A Culture of Diversity by SPAN magazine

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017 Rs. 20

Culture of Diversity

Moving to Latin Beats A Musical Mix Style Setters

John Robshaw uses India’s blockprinting and fabric-making techniques in his signature textile collection in the United States.

Fabrics of

Life By JASON CHIANG

merican textile designer John Robshaw has had a lifelong passion for art and experiencing different cultures. Through his extensive travels across the world, he has discovered many patterns and fabrics that have sparked an American cultural trend of Asian and tribal aesthetics in contemporary textile designs. Robshaw’s brand of vibrant fabrics and eclectic homewares has been

featured in Vogue and Elle Décor magazines. His bedding designs have also been used in the White House. Robshaw’s unique take on Indian block prints and his masterful blending of colorful patterns have brought the traditional designs of India to American consumers in many new and exciting ways, ushering in a true melding of cultures and design perspectives.

November/December 2017

V O LU M E LV I I I N U M B E R 6

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Interplay of Words and Worlds



Making a Mark



Style Setters

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20 22

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Game Goals

The Melting Pot



A Musical Mix



Generation Gap



Shaping Animation



Moving to Latin Beats



Building Influence

22 Editor in Chief Craig L. Dicker

Printed and published by Jeffrey R. Sexton on behalf of the Government of the United States of America and printed at Thomson Press India Ltd., 18/35 Delhi Mathura Road, Faridabad, Haryana 121007 and published at the Public Affairs Section, American Embassy, American Center, 24 K.G. Marg, New Delhi 110001. Opinions expressed in this 44-page magazine do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Government.  Articles with a star may be reprinted with permission. Those without a star are copyrighted and may not be reprinted. Contact SPAN at 011-23472135 or editorspan@state.gov

Fabrics of Life

MARY ALTAFFER © AP Images

Above: John Robshaw in Leh, Jammu and Kashmir. Left: Robshaw brings Indian block-printed textiles and accessories to American consumers, through his eponymous brand.

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LOU BUENO/Courtesy Flickr

GREGORY BULL © AP Images

CONTENTS BEBETO MATTHEWS © AP Images

Photographs courtesy John Robshaw

https://span.state.gov

40 Reviewing Editor Karl M. Adam

Editor Deepanjali Kakati Associate Editor Suparna Mukherji Hindi Editor Giriraj Agarwal Urdu Editor Syed Sulaiman Akhtar Copy Editors Bhawya Joshi, Shah Md. Tahsin Usmani Editorial Assistant Yugesh Mathur

Art Director Hemant Bhatnagar Deputy Art Directors Qasim Raza, Shah Faisal Khan Production/Circulation Manager Alok Kaushik Printing Assistant Manish Gandhi

Front cover: Collage by Hemant Bhatnagar. Photographs by Andrew Wong (clockwise from bottom); Chris Bratt; Chris Pizzello © AP Images/Invision; Amy Harris © AP Images/Invision; Maclek Lulko/Courtesy Flickr; and Benjamin Haas/Hemera/Thinkstock. Research Services : Bureau of International Information Programs, The American Library

Courtesy John Robshaw

Robshaw takes great care in cultivating and preserving India’s

traditional techniques,

while also supporting local

artisans. 4 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Travel After earning a fine arts degree from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and studying traditional block printing in China, Robshaw traveled to India in the 1990’s in search of natural indigo dye for his paintings. But, he ended up falling in love with the fabric-making traditions of local Indian artisans. “The hands-on immediacy and vitality of textiles piqued what was to become a lifelong fascination,” says Robshaw on his website. Ever since his first visit to India, Robshaw

has gone on to build a textile empire, creating a vast collection of bedding, pillows, fabrics, furniture and home decor accessories, which he sells through his website www.johnrobshaw.com, and as exclusive collections for retailers like Bloomingdale’s and Saks Fifth Avenue. Robshaw continues to be involved in many workshops in India, which he visits every year from New York to oversee production, experiment with new dyeing and printing techniques, and to work alongside the artisans creating the fabrics used in his collections.

