Season 3, Episode 4: Culture Brokers and Invisible Labor

05.20.2024

 

[Intro Music] 

Voice: Experimental Humanities.

[Background Music] 

 

Laura Kunruther: Hello, and welcome to Experimental Humanities Out Loud, the podcast where we investigate how technology mediates what it means to be human. I’m Laura Kunruther, a professor here at Bard College. In this episode, students explore the concepts of invisible labor and global culture brokers, asking, as we did in the class, what labor is involved by those who stand between international knowledge seekers and local communities. People like journalists, fixers, or tour guides, or news image brokers, or interpreters. Since this class was an online class sponsored by the Open Society University Network, it involves students from all over the world. China, Taiwan, Lithuania, Kyrgyzstan, and various parts of the United States. The episode today weaves together excerpts from each student’s longer podcast to give a sample of the diverse material we covered. The students are, in order of appearance, Anisa, Celeste, Noah, Lin, Cedric, and Kseniya. Thank you also to our class tutor, Ifigenia, who edited this version from longer podcasts. Enjoy!

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Hey there! Welcome to Global Voices Unveiling Invisible Labor. We’re not a typical podcast crew, because it’s a diverse group of students from different departments from all over the world. Today we’re delving into the world of global culture brokers, uncovering their unsung stories. And wait, there’s more. This isn’t your standard academic chat. It’s lively conversation connecting these stories to the broader picture of interconnected world. And here’s a twist. It’s not a solo act. It’s a collective conversation. Students from different corners of campus share why this topic matters. And did I mention we’re also spilling the beans on invisible labor? So grab your snacks, hit play, and join our laid back session. It’s like hanging out with friends, delving into why global culture brokers and invisible labor are crucial to understanding our big and connected world. Get ready to vibe with global voices. Trust us, it’s a ride you won’t want to miss.

 

[Musical Interlude]

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Do you know what is invisible labor?

 

Celeste Lucci: Previously, to be honest, I was kind of mixing the two terms invisible labor and the low paid cheap labor, I would say. Yeah. Um, but later I just, uh, came out with the, uh, exact definition for each and I defined invisible labor when, for example, you do something, it’s, it’s more happening basically with women and it can happen with men as well, but like daily, I just observe it with women who are doing the labor at home, for example– 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Mm-Hmm.

 

Celeste Lucci: –and which is staying invisible, kind of, no one is noticing it and they are even not considering as a labor. Something that is not kind of appreciated or valued. 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Just to add to that, I think if we would never have written that, the work of the researchers– 

 

Celeste Lucci: Mm-Hmm.

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: –we wouldn’t really know, just based on the film, that, you know, behind the film, there– there was literally a scientific study made by those researchers– 

 

Celeste Lucci: Mm-Hmm.

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: –and it’s literally the fruits of their hard work.

 

Celeste Lucci: Okay, well, actually being a cultural–broker somewhere that far from your culture is really hard– 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Mm-Hmm.

 

Celeste Lucci: –because um, like in central Asia you–you say I’m from Tajikistan. They’re okay. It’s our neighbor country. Okay, we know a lot about them, but like being in Europe is like you are repeating your country’s name like for hundreds time was–but I think I–I did, I was kind of cultural broker because in my exchange semester, I did a dance, a traditional dance– 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Mmm.

 

Celeste Lucci: –and I, I always like people were curious whenever they were curious, I always, I was always open and down, um, about talking about my culture. 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Mm-Hmm.

 

Celeste Lucci: Where I’m from, why I am like this, at least– 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: [Laughs].

 

Celeste Lucci: –right? Or something like that. 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Okay.

 

Celeste Lucci: So I think I educated them– 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Mm-Hmm.

 

Celeste Lucci: –and I broke [clap] the [clap]– 

 

Anisa Taigunshoeva: Stereotypes.

 

Celeste Lucci: Yeah.

 

[Laughter].

