which they originate, example – Swiss watches, Belgian Chocolates,. sit. y. Nat. Hollywood, Bollywood, and French wine.. n. al. er. io. It could be argued that our opinions about another country particularly in terms of its. i n U. v. viability as possible tourist or investment destination are based on our image of the country.. Ch. engchi. For example the image fairly influences our decision making process, in positive or negative way. According to Nagashima (1970) country image is the picture, the reputation and the stereotype attached by businessmen and consumers to products of a specific country. He also adds that it is shaped variables such as – political history and traditions, prior economic power, representative products, and perceived national characteristics, although not limited to these. While Martin and Eroglu (1993) in their study are of the view that country image are a set of observed beliefs that is determined by the descriptive and inferential information 7.

(25) about a country, and also the complete set of people’s thoughts, opinions, and impressions of a country. Lee et al (2008) take is similar to that of Lippmann’s, however, the latter’s take is in regard to image and the former’s about country image. According to Lee et al country's image exists in the perceptions of audiences. People, according to them, are not active seeker of information rather they are passive takers of information. In short the people are devoid of independent agency and sense experience, element of criticality is absent.. 政治大 Szeles (1998, p.96, as cited by Jenes, 2012) distinguishes between external and internal 立. image. External image is mirror image (i.e. opinion which people have of other countries). ‧ 國. 學. and internal image is self-image (i.e. opinion which people have of themselves of their. ‧. country). Taking cue from Szeles above argument Jenes (2012) argues that such a. sit. y. Nat. distinction could be taken note of because of its importance to direction of research and. io. er. choice of methodology.. al. iv n C varying disciplinary and theoretical background. following paragraphs some of the h e n g cInhthe i U n. As with image the concept country image varies a lot, and has been researcher from. theoretical and methodological tensions around the concept will be discussed with special emphasis on those which are of significance for the present study. Barbara Jenes (2012, p.2) argues that there has been mixing up of the concepts ‘country image’ and ‘country of origin image’, however from the early years of this century both the fields have been able to maintain a distinct niche and boundary between each other. In the area of country image research there has been quite a development.. 8.

(26) 2.3 Categories of definition The emerging literatures, on country image with some disagreement on approaches and definitions agree, according to Jenes (2012), that–each country has an image, it is multidimensional concept, and the concept is dynamic. Further, stereotypes and preconceptions form basis of country image and help obscure “factual and emotional elements”, image however change but it is slow (ibid). Through review of various literature. 治政 product image (PI), country image (CI), country of origin image 大 (COO or CoI). 立. Jenes (ibid) comes up with three distinct conceptual grounds on which studies operate–. ‧ 國. 學. She uses the above three conceptual grounds arrives at three types of country image definitions – overall country image definitions, product-country-image definitions,. ‧. definitions of product image related to countries.. Nat. sit. y. However, there is apparent lack of consensus on what definition is most suitable to an. n. al. er. io. accurate understanding of country image. For Kotler and Gerner (2002, p.251), for instance,. v. are of the opinion that “most country images are in fact stereotypes, extreme simplifications. Ch. engchi. i n U. of the reality that are not necessarily accurate. They might be dated, based on exceptions rather than on patterns, on impressions rather than on facts, but are nonetheless pervasive.” Further definition could be categorised on their basis, the definitions of country image could be based on based on one or more than one of the following – perception, faith, opinions, insights, association, stereotypes, schemes, attitude.. 2.4 National identity and National stereotype National identity and nation stereotype are not similar. They are at variation also with country image. However, country image as a concept and methodological tool encompasses 9.

(27) both ‘national identity’ and ‘nation stereotype’. National identity is what is acquired by members of a given nation through process of socialisation (Hall, 1996). When it comes to stereotypes there are scholars, such as Anholt (2007), who argue that they are based evaluation of an incomplete data by others. National stereotype however cannot be equated with country image. Image is much broader category than stereotype and could encompass stereotype as well.. 2.5 Theories on representation. 政治大 From the discussions in preceding paragraphs it should be clear that most of the 立. ‧ 國. 學. scholarship on ‘country image’ are heavily tilted and oriented towards marketing. The ‘country image’ is explored in the light of dynamism of market and consumer behavior. It is. ‧. not a surprise that they mostly explore the linkages of ‘country image’ with marketing. sit. y. Nat. practices and behavior. However, to confine ourselves to market driven research would be to. io. er. limit the scope of this study. In this context it is imperative that we make an attempt to move. al. beyond scholarships which are limited and insufficient for the study at hand. The literatures. n. iv n C on representation, identity and globalization crucial to the present study. Hence, in the h e nare gchi U. following paragraphs an attempt towards critical appraisal of literatures on Media Representation, Identity and Globalization will be made. Subsequently, the theoretical and epistemological debates and concerns will be used to inform a better and critical study of Bollywood (Hindi cinema of India). Initially we will confine ourselves to the works on representation so as to inform ourselves of the debates. For better understanding of some of the pertinent issues it is important that conceptual clarity is made about the debates around representation. It is 10.