Block printing Traditional block printing is the process of printing patterns on textiles with carved wooden blocks. It is one of the earliest, simplest and slowest methods of textile printing. In India, skilled artisans methodically hand-carve elaborate traditional designs on blocks of wood, which are then used to apply dyes onto textiles with a common stamping or pressing method. It is a precise and meticulous handcraft. While in India, Robshaw found he

could apply a painter’s aesthetic to traditional block printing by mixing patterns and overlapping them. And, his signature aesthetic was born—a contemporary reimagining of traditional Indian and Asian block-printed patterns, using a distinctive mix of sophistication and romanticism. Robshaw’s eye for beauty and authenticity has made him seek out highly-skilled block carvers, dye masters and printers, as well as quilters, weavers and seamstresses, to bring his ideas to life.

Above: John Robshaw has created a vast collection of home decor items, stationery and accessories, which reimagines traditional Indian and Asian blockprinted patterns.

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Photographs courtesy John Robshaw

Left and far left: John Robshaw’s (extreme left) forays into Asia have taken him to villages into Gujarat and Rajasthan to oversee production and work with artisans to create fabrics used in his collections (below left and right).

Karma Robshaw takes great care in cultivating and preserving India’s traditional techniques, while also supporting the local artisans who mentor him in their craft. As a strong believer in the idea of karma, in 2001, he started serving as a consultant for Aid to Artisans, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating economic opportunities for craftspeople and disadvantaged youth in developing nations. Aid to Artisans supports artisans

6 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

around the world, including in India, and works to preserve their craft. “By working abroad, I become a minor character in the lives of the people I work with, and get inspired by what I see and do there,” says Robshaw on his website. “When you look at my textiles, it’s as if you’ve been on the world tour alongside me.” Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

Go Online

John Robshaw Textiles www.johnrobshaw.com

Aid to Artisans

Courtesy John Robshaw

www.aidtoartisans.org

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

8 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Making a Mark By STEVE FOX

Below: Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh, authors of “The Other One Percent: Indians in America.” Photographs courtesy Sanjoy Chakravorty

The book presents a nuanced and data-rich analysis of the remarkable success of Indian Americans.

ndian Americans, defined as including both those who immigrated to and those of Indian origin born in the United States, have done extraordinarily well. Now constituting about one percent of the U.S. population, the reasons for the group’s remarkable success have been analyzed in an insightful, wellwritten and data-rich book that destroys stereotypes, offers a nuanced view of Indian Americans today and comments on how India itself has been influenced by their many achievements abroad. “The Other One Percent: Indians in

America,” by Sanjoy Chakravorty, Devesh Kapur and Nirvikar Singh, references a popular term for the wealthiest sliver of Americans—the one percent of families that, according to a study by the Washington, D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute, made more than 25 times as much as those in the bottom 99 percent in 2013. Indian Americans aren’t part of that one percent, at least not as a whole. But they are “arguably the richest and most economically successful group in one of the richest and unarguably the most powerful nation in the

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The Other One Percent: Indians in America https://goo.gl/tWpQFy

Sanjoy Chakravorty https://goo.gl/eUyGos

“Income inequality in the U.S. by state, metropolitan area, and county,” Economic Policy Institute report https://goo.gl/YhhWol

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world,” the authors note. “What used to be the standard view of Indians—they are the shopkeepers and motel owners—has really changed in terms of the steadily increasing numbers of Indian Americans with higher [education] degrees and higher incomes, and in terms of where they come from in India,” says Chakravorty. He is a professor of geography and urban studies at Temple University in Pennsylvania and visiting scholar at the Center for the Advanced Study of India at the University of Pennsylvania. The authors identify three main waves of Indian immigrants—“The Early Movers,” a small but highly educated cohort that arrived between the mid-1960’s and the late 1970’s following the loosening of U.S. immigration laws in 1965; “The Families,” or those who joined their early-mover relatives between the beginning of the 1980’s and the mid-1990’s; and “The IT Generation,” by far the largest and best-educated wave. This last group arrived from about 1991, spurred especially by the demand for information technology (IT) professionals in the face of the Y2K computer bug threat beginning in the year 2000. By 2014, the authors note, India “was the largest source of new immigrants to the United States.” The IT Generation, perhaps epitomized by the chief executive officer of Google Inc., Madurai-born Sundar Pichai, and the chief executive officer of Microsoft, Hyderabadborn Satya Nadella, skewed the overall profile of Indian Americans sharply higher in terms of education and income. How did Indian Americans leap ahead of other ethnic groups? The book cites three primary causes: selection, assimilation and entrepreneurship. Of these, selection was paramount. Those who immigrated came from a small pool created by a social system in India that “selected” individuals who “were urban, educated and from high/dominant castes,” and more likely “to receive higher education in technical fields,” the authors assert. “Selection is really important,” says Chakravorty. “The barriers to legal entry into the U.S. are exceptionally high, and perhaps 90 percent of Indians can’t surmount them.” Indian immigrants who arrived in the United States after 1991 assimilated rapidly, aided by their higher education and income

