Sawhney, Personal Experience and Ahmed
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The introduction to Sawhney has an audio clip of his parents reflecting on their immigration to the UK. Based on their brief dialogue, I think that their feelings towards migration have components of cultural loss but also a tinge of hope. His mother speaks about sacrifice while his father brings more light saying that the eventual result was positive. As for the song itself, it creates a feeling of longing within the listener. I believe that it is from the perspective of the child of a migrant who is disconnected from their culture. It is common to hear that your parents gave up their dreams to create a better life for you as immigrants, and I believe this is represented right at the beginning where the word “dreams” is repeated many times followed by “I can feel your dreams, dreams”.
I think this all leads to the idea of migrant melancholia, and the mother at the beginning of the song speaking of the sacrifice in a reminiscent way is a strong example of this. I also believe that this song portrays some extent of intergenerational melancholia, which in my case, is something that becomes more prominent the older you get. In my case, when I was younger I was ignorant of the sacrifices my parents made moving across the world with 2 kids and one on the way, however as I have gotten older and had more honest conversations with them, it becomes clear that they made infinite sacrifices just for me and my siblings to have better opportunities.
My experience in this case ties into one of two examples Sara Ahmed stated:
“Stories of happy families are presented as the reconciliation of want: either the child comes to see the wisdom of the parents and aligns her want with what the parents want for her, or the parents come to see the wisdom of the child and align their wants for the child with what the child wants; alternatively (and usually) some sort of compromise is formed”
These films and stories that Ahmed references talk about reconciliation as if it is black or white — either the child aligns with the parents or the parents see the child's side, and it leaves out a ton of gray areas. For me, it was never the case of what my parents wanted for me, and they would never put such expectations on me, but through hearing their stories, there exists a natural reminiscence. Even though not intentional, it makes me think of why I am where I am and what had to be lost in the process for this to happen. I think that my experience represents a form of dialogue that is missed otherwise, and rather than being based on opposing views between the first-generation migrants versus their children and wider society, it is about understanding the emotional impact that stems from migration without having to face conflict headfirst.
Another portion of Ahmed’s reading I really enjoyed was her notes regarding the promise of citizenship and how those who have not reached that “happiness” yet, have to demonstrate that they are worthy — a trait exemplified through Bend It Like Beckham. The child in this case is able to achieve that ideal by conforming to the culture she is raised in. While her heritage and culture — even simple things such as eating traditional food — become alien to her, the Western culture she is adopting is shaping her to become another example of a “good migrants”.