 

Celeste Lucci: He loves a homeland, but he deserts it. Is it the unattainable far away? He loves traveling towards anything, in the free faring among cultures. Researchers of the human essence may find sufficient seats for all. Here, a prophecy advances or a center retreats. The east is not exactly the east, nor the west the west. Identity is open to pluralism. No fortress and no trenches. A metaphor was lying on a river’s bank, were it not for pollution, it would have embraced a second bank. Have you written a novel? I have tried. I attempted to recall my image in the looking glass from a faraway woman. But they penetrated deep into my fortified night, and they said, ours is a world independent of text. A man shall not describe a woman as a riddle in a dream. A woman shall not transcribe a man as a symbol in a star. No two loves are alike. No two nights are similar. Let us count the characteristics of men and laugh. What did you do? I ridiculed my vanity, and I threw away the novel in the wastebasket. [Trackpad click] The intellectual suppresses the rendition of the novelist, and the philosopher explains the rose of the singer. He loves the homeland, but he deserts it. Wherever I am, or I may become, I will alone place myself. I shall select my exile. The identities of the West are highlighted here, and–and [violin music plays] so are male and female. We can see how identities are pulled apart, how differences push each other away, but Darwish explains it is not something that has to be. This poem and excerpt connect to the ideas of colonialism, and we can better understand the ideas of Truat and Begin, the beginning of modernism through Darwish’s understanding of identities clashing. North Atlantic universals is a frame that has been given to many people with power to share knowledge. The source of local knowledge has come from those individuals in contact with different cultures, which comes from globalization and gives those the chance to exist in new contexts, but this can also turn into colonization. We can share between each other’s experiences, perspectives, and stories, but the power lies in the knowledge with those who shape our global knowledge from the local. Local informants have a great deal of power as well and give a part of their mind or themselves to help shape everyone’s knowledge. When global knowledge is turned around and shapes local knowledge, it is a delicate process. North Atlantic University shaped knowledge on a larger scale and should be used in a way to elevate the local perspectives and not to take away details or enforce a different prejudice or rhetoric. This can begin to describe how Darwish connects to the idea of a culture broker and the way that he shares the information and knowledge that he’s learned about the world and the identities of the Palestinians. He also draws a great connection between North Atlantic Universals and the Palestinian people. Considering the colonization of what we now know to be the U. S.. Darwish goes on in his poem to talk about the Native Americans. He says, I heard ancient Indians calling me. Just neither the horse, no modernity, nay, no victim questions his executioner. Am I you if my sword had been larger than my rose? Would I have asked if I would have acted like you?

 

Laura Kunruther: All translations of Mahmood’s poem dedicated to Braille publishers. 

 

[Music change to lofi music].

 

Noah Pertus: My name is Noah Pertus. In the interest of continuing with Celeste’s inquiry into questions of identity, today I will be discussing the complex process which occurs when journalists travel abroad in order to cover events. Much more than just this process, however, we will be exploring the key figures involved in this, the fixer. At face value, the word fixer in many ways obscures the vast intricacies of such a title, and much more the plethora of individuals who fulfill it. In order to further understand the work of fixers, and more widely culture brokers as a whole, today I will be discussing a specific example of a fixer. But first, what is a fixer? Although you may be unaware, just as I was before reading The Fixer, and several other pieces which sought to delve into this topic, you have undoubtedly interacted with a fixer’s work in some capacity. Fixers are individuals who work with journalists, often in areas which the journalist is not from, to help them in collecting accurate stories and at times ensuring their safety while reporting. A fixer can be understood as a mod–ern culture broker, existing in the ever more digitized age. For context, culture brokers are those individuals who help communicate information and knowledge between different cultural and ethnic groups. Unlike fixers, however, I’m sure examples of culture brokers you are aware of are easily remembered. Just like oth–other culture brokers, however, those hoping to learn from fixers must ensure a balanced relationship. Reaching an effective middle point between journalists and fixers requires, perhaps most importantly, a staunch commitment to considering the power dynamics at play. Journalists, in particular, must continuously reflect on their choices, recognizing that the relationships with fixers should enhance their journalism while at the same time maintaining sensitivity to matters at hand.

