Cultural Studies

This video chronicles the 1998 return to Cuba of an American college professor, Dr. Magaly Lavendenz, forced as a child to leave Cuba in 1962, and who grew up in the U.S., but with a distinct Cuban identity.

This four-part series examines changes in Cuban society during the post-Soviet economic crisis between 1994-98.

When photographer Elaine Briere visited Portuguese East Timor in 1974, she found a highly developed, centuries-old culture with a refined aesthetic and social sensibility. Her photos would become the last record of a people about to face virtual annihilation, because, when Indonesia invaded East Timor in 1975, the world looked the other way.

Filmmaker Paul Lee explores the lives of four generations of Chinese women in his family, using their shoes-from the four-inch silk sandals made for his great- grandmother's bound feet during the Ching Dynasty to the Italian leather pumps of his career-minded sister-as a reference point for the cultural and social forces which have shaped their lives.

Explores the Indian community in Trinidad, outlining the events and accidents of history that constitute this example of the Indian diaspora, and interviewing various Trinidadian- Indians about the hybridity of their culture and their relationship, if not preoccupation, with India.

Examines the role of black resistance to apartheid in South Africa through a look at two of the nation's leading cultural activists and popular performers--poet Mzwakhe Mbuli and writer/ performer Gcina Mhlophe.

Examines the role of culture in the struggle for national liberation in South Africa by interspersing performances by the Amandla Cultural Ensemble with footage of the mass singing of resistance songs on the streets of South Africa and interviews with leading cultural workers of the African National Congress.

The storytelling tradition of the southern Appalachians comes to life through actress/writer Clarinda Ross's portrayal of four generations of her maternal ancestors.

Examines the Santa Fe Fiesta, America's oldest continuous community celebration, which commemorates the Spaniards' "bloodless reconquest" of the Pueblo Indians in New Mexico in 1692.

Potlatch People looks at the culture of the Indians of the Pacific Northwest and the importance of the ceremonial potlatch feast in their culture.

Indian Country contrasts the past and present life of the five tribes--the Seminoles, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Cherokee--in the southeast U.S.

Pueblo Renaissance provides an authentic view of the sacred traditions, ancient religious and agricultural ceremonies of the Pueblo Indians.

The Six Nations looks at the Iroquois League of upstate New York--consisting of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga and Tuscarora tribes--which considers itself to be a sovereign, independent nation which rejects the American way of life in favor of a traditional Indian lifestyle.

Looks at the modern Cherokee's efforts to preserve Indian traditions, including a performance of ancient ceremonies.

Navajo - Race for Prosperity offers a contemporary view of life on the Navajo reservation, focusing on the Navajos' development of industries.

Civilized Tribes looks at the revolution of attitudes among younger American Indians leading to a new mood of militancy and also reviews the current government policy regarding the American Indian.

They Promised to Take Our Land looks at the U.S. Government's encroachment on land owned by Indians, forcing them onto smaller and smaller reservations, and discusses the white man's basic misunderstanding of the meaning of land to the Indian.

How the West Was Lost looks at the history of the Plains Indians and the effort of their contemporary descendants to maintain their cultural identity.

Trail of Broken Treaties looks at how over 400 treaties with Native American tribes have been broken by the U.S. Government. Examines past and present injustices and the attempts of Indian leaders to improve their situation.

Follows the five month journey of Mike Auger, a Cree Indian from northern Canada, who travels to Bolivia to live and work with the Aymara Indians. During his visit, Mike rediscovers his native cultural roots. This strengthening of his identity enables Mike to overcome a troubled, poverty-ridden youth fueled by self-denial.