levels, and a facility with English, the authors note. They also started businesses. Because many were technology-proficient and had arrived at a time when Internet-related companies were booming, Indian Americans became a major force in Silicon Valley and other digital enclaves. In fact, the authors identify seven “ethno-techno burbs” (suburbs) around the United States where Indian Americans are concentrated because of nearby tech companies. Although The IT Generation lifted the overall income and education levels, the authors note that many Indian Americans still subsist at the other end of the spectrum, with low levels of education, English proficiency and assimilation. This subset tends to be those “who came into the U.S. in the 1970’s and 1980’s through family reunification,” says Chakravorty. The remarkable success of Indian Americans, a “model minority,” has also had multiple positive effects in their country of origin, the authors note. These include increased trade and investment between India and the United States, higher levels of financial remittances and portfolio flows, and a greater awareness of the benefits of America’s free enterprise system. “There’s a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment—‘Look how well our people are doing in America,’ ” says Chakravorty. “And although it already was visible in India, America has become more so because of migrants sending back good words about the U.S., and this is a good thing.” What lies ahead for Indian Americans? For one, a real possibility of becoming the “other two percent” of the U.S. population. The projection is based partially on immigration trends, but relies more on the fact that many Indian Americans are of prime child-bearing age, with fertility rates higher than those of other immigrant groups like Mexicans and Chinese. Although immigration policies are a subject of intense debate in the United States, Chakravorty has a message for those in India, and elsewhere, contemplating their futures: “America is still the land of great opportunity.” Steve Fox is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Ventura, California.

Style By CANDICE YACONO

Setters

BEBETO MATTHEWS © AP Images

SETH WENIG © AP Images

The role of immigrants in shaping the American fashion industry.

Above: Women work at Dalma Dress Manufacturing Co. Inc. in New York’s Garment District, which relies heavily on immigrant entrepreneurs and skilled workers.

Left: The silver jewelry in designer Naeem Khan’s Spring/Summer 2018 collection draws inspiration from Indian patterns.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

BEBETO MATTHEWS © AP Images

SETH WENIG © AP Images

n 2014, Natalya Koval, a Ukraine-born student attending New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology, entered a contest in which she designed a dress for an unknown celebrity. She crafted a swirling blue halter dress, working off little information, and then held her breath. Soon, she was shocked to learn that not only did she win the contest, but also that her surprise patron was the then-First Lady Michelle Obama. Koval is among the many immigrant designers to have found success in America. Immigrants, according to Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu, associate professor at New York University, form the backbone of the fashion industry in the United States. One such designer is Naeem Khan. Born in Mumbai, he moved to the United States to apprentice for American designer Halston in 1978. Khan launched his famous eponymous label in 2003. His embellished, feminine creations have been worn by many celebrities, from model Kendall Jenner to actress Jennifer Lawrence.

Global roots “There’s been a growth in secondgeneration ethnic designers that, I think, has been very important,” says Tu. She cites the example of Narciso Rodriguez, son of Cuban immigrants, as well as of Asian American designers like Derek Lam, Peter Som, Prabal Gurung and Vera Wang. 12 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Photographs by SETH WENIG © AP Images

MICHAEL ZORN © AP Images/Invision

Far left: The embellished and embroidered creations of Naeem Khan (left) often reflect his Indian roots. Right: Designers Prabal Gurung (left) and Waris Singh Ahluwalia (right) with singer Jennifer Hudson at the DKNY New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2016 fashion show. Below right: The creations of Bibhu Mohapatra (bottom right) show subtle Indian influences, often through the colors, fit, drape or patterns, and have been worn by many American and Indian celebrities.