(28) imperative that importance of study on representation, particularly in the context of present study, be understood. For such a task at hand, a simultaneous engagement with varying epistemological, theoretical and analytical considerations is needed, as this is important for a general familiarity with some of the fundamental ideas, claims and counter claims. It also informs us of some of the limitations with present works on representation. However, we will first start with few of the definitions of representation. Representation, according to Hall (1997), is description, image, explanations and frame for a. 政治大. better and informed understanding of world. This, however, cannot be reduced to. 立. contemporary forms of media representation. Instead the long history of representation. ‧ 國. 學. needs to be explored. Orgad (2012) argues that totem could be considered in terms of the cultural representation they do. In a broad sense the term/concept representation could be. ‧. used to designate any object “that carries meanings beyond its immediate function and use”. y. Nat. io. sit. (Orgad, 2012, p.17). Here certain ambiguity between media representation and other. n. al. er. representational objects is created here. Are we confusing between media representation and. i n U. v. other representational objects? Thus, it is important that distinctions between media. Ch. engchi. representation and the other forms of representation be made. Cultural representation could be other forms of representation, such as a totem. Although, the key function of all forms of representations are to produce meaning or to capture in some way ‘reality’ in signs. Representation could be understood as process of meaning production (ibid). The process of meaning production may use system of signs, and vary from culture to culture. The same extends to media representations, such as text and images (news, articles, blogs, photographs, advertisements, movies, YouTube/Facebook videos etc.), in modern parlance.. 11.

(29) 2.6 Approaches to the study of representation and meaning production Scholars have in two contradictory, but complimentary, ways have theorized the process of meaning production: 1. reflectionist/mimetic approach 2. constructionist/constructivist approach The reflectionist/mimetic approach and constructionist/constructivist approach take. 政治大. contradictory positions in their treatment of relationship between the things/“reality” that is. 立. being represented, and the very act of representing the things/reality. For instance, the. ‧ 國. 學. reflectionist scholars are of the opinion that “reality is accessible through representation, thus the task of representation is adequately to reflect pre-existing meanings of the ‘the. ‧. real’” (Orgad, 2012, p.18). Orgad argues that the reflectionist approach is dictated by our. Nat. sit. y. preconceived notions about photography, for example the idea that photographs are factual. n. al. er. io. and objective. Although, the reflectionist approach does not remain unchallenged, “the. v. ‘liquidness’ of the global age…renders the reflectionist task of representation so challenging. Ch. engchi. i n U. and problematic, if not impossible” (Orgad, 2012, p.20). In the above light to take note of and carefully attend to the constructionist approach becomes imperative. The constructivists argue that representations are not real depictions, but fundamentally are mere constructions. They produce specific meanings by selectively depicting some elements of reality. For instance, Hall elaborates that: We give things meaning by how we represent them–the words we use about them, the stories we tell about them, the images of them we produce, the emotion we associate with. 12.

(30) them, the ways we classify and conceptualize them, the value we place on them. [Hall,. 1973, p.3] Now we will take account of some of the debates within the constructivist approach. For example, those initiated by semiotics and structuralism are insightful. Semiotics argues that–. objects, people or events in themselves don’t embody meaning(s), rather it is generated by “systems of signification- textual, visual and /or auditory” (Orgad, 2012, p.21). Similarly the post-structuralisms is of the view that, “rather than reflecting reality, the work of media. 政治大. representation is the production and construction of understandings of the world, identities. 立. and subjectivities” (Orgad, 2012, p.23). In the present times when we are witness to intensified. ‧ 國. 學. (exchange of ideas, images and objects) between different cultures, heralded by rapid globalization and the globalizing efforts of media, the same image may take different meaning in differing. ‧. geographical, cultural, political and social context (Orgad, 2012, p.21). Although there may be. Nat. sit. y. different theoretical, epistemological and methodological stands within constructivism, but. n. al. er. io. they agree on the position that representation involves construction. Representation also tries. i n U. v. to look at the ways in which meaning(s) are produced and conveyed.. Ch. engchi. Here certain questions could be posed, such as why do we need to pay attention to representation? If representation is not depiction of reality and rather is construction, as the constructivists argue, then do we not need to explore the motivation behind those particular constructions and meaning generation? Similarly what could be the possible linkage between representation and ideology? Are representations not motivated by ideology, whether–religious, cultural, political, or nationalist? The above questions are important in the light of developments where media has become pervasive, and part of our everyday life. Most importantly the above questions, in light of Foucault’s work on power and knowledge, 13.

(31) help us to problematize representation. These questions would be taken up in context of Bollywood. Where it is argued that Bollywood had has been influenced by the discourse of nation building or emerging global political forces, which will be discussed in greater detail in later sections.. 2.7 Impact of globalization on the study of media representation Now coming to media representation, it could be maintained that it is an important and. 政治大 pervasiveness, plays crucial part in formation of our individual and collective image of self, 立. creative source of information and knowledge. Media representation, thanks to its. ‧ 國. 學. other, the world and our position in scheme of things (Orgad, 2012). The changing context, heralded by globalization, has given new meanings and shape to representation, some which. ‧. will be discussed in subsequent paragraphs. Before that it is important to carefully attend to. sit. y. Nat. way media representation is taking new forms and meanings influenced by globalization.. io. n. al. er. For which we will take from the works of constructivists.. v. Constructivists are of the opinion that representation – influenced by changing cultural,. Ch. engchi. i n U. political and geographical context – has shifting meaning in a globalized world. Here, it becomes crucial to attend to Orgad’s (2012) thesis. Orgad is of the opinion that study of media representation should be careful and attentive of the concepts globalization and imagination. Also the study of representation demands sociological attention, instead of confining to the limited domains of market research. As the concept representation has the potential of informing a better understanding of the – globalizing efforts of representation, and the ways in which representation is located and determines experiences of globalization. From Orgad’s argument it is clear that representation is a very dynamic process and activity. 14.