 

As the media landscape evolves, maintaining ethical standards in collaboration with fixers becomes not only a professional responsibility, but more so a human one, as the lived experiences of such individuals are translated into the public eye. Thank you.

 

[Lofi music plays].

 

[Music changes from lofi to cymbals].

 

Chia-Lin Huang: Hey there, welcome to the Global Culture Broker podcast. I’m Lin, a journalist from Taiwan. Today I want to share with you my experience working as a travel journalist, a job I once considered the best in the world. I got to travel around the world for work, and while it may seem like an awesome job, but it hides a lot of invisible labor. What invisible labor is behind this job and what is the relationship between travel journalists and fixers? First, let’s identify what is invisible labor. According to an article by Pollster called exposing invisible labor. It defined invisible labor as the labor involved in certain tasks within paired work that is overlooked or unseen. So, being a professional travel journalist is not as fancy as it seems. In order to take beautiful pictures, I often start my day very early to catch the sunrise and stay up late to take photos of the starry sky. And physical fitness is also important. Therefore, I attend yoga class and go to the gym regularly. Because maintaining a good appearance is necessary to be camera ready at any time. These are the things audience won’t see on my travel report. What audience will see, however, it’s that I appear very happy. You rarely see photos of unhappy tourists in travel reports, right? That’s why, like the article says, looking good at work is one form of invisible labor. These are hyper visible. What is hidden is not the worker or the work itself, but rather the labor that happens behind it, driven by employee policy that encourages it. Over the past few years, due to my passion for sustainable tourism and marine conservation, I transitioned to become a freelancer. Not only do I write travel reports on my own, but I also assist other media journalists in interview and arrange journeys. However, I have never charged any fee for this service. If as Noah, one of our podcast hosts says, fixers help journalists in collecting stories, then let me think about myself. Have I ever been a fixer? I thought of my friend Hugo. He is an experienced fixer in Taiwan. He mentioned that, as a professional fixer, fees and job score are clarified when international media discuss work with you. Okay, just like what Hugo says, I may not call myself a fixer because I haven’t charged fees. But I work with my passion. This is today’s sharing. Thank you for listening. Bye.

 

Cedric: Among multiple types of invisible neighbors that altogether makes a film possible, some of them values invisibility as a professional quality, while others reluctantly demand invisibility as a protection. In the following section, me and my colleague are going to introduce you with two cases of which invisibility becomes both a curse and a gift, in the realm of video and filmmaking production. My inspiration of initiating these conversations came from a recent Chinese movie about international telecom fraud company. In that movie, a subtitle group received an offer from the telecom fraud company that they are getting generously paid by simply putting online gambling advertisement at the beginning of their video. This accidentally corresponds with many people’s experience of watching a pirated film. Despite that, subtitle groups usually make no change to the original video other than adding a subtitle. Others could easily steal their work and add whatever they want before uploading it to pirated website. Therefore, people’s anger toward telecom fraud immediately extend to these subtitle groups and resulted in the dismissal of one of the biggest subtitle groups in China. Regardless of the fact the subtitle groups in the movie refused the bribe at the end. This brings my first question about the reaction to the movie. Seven out of nine subtitle, members I talked with express their frustration about the scene. While others said because of such description, most of them refuse to watch it at all after seeing the cut scene.

 

[Mandarin speech]

 

Cedric: One of them told me that, even if it’s not direct accusation, to release something like telecom fraud with us is already an insult, because they are exactly the ones who steal our volunteer work for money. We are the actual victim, but we can’t even sue them, you know? God the hell knows whether the uncle prince would gladly handcuff both of us to the court when we do that, who knows? After hearing that, I started understanding why the invisibility becomes both a protection and a vulnerability. Just like many other cultural brokers, such as image brokers, fixers, and journalists that is mentioned by others before, the nickname cover helps them escape from government’s sight, but also deprive them of their chance to speak loud to the public of the action need and advocate. The controversy of their work is very true, but in the background of Chinese strict publication policy, the contribution to the culture exchange is also significant for all Chinese people. My last question is why, as many of you may also ask, why would you do such work when there is legal risk, economic pressure, and sometimes tedious work in front of you all?