This growth isn’t limited to couture. Designers all the way down the styling ladder boast of immigrant roots. “In places like Los Angeles, every jeans designer—every single designer—is second generation,” says Tu. Gradually, immigrants and children of immigrants make their way up from patternmakers to successful designers. She cites examples of the children of Korean clothing manufacturers and importers who have now become designers in their own right, like Seun Lim of James Jeans and Peter Kim of Hudson Jeans. From sewers to designers, immigrant workers play a vital role in the fashion industry. “The history of the industry is really the history of immigration,” says Tu. “The first wave were the Jews and the Irish, and then the Chinese and the Latinos. So, a lot of the sewing and all was done by immigrants.” In her book, “The Beautiful Generation: Asian Americans and the Cultural Economy of Fashion,” Tu describes how Asian American designers, in particular, have conquered the current American fashion industry. “In many ways, I can’t really even imagine that we would have a fashion industry without immigration and without immigrants,” she says.

Diverse inspirations Fashion trends are also often influenced by immigrant experiences. Designers draw To share articles go to https://span.state.gov

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

CHARLES SYKES © AP Images/Invision

Launch pad At the same time, the United States provides launch pads for fashion trends and designers from across the world. In 2015, singer Rihanna wore an audacious yellow gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala, or Met Gala, considered one of America’s most important annual fashion events. The resultant media buzz launched Pei into the international limelight. “One of the things that has been historically nice about the fashion industry in places like New York and Los Angeles is that their barrier to entry is relatively low,” says Tu. “When I was doing my research in the 1990’s, designers would say, ‘I had four samples and I was walking around with them.’ And, the connections in places like New York to the garment industry are really what made it possible. You have designers who have these creative ideas, and they have access to the sewers and pattern-makers who make it possible for them. One of the nice things about having the Garment District here is that you can make a few things and see if they sell. If they do, you can make more.” 14 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Photographs courtesy Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu

inspiration from the styles they see in everyday life, across the world. According to Tu, many designers talk about the ways they are so vibrantly influenced by street life in cities like Los Angeles and New York and Paris and Tokyo. “Often, designers say, ‘I traveled to Asia,’ or ‘I traveled to Africa, and I borrowed those influences.’ ” Or, it could also be from something as simple as an ethnic garment spotted on a subway during a daily commute.

“

In many ways, I can’t really even imagine that we would have a

fashion industry

without immigration and without immigrants.

”

BEBETO MATTHEWS © AP Images

Go Online

Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu

https://goo.gl/EdCasp

Garment District NYC http://garmentdistrict.nyc/

Naeem Khan

Above far left: Singer Rihanna in a gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei at the 2015 Met Gala in New York City. Left: Thuy Linh Nguyen Tu, in her book, “The Beautiful Generation: Asian Americans and the Cultural Economy of Fashion,” (above left) describes how Asian American designers, in particular, have conquered the U.S. fashion industry. Above: Designers like Vera Wang, with immigrant roots, form the backbone of the U.S. fashion industry. Right: An installation by Rachel Roy, American designer with Indian roots, at the Fashion Center Sidewalk Catwalk. The public art event in New York City offered artistic interpretations of a fashion industry icon—the mannequin—by 30 of the city’s leading designers and two student design teams.

WALLY GOBETZ/Courtesy Flickr

https://naeemkhan.com/

And this Garment District has been shaped mainly by immigrant workers. But, as these cities gentrify, there is an increased demand to turn low-rent factories and warehouses into expensive lofts and office buildings. “About 10 years ago, there was a lot of debate about rezoning in New York because it would have really destroyed the Garment District. A lot of designers came out and supported the Garment District and said they could not do their work without access to the kind of infrastructure that was already in New York City,” says Tu. FWD.us and the Council of Fashion Designers of America published a report in 2017 that found that the industry employs 180,000 people in New York City and produces $11 billion (approximately Rs. 71,665 crores) in wages each year. Although the debate is still on, fashion industry representatives and policymakers have joined hands to introduce legislations to make it easier for immigrants to continue working in this field. “One of the things the industry is talking about is the ways in which the entire couture and luxury industry has turned to Asia and the Middle East,” says Tu. “And so, there’s a lot of speculation about this consumer... . Like, what do they want? Do they want ‘Asian chic?’ ” According to Tu, the big question for the industry right now is: How to maintain the infrastructure in the United States, so it gets new blood all the time and, at the same time, it is able to reach new markets. Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper writer based in southern California. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

The

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

American cuisine

with those of their friends in the country. While things are always in a state of flux, there are some distinct regional food traditions that form the foundations of what Americans in different parts of the country eat. The flavors and styles of these dishes depend on the people who brought them here, as well as the ingredients available locally. To get a sense of the range of American cuisine, letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s take a look at how the locals eat from coast to coast, and beyond.