(32) She is of the view that media representation is also influenced and related with “networking of different social contexts and regions on a global scale” (Orgad, 2012, p.15). In spite of the crucial importance of exploring probable linkages between representation and global imagination, as established by Orgad, it has not been given adequate theoretical and empirical consideration. On the contrary Media representation has been “studied and understood largely and sometimes exclusively in relation to national contexts” (ibid). For example, most of the studies on Bollywood try to look at relations. 政治大. between the meaning of texts/images (produced by Bollywood) and the discourse and. 立. compulsions of nation building, though the demands may not always be produced by the. ‧ 國. 學. state. In such a context, like in the case of Bollywood, the studies on representation get bounded up in national identity and culture. Although, there has been focus on dimensions. ‧. which try to transcend nation boundaries, such as those on consumer or market studies. y. Nat. er. io. sit. discussed in previous chapter. Even these studies need to be subjected to criticism. In the above context it becomes important to take note of Ulrich Beck’s (2003) work on. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. ‘methodological nationalism’. His work forces us to critically look at epistemology and. engchi. theoretical positions which take nation as primary social and political form (Beck, 2003). For example his study will be of help in critically looking at existing studies on Bollywood, and would enable us to enlarge the scope of present study. Most of the studies on Bollywood suffer from ‘methodological nationalism’, and in their analysis favor nation state and the national identity. Apart from the above, Beck’s work is important in a scenario where nation is not the only context within which representation is generated, circulated and consumed, this is not to say that previously the only context was nation. Beck’s criticism forces us to mark break with our preoccupation with nation centric analyses. For instance, Orgad’s 15.

(33) theoretical framework of ‘global imagination’ marks break with nation centric analysis. According to Orgad: Global imagination refers to both the faculty to and the process of forming mental images and concepts of the world, and ourselves and other as traversing this global social space. It relies on making this social space present through signs and symbols…In other words, global imagination is cultivated by a process of ongoing construction views, images, understanding desires and scripts about the world. In turn this process of representation. 政治大. relocates on and derives from the capacity to imagine. [Orgad, 2012, p.51]. 立. It is argued that the present time world is characterized by cross border exchange and. ‧ 國. 學. transfer of ideas, information, capital, labor and people and heralding a “borderless world”, where time and space have compressed (Morley, 2000; Wang, 2007). Wang (2007) writes. ‧. that globalization has led to coming together of diverse cultures where frequent exchanges. Nat. sit. y. with the supposedly other is made possible. Morley (2000) poses some interesting questions. n. al. er. io. in the face of emerging global culture. He writes that communication technology plan an. i n U. v. enabling role in letting individuals or even families or communities to escape from the. Ch. engchi. geographical location of which they physically are part of, although they escape is mere imagination (Morley, 2000, p.149). He on the other hand writes that television also disturbs viewers’ community feeling as it brings (virtual) strangers into the homes (Morley, 2000, p.151). Thompson (1995) argues that Globalization has in many new and interesting ways has transformed communication. However, we could witness that many studies suffer from essentialism of globalization. Many a times the concept of globalization is uncritically used to deny existence of other forces at work. It is assumed that exchange and interaction 16.

(34) between cultures was heralded by globalization, where only the modern avatar of globalization is focused. Some of the concerns related to studies on globalization will be discussed in later section in light of the work of Wang (2007).. 2.8 Movies: Imagination and representation As in case of imagination distinction between the factual and fictional (genres) needs to be made on case of movies as well. The factual genres such as news and documentaries are. 政治大 predominant. This, argues Orgad (2012, p.126), gives fictional genres “a special power and 立 supposed to depict reality. While in the fictional genres imaginary and creative elements are. ‧ 國. 學. ability to disturb the imagination, to estrange audiences and unsettle the cultural order, in ways that reflectionist genres, such as news for example cannot”. Dwyer (2014) takes on. ‧. cinema is similar. Cinema, according to Dwyer, imagines society and does not reflect. sit. y. Nat. society:. er. io. A cinema does not reflect society but rather imagines it, and Hindi cinema does so in ways. al. iv n C imagination, suggesting that cinema role in creating a way of U h eplays h i significant n gachighly n. that often eschew the values of realism, Bollywood’s India emphasizes the role of. comprehending the way society is and how it should be. [Dwyer, 2014, p.8]. Further, Dwyer stresses that cinema has significant role to play in comprehending the society of present and imaging the society of future. Cinema is also a prism to understand self and the outside world. While Barthes (1977, p.45) is of the view that films are dependent on “the more projective, more ‘magical’ fictional consciousness”. The assumption that films are fictional work gives the audience the opportunity to remain. 17.

