Every Ocean Hughe's One Big Bag
Friday Response to EVERY OCEAN HUGHES's film (500 word MINIMUM)
Your Friday Responses should be thoughtful considerations of that week’s guest and presentation. There are no right or wrong responses to these presentations -- but students should aim to be attentive and to reach an understanding of the diverse ideas and practices, formats, and styles being presented and represented by our guests
Students should be articulate, thoughtful, and honest in their comments. DO NOT MAKE blanket judgements about whether a work, presentation, or artist is "good" or "bad" but instead explain why, how, and to what you are responding. Explore the folds and nuances of your understanding and responses and try to understand what is happening in the reading, screening, or presentation. In such cases, you may find insightful observations emerge. In some cases, when the work is particularly new or challenging to you, it will take effort, patience, and perseverance. You are encouraged to consult both the recording and transcript for her talk in order to be as specific as you can when writing about her work and in order to include direct quotes from her presentation when appropriate. In addition, feel free to reference materials that you read for Monday ABOUT EVERY OCEAN HUGHES. Be sure to include citations.
Subject and Section
Professor's Name
March 4, 2023
Response – Every Ocean Hughe's One Big Bag
The short film "One Big Bag," directed by Emily Roysdon, is a powerful example of ecstatic resistance and collective action. In this film, Roysdon documents a group of people who come together to carry a large bag through the streets of New York City as a symbol of collective action and protest. The film explores activism, protest, and community themes and provides a compelling example of how collective action can affect social change (Farinati, 2022).
Another concept discussed by Roysdon was ideas from Eqbal Ahmad's essay "How to Tell when the Rebels have Won." In his work, Ahmad provides a valuable framework for understanding the concept of ecstatic resistance. In this essay, Ahmad argues that revolutionary change can only occur when people tap into a state of collective ecstasy (Ahmad, 1965). He writes, "Revolutionary change requires a transformation of consciousness... It requires ecstasy, the collective consciousness of human beings." This idea of collective conciousness is central to Roysdon's work, as she seeks to create spaces where people can come together and experience a shared sense of purpose and belonging.
Another thing that I realized was that Roysdon's work is also profoundly influenced by the ideas of Michel Foucault, particularly his theories of power and resistance. In her essay "Ecstatic Resistance," Roysdon writes, "Foucault describes power not as something that is possessed or held, but as a force that is constantly being exercised and resisted... It is in the resistance that we find the possibility of transformation." This ...