JEN/Courtesy Flickr

reflects the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diversity and the influence of immigrant groups.

hat is American cuisine? Hamburgers, hot dogs, apple pies and corn on the cobs? Sure, those are American. But so are so many other dishes. The food culture of the United States, a nation of immigrants, comprises the food cultures of people from different parts of the world who have settled within its borders. This food culture continues to evolve as second and third generations of immigrants grow up in the United States, mixing their traditions

New England

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JPELLGEN/Courtesy Flickr

Above right: Clam chowder with whole clams. Right: Succotash, which primarily consists of sweet corn with lima beans or other shell beans. Far right: A lobster roll at Union Oyster House in Boston, Massachusetts. Established in 1862, the restaurant is a National Historic Landmark.

TOM BRIDGE/Courtesy Flickr

Native American and British influences and access to fresh coldwater fish combine in the northeastern states of the country to form a cuisine characterized by clam chowder and clam bakes, oysters, succotash, baked beans, and heavier dishes like pot roast. Fisheries and dairies thrive in the region, while spices, other than black pepper, parsley and sage, and a few Caribbean imports like nutmeg, tend to be sparse.

Mid-Atlantic

PETER MILLER/Courtesy Flickr

HUNGRY DUDES/Courtesy Flickr

JEFFREYW/Courtesy Flickr

Further down the East Coast, Dutch and Italian accents emerge, respectively, in Philadelphia icons like soft pretzels and hoagies— various sliced meats, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and onions on Italian rolls. And then there’s New York City, with its hot dogs, bagels, thin crust pizza and nearly every ethnic cuisine eaten around the world. Sometimes, these cuisines are fused together. For example, a banana sushi tempura roll on the same menu as chips and salsa, as well as naan with chutneys—and it all tastes good! Above left: Salami, ham and cheese on a hoagie. Far left: Soft pretzels are a Philadelphia staple. Left: A slice of New Yorkstyle thin crust pizza.

BLUEDOTCREATIONS/Courtesy Flickr

Above right: Swedish pancakes with mixed berries, raspberry sauce and whipped cream. Right: Sauerkraut, cabbage that has been cut into small pieces and preserved in salt, served with bratwurst, a type of German sausage. Far right: Chicago-style deepdish pizza.

KOBAKO/Courtesy Flickr

Meat, dairy products, corn, rice and fruits characterize this region’s mix of Central and Northern European, Greek and Native American cuisines. Think Swedish pancakes, Polish pierogi, sausage, mashed potatoes, gravy and sauerkraut. In contrast to New York’s thin slice, there’s Chicago’s deepdish pizza: People from both cities will argue theirs is the best, so you’ll have to make your own call.

H.C./Courtesy Flickr

Midwest

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South

Go Online

What You Should Eat in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. https://goo.gl/dSPKMd

Must-eat Midwest dishes from 5 states https://goo.gl/kXsZQM

What You Should Eat in the Southwestern U.S. and the Rocky Mountains https://goo.gl/WtBiV3

Right: Mexican foods like tortillas and tacos have become part of mainstream American cuisine.

pork, marinated in mustard- or vinegarbased sauces. But there’s more. New Orleans in Louisiana brings its distinct Creole and Cajun dishes like jambalaya and gumbo. Here, Spanish, French, African, Caribbean and West Indian flavors come together. Finally, you can’t leave Texas without having chili, a Tex-Mex staple. Salsa, nachos, tacos and burritos also make up Tex-Mex cuisine, popular throughout Texas and along the Mexican border. SCOTT BAUER/U.S. Department of Agriculture

This area is vast, spanning from Virginia, south to Florida and east to Texas, with Kentucky and Missouri, which has Midwestern influences as well, and Oklahoma forming the northern border. The cuisines within these states are vast too: Tidewater, Appalachian, Creole, Lowcountry, Floribbean, Southern barbeque and Tex-Mex food preparations stem from African, English, Scottish, Irish, French, Spanish, Native American, Caribbean and Mexican cultures—and that’s not necessarily an exclusive list. In the South, you’ll find lots of fried foods, like the iconic chicken-fried steak with heavy sauces, and desserts like key lime pie and banana pudding. Collard greens, black-eyed peas, cornbread and biscuits all accompany these fried delights or the other staple main dish—barbequed meat, often

Above: Freshly caught from the nearby Gulf of Mexico, seafood can be found in a variety of tasty dishes throughout Louisiana.