(35) immune to disturbances generated by movies (Orgad, 2012), puts question mark over Dwyer’s (2014) thesis that cinema imagine a future society. However, it won’t be an understatement to say that media shapes our views of ourselves and others (place and person). In this regard it is important to carefully attend to Orgad’s (2012) work. She takes cue from the works of Foucault (1980) to unravel relations between power and knowledge where media is seen as a major stakeholder in formation of ideology, knowledge and so called truth(s). In this regard she conceives of a theoretical. 政治大. framework ‘global imagination’ which helps elucidate the intricate relations between. 立. representation and power. She does so by taking number of case studies. ‘Global. ‧ 國. 學. imagination’ in her work is a “symbolic space characterized by social imaginaries (carried largely in mediated representations), which people around the world share, but which they. ‧. simultaneously compete and struggle over” (ibid, p. 46).. n. er. io. al. sit. y. Nat. 2.9 Media representation(s): The case of Bollywood. i n U. v. In India there exist multiple languages and likewise there are region and language. Ch. engchi. specific movie industry which cater to their respective target population. For example there is Malyalam movie industry, Telugu movie industry, Tamil movie industry, Bhojpuri movie industry, Hindi movie industry. However, among these the Hindi movie industry, popularly known as Bollywood, occupies a dominant position. The dominance of Bollywood is at the level of outreach, no of movie it makes and most importantly also at ideological and political level. For instance, it is amongst the largest film making industries of the world. 1. 1. In the year 1998, it got recognition as an Industry. According to 2009 figures its worth was US$109 billion. According KPMG’s 2009 report, an eighteen percent cumulative growth for the years 2009 to 2013 will make it US$ 170 billion worth of industry by the year 2013. 18.

(36) On account of which it attracts investments from abroad.2 It has rapidly transformed itself into conglomerate of a few media houses. Foreign investments in more than one way has impacted the industry, from the movie making to coming up of multiplexes. Scholars have argued that Bollywood plays a vital role in defining “standards of beauty and aesthetics, good and bad, identity -- historical and contemporary” (Ahmed, 2011). It has taken precedence over traditional means of knowledge exchange, among and across communities. Perceptions are being made, more through reel rather than real. The problem. 政治大. lies with movies being predominantly perceived as the presentation of the real.. 立. Representation at times is too ambiguous, for instance in Cinemas Indian culture is. ‧ 國. 學. represented through the north-Indian culture. Representation here could be understood as “the process of producing meanings through the creation of symbolic forms and content”. ‧. (Foucault, 1980, p. 15). In this regard study of representation and images becomes crucial so. y. Nat. er. io. sit. as to unravel the ideologies of power with which the representations are entwined with. Ashish Nandy (1995) is critical of the generally held view where Bollywood is. n. al. Ch. i n U. v. associated with plurality. He is of the view that oft associated plurality of Bollywood in. engchi. reality is a restrained one, where movies entail projects of homogenization and dominance of mass element. Sarkar (2010) takes the above line of enquiry to question representation of Muslims in cinemas of Bollywood. He argues that in movies sensitivity is not shown to cultural and ideological varieties instead a homogeneous Muslim community is constructed. Likewise the dominance of North Indian Hindi culture in the cinemas of Bollywood cannot be ignored. 2. 2009 KPMG report states that, for the year 2007 US$ 179 million was the foreign investment for the entire entertainment industry. The foreign investment has increased by 21%, in between the years 2008 and 2009. The foreign investment has further increased over the years. 19.

(37) Dwyer (2014, p.30) writes that through Hindi cinema it is possible to discern “patterns of India’s social imaginaries, which show how India sees itself today, how it hopes to see itself in future and how it views its past”. Dwyer looks at Hindu cinema as a collective repository of texts. In the work she argues that all Hindi movies are not same, and neither are all movies “unrealistic”. However, she keeps focus on the construction of ‘Indianness’. ‘Indianness’ as depicted in the films post 2000 is “a global category rather than a local citizenship...part of this borderless, imagined world” (ibid, p.64). Further she discusses. 政治大. national unity by following diverse markers of Indianness (such as – caste, class, religion,. 立. region, language, and ethnicity) in movies from 1950s to the present times. In the movies. ‧ 國. 學. post liberalization of early 1990s she excavates the linkages with globalisation, multiculturalism and market forces.. ‧. Coming to the forms of entertainment in Hindi cinema, Dwyer writes that it revolves. y. Nat. io. sit. around emotions represented through hybrid and multilingual songs and dances. The songs. n. al. er. and dances follow different trajectories to suit the occasion depicted in movie. She writes. i n U. v. that the emotion laden movies lend credence to the concept of utopia as the movies mostly. Ch. engchi. have feel good ending. Through movies like Wake Up Sid, 3 Idiots and Aarakshan she looks at the depictions of educational institutions. While through movies like Hum (1991), Khalnayak (1993) and Satya (1998) she looks at portrayals and glamorization of mafias. She in her work has made an attempt to explore the connections between the glamour, violence and entertainment. However, here work analysis only those cinema which have been produced by Bollywood. Here it is important to take note of Orgad’s (2012) work where local-global binary and “methodological nationalism” (Beck, 2003) are critically looked at and attention to shifting 20.

