Blending in

Pictures by Laura Kneale

These 13 stills aim to show the progression of blending that many a third culture kid goes through when integrating in a place they have moved to. The shots of the girl, Vanessa Kneale, a third culture kid herself, tells the story of so many girls that are not content with their natural look and think adding accessories, make up and clothing to their body will help them project a better image of themselves. As we can see, as she adds more to her body, she slowly is fading herself into the wall behind her. More than a ‘wallflower’ [i], her identity has slowly disappeared into the bigger picture.

The choice white as being the color towards which the girl in the picture is blending into was chosen specifically because of the symbolism ‘white’ retains internationally. In slides 2,3,4 &5, the black shadow emanating from the girl occupies a relatively important part of the photo’s space. This black shadow contrasts to express the resistance and self-doubt the girl is feeling in light of her conversion and burial in whiteness.

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UNESCO definition of cultural diversity states in Art. 1 that cultural diversity is “a heritage to humanity”[ii]. In light of this definition, the idea of blending can be weighed against the wealth contained in the variety of world cultures. This refers to a phenomenon in TCK psychology called “cultural marginality”. In “Phoenix Rising: A Question of Cultural Identity”, Barbara Schaetti identifies two versions of “cultural marginality”. The first “encapsulated marginality” is the one that these stills are a metaphor of. In other words, the child feels completely isolated in their marginality. Hence, they tend to be very influenced by the world around them. Bennett claims they are “buffeted by conflicting cultural loyalties.” What tends to happen is that they go with the flow. The second “cultural marginality” is “constructive marginality”. In this case, the TCK is a lot more re-affirmed and accepts their identity as something to be celebrated rather than forgotten. However, in regards to nationalism or defining oneself by nationality, TCKs tend to shy away from such a practice. As Schaetti explains, developing a strong sense of identity as cultural marginals is not easy, so describing oneself according to your passport hinders the real personality of the TCK.[iii]

 

 

[i] Britten, Samuel (November 30, 1998) “TCK World: A Comparison of Different “Versions” Of TCKs” Third Culture Kid World. Retrieved December 3, 2006

[ii] Chan-Tibergien, J. (2006) “Cultural diversity as resistance to neo-liberal globalization: The emergence of a global movement and convention” in Review of Education, Vol. 52: 94.

[iii] “Phoenix Rising: A Question of Cultural Identity” 15 Nov. 2007 <http://www.worldweave.com/BSidentity.html>