Southwest Tex-Mex food extends its influence westward into New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada and Colorado, but it takes on other culinary tones in this region as well. The New Mexican cuisine fuses Tex-Mex, Spanish, Mediterranean, Mexican and Pueblo Native American traditions, with a real emphasis on different styles of chili peppers. From green, to red, to mild, to four-alarm fire hot, New Mexico chilies run the gamut. They’re used in sauces, salsas and stews, or as the basis of dishes like chili relleno, which has green chilies stuffed with meat or cheese, and then fried. Southwestern barbeque is popular as well. But unlike Southern barbeque, the Southwestern style often uses beef and favors a tomato-based sauce.

WALLY GOBETZ/Courtesy Flickr

Rocky Mountains

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In Colorado, as well as throughout Utah, Wyoming and Montana, Canada wields its influence. Game meats like bison are popular, as are freshwater fish. The iconic Rocky Mountain oysters, which aren’t really oysters, come from here. Known as prairie oysters in Canada, they’re bull, pig or sheep testicles deep fried to resemble deep-fried oysters. Left: Rocky Mountain oysters served with a tangy sauce.

ERNESTO ANDRADE/Courtesy Flickr Courtesy pdphoto.org

From the north to the south of the state, the food of California reveals its French, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, Oceanic and Latin American culinary touches. And, while California is home to famous fastfood restaurant chains like In-N-Out Burger, Taco Bell and Panda Express, its food is known for its focus on fresh, local and organic produce. The term “California cuisine” refers to the distinct culinary style that uses local ingredients to create unique fusions of all the different cuisines that have influenced the region. For instance, California pizza may not look like pizza at all, like on the menu at California Pizza Kitchen, a popular chain restaurant. It has a Thai chicken pizza that uses peanut sauce in place of tomato sauce, and has toppings of bean sprouts, carrots and scallions.

JESS SAWREY/Courtesy Flickr

California

Above: A cheeseburger at an In-N-Out Burger outlet. Above left: Shrimp tostadas served at Tacos Sinaloa, a taco truck in Oakland, California. Left: Dungeness crabs on sale at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, California.

BEEBLEBROX/Courtesy Wikipedia

Pacific Northwest In Oregon, Washington and Alaska, Asian and Native American cuisines come together. Salmon and shellfish are abundant, along with game meats and wild mushrooms. California’s emphasis on simple, fresh ingredients holds sway here too. Locallyproduced beer and wine are also popular. Left: Alaskan ceviche made with Pacific halibut, serrano peppers, cilantro and tomato.

Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York City-based freelance writer.

KUNDALINI/Courtesy Flickr DLLU/Courtesy Wikipedia

The Hawaiian style combines native cuisine—fish and meat cooked in earth ovens, along with taro, coconuts, sweet potatoes and sugarcane—with culinary practices brought over by Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Filipino, Portuguese and Puerto Rican immigrant groups. From region to region, the United States offers a taste of nearly every global cuisine, all prepared with a uniquely American touch—a style that can only evolve from a melting pot of different cultures. It doesn’t matter where you start on an American culinary tour, just make sure you have the time to experience it all.

JIING-WEN BAI/Courtesy Flickr

Hawaii

Above: Loco moco, a Hawaiian dish consisting of white rice topped with a hamburger patty, a fried egg and brown gravy. Above left: Different kinds of kimchi served at Han Yan restaurant in Honolulu, Hawaii. Kimchi, a staple in Korean cuisine, is a traditional side dish made from salted and fermented vegetables. Left: Spam musubi, a version of Japanese sushi that uses fried Spam instead of raw fish. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Shalini Shankar seeks to include what’s missing from the demographic definitions of generations: immigrant and minority perspectives.

