Beyond images of
the city
Semester A 2023
Plan for today
1. Panel presentation from
HKCAHRPP solidarity trip to
farmer and fisherfolk
communities in the Philippines
2. Beyond images of the city
3. Reminders and updates
Beyond images of
the city
Images of the city
Cities are real physical places, but
we also have non-physical images of
these cities
We can get these images of the city
from real physical experiences of the
city or from “representations” of the
city (in movies, news stories, our
friends’ posts on social media etc.)
Representations of the city
Representations of the city are cultural
and social forms(broadly defined) that
stand in for / represent the city.
Examples: Photographs, films, poetry,
newspaper articles …what else?
But also: Casual talk about the city
between friends, Instagram posts about
the city… what else?
Some characteristics of
representations
1.
Every representation of the city is always partial
(giving more attention to some things vs. others)
2.
Every representation of the city is constructed
(taken by someone, from some point of view, for
some purpose)
3.
Representations of the city are not the city itself,
but are a cultural form that stand-in for the city
that can have an impact on the real world
4.
Representations of the city are always linked to
particular spaces and particular times
Module 2
Week 9: Images of the city across
genres
Week 10: Images of the city in film
(deadline for alternative movie
choice tonight at 11:59 pm)
Week 11: Exclusionary and
discriminatory images of the city
Beyond the city
 Today we heard about the situation of fisherfolk and
farming communities outside of the city
 Although this course has focused on the city, it is
important to remember that the world is not only
cities, but also rural communities
 These communities provide food for those all around
the world (including cities) with their agriculture and
fishing
 These communities also face issues that are often
overlooked because we are more focused on the
issues happening in cities than in rural places
Beyond images
 The module has focused on images OR
representations, i.e. not the city itself but how it is
represented
 But in the last two weeks we’ve been reminded
that it is important to look at the reality on-theground in evaluating representations of the city
or of places in general
 All representations are not equal, and how
closely images correlate to the reality on the
ground MATTERS
Reminders for end
of semester
Final test
Study Guide is posted on Canvas
(under Week 12 materials)
24 November 12:30-2 OFFICE
HOURS (revisions for test) - LI 5401
27 November – Final Test (in class)
Next week
Final test
Finishing the course
Reminders about the video project
Summary of the course
TLQs
Final video project
4 December 12:30-2 OFFICE
HOURS (revisions for final project)
LI 6376
11 December – Final video
project deadline