Zhao Lan, Liu Jiazhao
DOI:10.3969/j.issn.1674-9391.2021.07.008
Abstract:
The issue of cultural identity is an important topic in research projects on the ethnic minority culture of China. With the rapid development of globalization and modernization, the regular meaning of cultural identity has undergone constant evolution and change. In this context, the construction of cultural identity for contemporary ethnic minorities in China is inevitably confronted with a dilemma, i.e. the separation and opposition between the internal area of identity construction and the external situation surrounding this identity construction. Starting from the perspective of media relation transition and expansion, this article explores the key role of remediation in constructing the cultural identity of contemporary ethnic minorities in China. Remediation not only provides an investigative angle in defining cultural identities of ethnic peoples by attempting to use audio-visual media like online games and VR video; it also probes into image texts to give image evidence for constructing cultural identities of ethnic groups by dynamic visual experiences, such as culture restoration and situation construction. Through the interaction between remediation and ethnic cultural identities, ethnic peoples can deepen the process of constructing and broadcasting their cultural identities and they can expect that remediation could reasonably make use of the construction advantage of media and fulfill the task of spreading the word, so as to foster a rational construction of cultural identity for present-day ethnic minorities in China.
The construction and dissemination of ethnic minority cultural identity in contemporary China in the context of “remediation” eliminates the perceived unimportance of geographical features and the identity alienation caused by different cultural facets, and avoids the withdrawn mindset and cognitive deviation of ethnicities in the past. With the help of efficient media, broadcasting, and the experience of the constructive subject, ethnic minority cultural identity eliminates the need for ethnic physical field boundary markers? and provides the ethnic person with a relevant logical? experience? to construct his or her ethnic cultural identity. Then, through the interaction of subjective perception and remediation of the audience's vision from subjective and objective perspectives, it enables the gradual aesthetic enrichment in the remediation context and promotes the definition and construction of cultural identity of ethnic minorities.
Eliminating the boundary between the external and internal cultural identities of ethnic groups, as well as the barriers between cultural identity and the media, is one of the important topics of ethnic culture research. This will help reduce irrational and irregular media use under the pretext of remediation, and instead help create a reasonable ethnic cultural identity, cultivating a green communication environment, and promoting a variety of studies on the construction and dissemination of ethnic minority cultural identity in contemporary China.
Key Words:
ethnic minorities; cultural identity; remediation; audiovisual description; visual “thick” description