(38) meanings in different context and location is emphasized upon. In this regard work of Gabriel (2010), Nandy (1995), Sardar et al (2010) and Tyrrell (1999) are of importance as some attempt is made to break away with constraints of “methodological nationalism”, and binaries between first world and third world cinema, first cinema and second cinema, developed and developing.. 2.10 Mediated (?) identities cultural interaction. 政治大 with “the subjects of identity, especially national identity, conventionally take discursive 立 Wang (2007, pp.252-253) is of the view that the researchers who concerned themselves. ‧ 國. 學. approach, which usually focuses on narrative constructions, representations and symbolic meanings.” Discursive identities, argues Wang, are important to those contexts where. ‧. people’s identities were and have been repressed. She in her work gives example of. sit. y. Nat. Taiwanese identity which took decades of struggle to be openly proclaimed in public.. io. er. Perhaps, the same could be said in case of sexual minorities whose identity for a long time. al. has remained repressed, and the struggle against which continues today. Likewise, it can be. n. iv n C said of the Dalits (the formerly untouchable) Wang (2007) further argues that h e n gofc India. hi U. identities are not mere construction and imagination. They are also related to everydayness and shared experiences, and are not necessarily related to the acts of marking differences. However, identities such as national identity may involve deliberate acts (by the state) of marking difference and distinction (ibid). This could be better understood by following the trajectory of discourse of nation building, such as that in India. They very idea of who is the rightfully belonging citizen of India is a state construction, although non-state actors also participate and influence the discourse of nation building. The focus on some of the above 21.

(39) mentioned discursive formulations may fail us in holistically looking at large part of people’s real life (Wang, 2007). For instance, Wang (2007, p.239) writes that ethnic and national identities are also “embedded in daily practices, way of life, and shared cultures”. The various cultural practices can have life of their own, and may take new meanings and shape in changing situations. It is not only culture which changes even people get influenced or changed through encounter with different and new cultures, this is not to say that reluctance to change is absent (Wang 2007, p.239).. 2.11 Conclusion. 立. 政治大. ‧ 國. 學. In light of arguments put forth by Dwyer and others it should be clear to us that there is no uniformity in Images, rather disruptions that could be witnessed. Thus, we need to. ‧. explore what are the various forms of image about India in Bollywood, which could be tried. sit. y. Nat. to be understood through Taiwanese students’ reading of Bollywood movies. What could be. io. er. underlying factors working in formation of image within Bollywood? What kind of. al. imagination could be observed, the factual and normative? What are the far reaching effects. n. iv n C particularly h among non-Indian U e n g c h i (or outsider). of image construction,. populations? This,. however, could be explored in terms of Bollywood’s possible relations with Taiwanese students. Like, what image do Taiwanese students have of Bollywood, and how it helps in formation of image about India? The interpretation movies, is determined by social, geographical and political location of viewers. For example, interpretation of a Bollywood movie is not uniform, different viewers have different things to take from Bollywood movies. Likewise geographical or national location could also influence our interpretation. Similarly viewers’ experiences 22.

(40) could also play major role in formation of image, which needs to be explored in light of Wang’s (2007) thesis that identities are entwined with our “daily practices, way of life, and shared cultures”. Attention will also be paid to the ways in which friends could influence the formation of image and what are the other sources. Also, the ways and the extent to which prior travelling experience has or could have helped in formation of India’s image. Thus, in the above context we will attend to the following research objectives: 1. To explore the images and perceptions which Taiwanese have about India?. 政治大. 2. To examine the ways in which location of viewers influences their interpretation. 立. of movies.. ‧ 國. 學. The above research objectives will be attended through engagements with the. ‧. following research questions:. sit. y. Nat. 1. What are the ranges of images which Taiwanese have about India?. n. al. er. io. 2. How have media and other sources influenced in shaping India’s image?. Ch. i n U. v. 3. How personal experiences of Taiwanese with India (virtual or actual) contribute in India’s image formation?. engchi. The above questions will be explored in light of some of the theories on media representation, Imagination, Global imagination and Bollywood, which have been discussed in the previous paragraphs. An attempt will be made to further explore the links between media representation, image and image of India, particularly in light of Bollywood movies.. 23.

(41) 3. Methodology Initially, I chose stereotypes as a conceptual category for my study. However, the limitations with this concept compelled me to drop it. Stereotypes are associated with generalized perceptions which could have a mainly negative connotation. The limitations with this concept would not have helped me in capturing spectrum of views and opinions from the field. For this research it is important that stereotype is not employed as a. 政治大 The purpose of this research 立 is to know – what is India’s image. The intention is to. conceptual category and instead opt for another much wider category, i.e. image.. ‧ 國. 學. capture spectrum of image which Taiwanese have about India. Also, to explore the role Bollywood movies have played in shaping India’s image in the mind of Taiwanese students.. ‧. For the purpose I have chosen Taiwanese University student from Taipei.. y. Nat. sit. As this study is exploratory it is better that qualitative method is preferred over. n. al. er. io. quantitative (Chisnall, 2001). Thus, participant observation, focus group discussion and. i n U. v. situational conversation have been used. The reason for choosing qualitative research is. Ch. engchi. because of its suitability for exploratory research. The same could be of help in having insight into some of the underlying reasons, opinions, and motivations which otherwise are obscured in quantitative research. The benefit of qualitative research is that it helps to not miss on micro stories which have been rendered insignificant or made invisible in otherwise generalized macro-narratives. There is an array of qualitative data collection methods, some of which are – unstructured or semi-structured techniques, focus group discussions, individual interviews, and participant observations. The sample size in such research may not necessarily be 24.

