Future-ish: Case Study: Schmidt

Showing posts with label Case Study: Schmidt. Show all posts

Future-ish Case Study | A Promising Sci-Fi Dilemma: Watch Prey in Nʉmʉ Tekwapʉ̲ (Comanche) or English? The Answer: Both.

Future-ish Case Study | 24-06

Author | Sean G. Schmidt

Publication Information | Future-ish, 2024. Published in Schmidt, S. G. (2024). Future-ish: case studies and context for exploring the science, design, and culture shaping the future (2nd ed.). Innovative Ink Publishing.

Abstract

Indigenous languages have faced obstacles for centuries, from historical colonization efforts that attempted to eradicate entire cultures to more modern challenges, including social barriers to the use of Indigenous languages. Efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages started to grow in the late 20th century, with many Indigenous communities now having full programs to revitalize their languages. These language revitalization efforts have resulted in positive health benefits for Indigenous individuals and communities. In addition to the efforts Indigenous communities are making, the motion picture industry has also played a role in Indigenous language revitalization. The 2022 science fiction blockbuster Prey is one of the latest films to feature an Indigenous language, Comanche. While other films were dubbed well after production, Prey filmmakers planned and offered a full dub in Comanche at the time of release. With the success of Prey, other filmmakers may look to integrate Indigenous languages in their productions as well.

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Future-ish Case Study | He Just Did It: Colin Kaepernick’s Act of Respectful Protest Reignites Athlete Activism

Future-ish Case Study | 24-05

Author | Sean G. Schmidt

Abstract

Athletes have played an important role in activism and social justice for many years, often with great controversy. Muhammad Ali and Billie Jean King are two such athletes who, by taking a public stand on an issue, sparked change in their particular sports and in society more broadly. When former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick decided to take a knee during the singing of the United States’ national anthem in 2016, it triggered one of the most consequential shifts in sports in the early 21st century. Kaepernick’s decision was intended to be a respectful protest against racial injustice and police brutality aimed at African Americans in recent contemporaneous events, but it sparked much more than that. His decision at that moment and subsequent activism throughout the sports industry created a completely new playing field for athlete activism and served as an example to other amateur and professional athletes on their agency in creating social change.

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Future-ish Case Study | ʔálʔal: A New Home for Native Americans in Seattle

Future-ish Case Study | 24-04

Author | Sean G. Schmidt

Abstract

The Chief Seattle Club in Seattle, Washington, has served the Native American community in the city with meals, housing, and other services for over 50 years. In 2022, the organization completed a unique development project called ?al?al that provides additional housing for the low-income and homeless Native community in the city, as well as other amenities, including a cafe that serves traditional Indigenous foods. ?al?al is one of the newest development projects in the country that demonstrates the multi-faceted value of culturally sensitive and responsive architecture.

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Future-ish Case Study | Chanel’s Fashion Faux Pas: Cultural Appropriation in Fashion

Future-ish Case Study | 24-03

Author | Sean G. Schmidt

Abstract

Cultural appropriation in the arts, particularly in the fashion industry, is a centuries-old problem. Colonialism created power-dynamic situations in which colonizers endeavored to eliminate some aspects of existing Indigenous cultures while co-opting, using, and misusing other elements of the existing Indigenous culture for their own, usually financial, benefit. This practice was extremely harmful mentally, spiritually, and culturally in the past and remains harmful today. Cultural appropriation was common and, for the most part, unchallenged up through the late 20th century. This dynamic changed in the early 21st century, and cultural appropriation began to be identified and questioned intensively. In 2013, Chanel, a French haute couture fashion brand, was one of the first fashion houses called out in a major way on multiple social media platforms for cultural appropriation, just as the era of bloggers and influencers began. Specifically, Chanel was criticized for using ‘Native-American-inspired’ headdresses in their 2013/2014 Metiers d'Art show in Dallas, Texas. The show received backlash from both fashion professionals and fashionistas worldwide and sparked a new chapter in identifying and addressing cultural appropriation in many industries.

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Future-ish Case Study | Sixteen Sunrises a Day: Practicing Ramadan in Space

Future-ish Case Study | 24-02

Author | Sean G. Schmidt

Abstract

In 2007, Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor became the first Malaysian to travel in space and stay in the International Space Station (ISS). Shukor’s journey was groundbreaking in many ways. He was among the first individuals identified as spaceflight participants by Russian and United States agencies and he was the first Muslim to stay on the ISS. Shukor worked closely with Malaysian Islamic religious leaders to determine how to carry out aspects and practices of the Islamic faith during his mission, which coincided with the observance of Ramadan in that particular year. Although other astronauts and space participants also practiced aspects of their particular worldview or religion while in space, Shukor’s experience gained significant media coverage given the timing and complexity of his unique situation. His seminal voyage also set the stage for subsequent Muslim and other space travelers to practice their worldviews and religions while in space, demonstrating that science and religion can and do coexist.

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Future-ish Case Study | The Stars Do Not Align for the Thirty Meter Telescope on Maunakea in Hawaii

Future-ish Case Study | 24-01

Author | Sean G. Schmidt

Abstract

The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) is a proposed new astronomical observatory on the Island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian islands. The mountaintop of Maunakea, a sacred mountain to the Native peoples of Hawaii, was selected as the preferred location for the telescope, but the project has faced opposition from the start from Native Hawaiians and activists around the world due to the cultural significance of the area, as well as ongoing and prospective environmental impacts to the high-elevation ecosystem of Maunakea. Few, if any, options remain for the project to move forward. A comprehensive analysis of the controversy suggests that the situation is not a simple case of science versus culture. Rather, it is a conflict between commercial science and traditional culture and an example of ongoing disregard and disrespect for people and place.

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