Gener

Shalini Shankar https://goo.gl/Dj5x4r

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation www.gf.org

Demographic profile: America’s Gen X https://goo.gl/tA9t9z JIM PRISCHING

Millennials: A Portrait of Generation Next https://goo.gl/g93HYX 20 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

By CARRIE LOEWENTHAL MASSEY

ow well do you fit the profile of your generation? If you’re a member of Generation X— born between 1965 and 1980—do you have the prescribed cautious and skeptical personality? Are you highly independent and focused on job security? Or, if you’re a millennial—born between 1981 and 1997—do you fit the description of being always “connected” through digital technology and social media? Do you get along well with your parents, as studies suggest is common for your peers? These questions seem like gross generalizations about large groups of people and, in many ways, they are. But they stem from empirical studies of people of the two generations. There’s a problem with the accuracy of these studies, however, as Shalini Shankar, Indian American professor of anthropology and director of the Asian American Studies Program at Northwestern University in Illinois, points out. The studies account mostly for white, middle-class experiences, and fail to accurately capture the cultural influence of immigrant and minority communities on each generation. Shankar’s argument is not necessarily that every study has to be more diverse. But, some studies break down survey populations and the results by population composition. This leads to the predominant view being that of the most populous group in the region being studied. Thus, Shankar says there is a need to address what is missing in the conclusions these studies come to about entire generations of people. “I read the studies and I see we have a gap. I’m looking at what we have to gain by addressing that gap.” Shankar is exploring the nature and impact of this “gap” through the research she’s conducting during the 2017-18 academic year as a Guggenheim Fellow.

The John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation offers fellowships to further the development of scholars and artists by assisting them to engage in research in any field of knowledge and creation in any of the arts. Shankar takes an ethnographic, or qualitative, approach to her research and writing, which allows her to look at and share stories of the people behind the numbers reported in empirical studies. There are “no test groups” for her work, she says, nor are there preset positive or negative assumptions about what she’ll find. Rather, there are individuals— children and families she visits— histories she gathers and observations she makes over extended periods of time to see how people are changing or how the children in these families are learning and growing. Her focus now is on Generation Z, the generation that follows millennials, and how to define this group in ways that give more attention to the contributions of immigrants and minorities. “There is so much diversity that is unaccounted for in Generation Z. The idea that these people will only be influenced by white American culture and will not have any influence on that culture is shortsighted,” says Shankar. For her fellowship, Shankar is also building on her previous work. For example, she’s revisiting people she met during the research for her book, “Desi Land: Teen Culture, Class, and Success in Silicon Valley,” published in 2008. “I met these people when they were in high school. They’re now in their 30’s. When I first started doing that project, I thought of them as teenagers or secondgeneration Americans from Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani or Indo-Fijian families. But now, I think of them as millennials who embody certain characteristics of a generation that doesn’t really account for their

contributions,” says Shankar. She also plans to consider the experience of these older subjects in relation to that of the South Asian spelling bee participants she began meeting in 2013. These children were aged between 6 and 14 at the start of her research, the conclusions from which will be published in her forthcoming book, “Beeline: What Spelling Bees Reveal about the Generation Z’s New Path to Success.” As part of her fellowship, Shankar is also revisiting the families of these spelling bee participants, to rethink “how people who are in these communities or are looking at these communities from the outside are understanding how parents and kids interact around an activity like a spelling bee,” she says. With the inclusion of the perspectives of South Asian immigrants and minority groups, whose children participate in spelling bees, the bigger questions about Generation Z members and their parents then become: “Why do people hold such different values about what makes for a good childhood? How can we understand what people are doing now? How can we understand what’s at work now versus what used to drive kids?” says Shankar. And while her case study is about the South Asian population, Shankar is also interested in looking more broadly at what’s happening with childhood and competitive activities society-wide. She’s curious about whether these South Asian families are at the forefront of spelling bee participation as well as about what people are doing in business, theater and other facets of life. Shankar wonders how the approaches immigrant communities take to all of these activities change the way everyone else approaches the activities. “The spelling bee has made me think about things differently,” says Shankar. “Why did these South Asians professionalize it? Does that change things for everyone? Is there a new way forward, or

Annasunny/iStock/Thinkstock Courtesy Shalini Shankar

ation Gap

Left: Shalini Shankar has authored books like “Advertising Diversity: Ad Agencies and the Creation of Asian American Consumers” (above left) and “Desi Land: Teen Culture, Class, and Success in Silicon Valley” (above right). Top: Shankar is researching the impact of the approaches of immigrant communities to competitive activities like spelling bees.

is there another way to do it?” Shankar hopes to write another book based on the research she conducts during her fellowship year. She, however, acknowledges she’ll have to see where her findings take her. No matter the final product, Shankar is thrilled to have the opportunity to dig deeper into the topics that have been of interest to her throughout her career. “I’m very excited and want to make the best of this year because I feel very lucky to have it.” Carrie Loewenthal Massey is a New York City-based freelance writer.