 

[Mandarin speech]

 

Cedric: She said, it’s not complicated at all. It’s just that old saying, generating electricity with love. It is a popular Chinese phrase to describe people who do something with little or no material return. For them, it is just simple like that. Like your friend translating an interesting comic for you or telling you a foreign meme that made him laugh. This situation is exactly what Bode writes in his article. Seeing work as a personal fulfillment and identity brings the importance of physical safety, psychological well being, and its ability to craft a healthy identity to the foe. These standards are harder to achieve, however, when work is invisible because invisible work can have fewer legal protections and less social recognition. At this moment, because reactions of audiences are the most important motivation for subtitle groups, so that we must present to the public what they actually do and why they did it, in order to shape the public opinion to focus on the altruistic side of their work rather than the dark risks they have to bear. That is my reason of making this podcast and also the wish of my interviewees. Even if we cannot stop people from stealing their product of subtitle groups for other use, nor can we legalize their work to become profitable, we could at least draw a clear line between them, between their hard working, hard worming sharing and others malevolent editing, and also give a responsible encouragement and appreciation to our invisible culture brokers. Thank you.

 

[Lofi music plays].

 

[MGM Lion roars].

 

Kseniya Hardzei: Hi there! I would like to welcome you guys into the backstage of filmmaking. And the reading we are gonna dive into that has helped me to see what’s involved behind the scenes of filmmaking is called Conceptualizing Invisible Labor by Winfred Poster, Marion Crate, and Miriam Cherry in 2016. Poster illustrates the spectrum of invisibility. There are workers who are not visible to the consumer and sometimes are not even visible to the employer. What’s interesting that in my podcast I will reveal the non obvious side of the perception of invisible work.

 

Film Director: Lights! Camera! Action!

 

Yuri: [In Russian]. It was in the 90’s of the last century. I was attached to a full-length film called The Candle before completing my internship.

 

Kseniya Hardzei: Yuri told me many stories from the time of his student practice, when he held the position of assistant director. They are responsible for what is required on the set. It was the shooting of the motion picture called Cвеча that is in translation sounds as Candle, directed by Anatoly Kudryavtsev in during the Soviet Union. It was the nineties, the hungry years, there was nothing in the shops. But still, according to the script, there should have been foreign Japanese equipment in the frame. It was almost impossible to get it. Yuri applied to local newspapers. Together with a team, they made a column with a call on the radio in case someone from the residence of Towka Pils has a necessary equipment and can help. Yury as an assistant undertook to find everything necessary for filming.

 

[Piano music plays].

 

Kseniya Hardzei: Poster quotes such men. The provision of the service is often defined precisely by the employee’s ability to be invisible, to blend in and do the job fluidly without being noticed. The less noticeable, the more professional in both relations toward customers and film director and its crew. Yeah, actually, we did it. We recorded a whole podcast on the topic of invisible walk in our professional and at a time familiar to everyone everyday reality. Many thanks to everyone who has listened to this moment. We really do appreciate you staying with us. We wish you a good day and please at your leisure. Try to think for a moment about what kind of activity you perform or have performed as a culture broker. Who knows? Maybe you have something to say.

 

[Lofi music plays].

 

Maha Abdulwahab This season of EH Out Loud is produced at Bard’s Center for Experimental Humanities by me, Maha Abdulwahab, and Krista Caballero, the co-director of EH. Fact checking and transcription by Anna Halet Gutierrez and Neil Bhatia. Sound editing and music by Maha Abdulwahab and Bert Kershaw. Special thanks to our guests in the Experimental Humanities Media Courts. Visit us again at eh.bard.edu to learn about Experimental Humanities and other projects at the Center. Thank you so much.