(42) representative. Sample is generally small as the intention is of exploratory research, apart from compelling limitations of time and resource. The study, since it encompasses a wide spectrum of field sites and respondents, initially employed multiple variables to focus on. However, as research progresses it funneled down to significant concepts and themes which emerge from the ground. The inductive logic was engaged to study the particular actions, situations, conversations. Existing literature has been read and analyzed in light of emerging data and experience from the field.. 政治大 This study tries to grasp with and elucidate the life and perspective of people from different 立. strata – sex, education level, cities, and age. For this reason, I engaged in situational. ‧ 國. 學. conversation with women and men from different social and educational background of. ‧. Taiwan – University and college school students.. sit. y. Nat. To identify the above mentioned respondents this study used sample of students from. io. er. ‘IMICS’ (International Master of International communication studies of National Chengchi. al. iv n C U had familiarity h e n g with. c h i Subsequently,. n. University, Taipei) and snowball and purposive sampling methods. The initial conversations were mostly with people I. through them other. respondents were reached to make further enquiry. Denscombe’s (2007, p.27) study also collected data from “convenient sample” based on the researcher’s judgments. Denscombe chose sample “by using personal networks or relations”. In exploratory studies, such as that of Denscombe or this study, it is reasonable to use above sampling method, particularly when study is at preliminary stage and contacts have not been well developed (Denscombe, 2007).. 25.

(43) The use of a focus group could be traced to development practice, particularly in the developing country context. The intention has been to make the policy makers, planners and donor agencies aware of what the people want, and to also involve them as a major stakeholder in the process of planning and policy. This method developed in context where existing methodologies and development projects have been not of much success. In interviews, for instance, ‘questioner takes the lead’, and respondents are mere passive participant (Krueger and Casey, 2000). Rice (1931, p.561, cited in Krueger and. 政治大. Casey, 2000) writes that “data obtained from an interview are as likely to embody the. 立. preconceived ideas of the interviewer as the attitude of the subjects interviewed”. Also,. ‧ 國. 學. interview could sometimes become intimidating, and respondents may not be comfortable. Krueger and Casey (2000) are of the that “focus group presents a more natural environment. ‧. than that of an individual interview because participants are influencing and influenced by. y. Nat. io. sit. others- just as they are in life”. Apart from employing this method to provide a congenial. n. al. er. environment for respondents I also used external stimuli in pilot FGD, which was in form of. i n U. v. Bindi (for woman), Tilak (for man) Indian snacks, Bollywood movie screening, and India specific decoration.. Ch. engchi. The goal of focus group was to collect data that were of importance to this study, and also to not miss on the range of opinion that respondents from different groups could have (Krueger and Casey, 2000). Many scholars and development practitioners are of the view that focus group helps “promote self-disclosure among participants”, for example what the participants are really thinking and feeling (ibid). To capture range of opinions and experience of different groups, here, focus group becomes an important tool of data. 26.

(44) collection. Data gathered from different groups then compared and contrasted, as is generally done. During my more than two years of stay I have observed that Taiwanese do not share negative opinions and I observed this phenomenon when I initially started inquiring ‘India’s Image’; what I noticed that the Taiwanese were more than happy to share positive and good image of India but whenever I probed about negative image of India, I perceived they were reluctant to expressed their negative views and opinions about India. I am of the view that. 政治大. the possible reasons could be I am an Indian and probably Taiwanese didn’t want to let me. 立. feel embarrassed by expressing their views forthrightly because Taiwanese culture is based. ‧ 國. 學. on harmony. This study intends to capture negative opinions and image about India too, however due to the reasons discussed above it would be big challenge. Thus, in such a. ‧. situation focus group and participant observation becomes crucial instead of doing in-depth. y. Nat. sit. interview. For example Wightand Crimp (2000) writes that an important feature “of focus. n. al. er. io. groups is to transcribe views of the respondents, which later on” help in analyzing “the way. i n U. v. what was said in either emotional or sarcastic tone, or even nonverbal behaviors such as. Ch. engchi. grimaces or smiles are of importance in the interpretation of the content ”. Hence, I am of the opinion that a carefully managed and observed group discussion and participant observation could help in capturing negative opinion (as well neutral and positive images) about India which, may or may not, Taiwanese students hold.. 27.

(45) 3.1 Research design I emailed an invitation to students of ‘International Master in International communication Studies(IMICS)’ of National Chengchi University in Taipei through the office of ‘IMICS’ to volunteered for my focus group participants and selected four members from them and I also used snowballing method to recruit three more Taiwanese students from other department of the university for this study in the first stage; which was created. 治政 themes to emerge and for this reason stimulation has been大 used in form of movie i.e. ‘The 立 Lunchbox’. for pilot focus group discussion and purpose for the pilot FGD was to get some initial. ‧ 國. 學. Then two more FGDs created for further research to compared and contrasted about. sit. y. Nat. been to India .. ‧. India’ image among two different set of participants i.e. (A) Have visited India (B) Never. n. al. er. io. One group consisted of four members two male and two female who have been to India. i n U. v. and the second group consisted of four members too with gender balance who have not visited India yet. (Appendix 1). Ch. engchi. These new eight selected participants for two FGDs have been recommended by my friends, classmates and acquaintances (four female and four male for gender balance) to constitute eight participants for this study. The three focus group were conducted with different participants of category and it is the rule of thumb (Krueger and Casey, 2000). The reason given by Krueger and Casey (2000) for conducting three to four focus group is that three to four groups give the opportunity to 28.

(46) compare and analyze across groups. This helps determine if researcher has reached ‘saturation’ - the researcher is not getting new information. 3.2 Data collection process How the Pilot focus group was conducted and the primary data had been sourced; The Pilot focus group session was divided in three parts;. 政治大 Taiwanese friend to be an active member to stimulate more discussion, the moderator briefly 立 The first part started by the researcher in the role of moderator and helped by one. introduced the research topic and purpose of this focus group.. ‧ 國. 學. The participants were requested to complete a short questionnaire about age, gender,. ‧. education, and contact information etc.. y. Nat. io. sit. And then general questions and discussion about India began, and some data has been. n. al. er. captured initially, without first watching the movie, by asking some basic questions about. i n U. v. India. Apart from the above mentioned ‘initial data capturing’ about ‘India’s image and sources of those images’,. Ch. engchi. This section’s questions are cited in the appendix section. (Appendix 2) The second part of the focus group involved a Bollywood movie session, where the discussion was mainly center on ‘Bollywood movie i.e. ‘The Lunchbox’ and India’s images’ and whether the movie has portrayed ‘real India’ or ‘reel India’.. 29.

(47) In this session, the researcher tried to capture data with stimulation i.e. ‘The Lunchbox’ in order to gauge how the Taiwanese students have perceived this movie and whether the movie infused some kind of perceptions and image in their mind. And some questions related to the movie had put forward to the participants at the end of this section; the complete list of questions can be accessed in appendix section. The third part was involved a cultural activity session, here in this section focus group,. 政治大 ‘Henna applying’ ‘Bindi (a dot on forehead for woman) and Tilak (a dot on forehead for 立 participants were served Indian snacks, drinks and presented some cultural activities i.e.. ‧ 國. 學. man) etc., which had been done by the participations.(Forehead Markings,2017) Here in this section the data has been collected about Taiwanese students’ familiarity. ‧. and unfamiliarity with India’s culture, custom, foods and accessories, and their mediated. Nat. io. sit. y. interaction with India (real or virtual) and Indian people.. n. al. er. Last but not least their past-present experiences with cultural phenomena of India and. Ch. i n U. v. how these dynamic interactions have shaped and influenced (have been continuously. engchi. shaping and influencing) India’s image. The complete list of questions can be accessed in appendix section. (Appendix 2). 3.3 “The Lunchbox” The reason I chose an Indian movie ‘The Lunchbox’ is because of its specific Indian theme, and availability of this movie at ‘Taipei Public Library' (Appendix 3) unlike many other production from India, particularly Bollywood, this movie presented some Indian specific theme apart from the location and other things. 30.

(48) The Bollywood movies have had important role in defining “standards of beauty and aesthetics…identity — historical and contemporary” (Ahmed, 2011). Barnouw and Krishnaswamy (1963) write of its role in movement of nation building (after the Independence), and its crucial role in helping build an ‘Indian identity’. However authors like Nandy (1995) have a different take on Bollywood, he writes that the often associated plurality with Bollywood is in reality a tamed one. Further, he writes that there is homogenisation in movie and it is “result of the mass element become dominant” (ibid).. 政治大. In the production of ‘The Lunchbox’ four major international production houses from. 立. different countries were involved, the production houses are – DAR motion pictures, UTV. ‧ 國. 學. Motion Pictures, Dharma Productions, Sikhya Entertainment, NFDC (India), ROH Films. ‧. (Germany), ASAP Films (France), and the Cine Mosaic (United States). The movie was screened at major international movie festivals and was nominated for British Academy. y. Nat. er. io. Rail d'Or.. sit. Film Awards 2015 and also won Critics Week Viewer’s Choice Award also known as Grand. al. n. iv n C Thus, we could say that in the international there was certain familiarity and h e n g ccircle hi U. interest with the movie and also this movie is accessible and available in ‘Taipei Public. Library’ with public performance rights and hence suitable for the purpose of my focus group. (See Appendix 3 for details) Coming to the movie the setting is Mumbai. Mumbai is big Metro and economic capital of India and people from various social, economic and regional backgrounds. 31.

(49) compose its population. The movie describes the characteristics of Indian society and the role of Indian women, even the background is reflection of Indian life. The movie screening helped an enabling environment where the respondents were able to share their views. Apart from movie the following were used as stimuli to give Indian ambience and cue to focus group members to talk about India: 1. Indian Snacks: As conversation starter for India’s image. 政治大. 2. Henna: Mehndi or henna is a paste that is bought in a cone-shaped tube and is made. 立. into designs for men (Garoo, 2016) and women. Mehndi is derived from the. ‧ 國. 學. Sanskrit word mendhikâ. Practiced mainly in India and Pakistan, mehndi or henna is the application of as a temporary form of skin decoration, popularized in the. ‧. West by Indian cinema and entertainment industry, the people in Nepal,. Nat. sit. y. Bangladesh and the Maldives also use mehndi. Mehndi decorations became. al. n. (Appendix 4). er. io. fashionable in the West in the late 1990s, where they are called henna tattoos.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. 3. Bindi/Tilak (decoration and religious ritual): A Bindi, from Sanskrit bindu, meaning ("point, drop, dot or small particle") is a red dot worn on the centre of the forehead, commonly by Indian women and Tilak by men. (Appendix 4) Questions which were put to the members of focus group were wide ranging – likes and dislikes about India, image of India (natural, negative), problems India has. Through the questions an attempt was made trace from where the participants got information about India, for example they could be – newspaper, local or International, electronic media, movie, local movie, Bollywood movie, Hollywood movies, parents, friends, teacher. In the 32.

(50) focus group questions also covered personal or friends, family or acquaintances’ experience(s), if any, of travel to India. The pilot focus group was conducted to find prominent images of India and dimensions to conduct further focus group.. 3.4 The mood of the field The research site was quite open and accessible, likewise the respondents. There was also good amount of interest shown on part of the respondents and they actively participated. 政治大 openness and familiarity. The 立 respondents were quite open about sharing their opinions, and. in this research. I on the field and by the respondent have been received with a sense of. ‧ 國. 學. they made me question and rethink my own assumptions.. 3.5 Data Sources. ‧ sit. y. Nat. This study relies mostly on the primary data. Primary data was gathered in duration. io. al. er. spread over weeks. The data was collected through unstructured interview, structured interview, focus group discussion, participant observation and observation3 since the space. n. iv n C was open and diverse, in sense there h were multiple variable e n g c h i U to focus, which made the data collected seem scattered. In a way, the spread data widened the perspective. Though the other side of it was the time constrain limited the research from going into the detailed nuances.. 3. Here we would resist from using the term participant observation, and rather call it a non-participant observation. 33.

(51) 4. India through the lens of Bollywood; Pilot FGD and its results In the following paragraphs the results from pilot study will be shared. The emerging themes helped in conducting FGDs and further study. The images which participants had about India could be categorised under the following – culture, people (nature and physical feature of Indians), social and economic problems, gender discrimination and inequality.. 政治大. Bollywood (songs in movies), crowds, huge population, Gandhi, curry ,meditation,. 立. yoga, inequality between rich and poor, caste system, Holi festival, and women’s clothing. ‧ 國. 學. came up prominently in the general image which the respondents had about India.. ‧. Respondents felt that food in India is fried, salty and spicy, and curry dishes were commonplace, and they felt Indians love it. It is important to note here that the respondents. y. Nat. io. sit. were of the view that Indians are black with big eyes, the children have bright eyes, and. n. al. er. adult women have sad ones. They were of the view that Indians are beautiful, especially the women.. Ch. engchi. i n U. v. The things which respondents liked about India are its exoticness and uniqueness. The positive image which respondents had about India is mainly related to cultural aspects, such as – meditation, yoga, food, movies, music, dance, accessories, sarees, architecture (specially the Taj Mahal), henna, yoga, and being colourful.(See, Appendix 5 for details) While the negative images were mainly related to aspects of gender and child, such as – gender inequality, unsafe for women, rape, human trafficking, child labour, and underage 34.

(52) marriages. Caste was another major problem which they found with India. Apart from it being unsafe for travellers, crowded transport, sanitation problems, begging, educational inequality, economic inequality, environmental problems, health issues, religious conflict, and corruption were also problems that they noticed. Among the above, the respondents rated gender inequality, gender education, education inequality and religious conflict as major issues with India. Here I find it important to take note of the fact that caste did come. 政治大. up as a negative image but none of the respondents rated it as a major problem, in spite of. 立. the fact that the caste system is a very hierarchical order and has resemblance with. ‧ 國. 學. patriarchy and racial inequality. The respondents rated the caste system and economic. ‧. inequality, religion, population, government and patriarchy as major sources of the above problems which they found with India.. sit. y. Nat. io. er. The following table depicts India’s Image which has emerged from among the focus group members’ discussions and reflections, once they had watched the ‘The Lunchbox’. al. n. iv n C movie. They also specified the specific of the movie to collaborate their reason to h escenes ngchi U. have that kind of image, which had been elicited through ‘The Lunchbox’ movie’s plot and scenes.. 35.

(53) Table 1 List of images of India from the movie “The Lunchbox” Categorization of elicited Image. Specific scene in the movie.. of India. The images of India being a. Traffic jams scenes in the movie.. 政治大 the office. 立. crowded place.. The Dabawalas carrying so many lunch boxes to deliver in. Leading actors commuting in overcrowded train scene.. ‧ 國. 學. dietary habit. Indians use hand. (Chapatis) and curry.. for eating.. The Dabawalas delivering homemade foods in a lunch boxes to customers.. The leading female character using a lots of spices while. al. n. er. io. sit. y. ‧. The three tier-tiffin pot tier has stuffed with Indian breads. Nat. The image of India’s food and. Ch. preparing cuisine.. engchi. i n U. v. Supporting actor is eating banana as lunch to satisfy the hunger. He said that many Indians choose to have bananas for lunch because it is cheap and easily available Main characters as well as others character in the movie are using hands for eating. Scene where a co-worker visited other for dinner and they are having meal on the floor.. 36.