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Latin dance styles,

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growing from South American, African and European traditions, make a splash in the United States.

Above: Ice dancers Tanith Belbin (left) and Benjamin Agosto perform a Latin Combination at the Skate America competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

22 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Right: Sherise Cortez (left) and Bill Ragona dance at an outdoor summer dance series, which included salsa, tango and more, at the Lincoln Centerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Damrosch Park in New York City.

Moving to

By MICHAEL GALLANT

KATHY WILLENS © AP Images

Latin Beats

izzying spins and gasp-inducing drops, tightly coordinated rhythmic footwork and sensual, playful interactions—these are all defining characteristics of Latin dance in the United States. Drawing mostly from traditions born in Latin America and the Caribbean, Latin dance has grown to become a hugely popular art form within the United States and among dance enthusiasts around the world. “The United States is so multicultural, with a growing and diverse Latino population not just in big cities like New York City and Los Angeles, but in smaller towns as well,” says Lester Tomé, assistant professor of dance history at Smith College in Massachusetts. “Latin dance is one way for these communities to affirm their Latino identity and to reclaim ties with cultural traditions that go back generations.” Latin dance forms are popular not just among Latinos, but also with a diverse global community of dancers, enthusiasts and appreciators. “Latin dance styles provide avenues for communication and selfexpression, regardless of whether you’re a Latino or not,” says Tomé. “You can make friends and join a community when you dance. Some people also get interested because it’s a healthy form of exercise, both physical and mental.” According to Tomé, the thriving world of Latin dance in the United States traces its roots to the early 20th century. American tourism to Cuba, as well as a transnational network of musicians connecting Havana and New York and technologies like music recording and radio, helped popularize rumba across the United States. Other Latin dance styles like mambo, samba and cha-cha became widely loved in the 1940’s and 1950’s for similar reasons. Even today, technology continues to play a role in

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the growing popularity of Latin dance. Instructional videos, for example, are easily accessible on YouTube. “Some of those videos are of good quality, which means you can learn new steps in a relatively easy manner,” says Tomé. “Through Facebook, you can connect to a network of dancers in your city and stay abreast of local and regional events. Due to these developments, it’s much easier to become an enthusiast and practitioner.” One of the most popular and widespread Latin dance forms within the United States is salsa, a style Tomé describes as energetic and playful, with complex footwork and vibrant rhythms. “Salsa has deep Cuban and Puerto Rican roots, and also draws influence from jazz music and New York City itself of the 1960’s,” he says. “It’s a hybrid, a fusion of cultures that took place in America, where it developed in El Barrio—the Latin neighborhood of New York City—in connection to the Latino cultural movement during the Civil Rights era.” “On the one hand, salsa can be traced to ways of moving and performing that enslaved people brought from Africa to the Americas,” he continues. “On the other hand, some elements of salsa are traceable to European culture. The way one partner turns the other, the way partners hold each other in an embraced position, and the geometric patterns of footwork are related to European ballroom traditions.” Tomé mentions tango as another thriving dance form in the United States. “Like salsa, tango is a blend of elements from Africa and Europe, but it developed into something

unique in Argentina,” he says. “Unlike salsa, tango is meditative and introspective, with a sense of nostalgia and romance.” Tango partners dance very closely in smoldering, seductive ways. “The footwork of tango is very complex. The sequence of the steps is improvised, which requires creative resourcefulness and strong communication between partners,” Tomé continues. “It’s an immersive experience and can be a spectacle to watch.” Latin dance forms from the Caribbean islands include merengue, a style that has its roots in the Dominican Republic and is believed to have come to the United States in the 1980’s. Tomé describes merengue as a form as playful as salsa, but with more straightforward choreographic and rhythmic vocabularies. Whether you are amid the salsa clubs of New York City or in a small village in India, learning more about Latin dance, and giving it a try, is as easy as getting online. “There are many blogs about Latin dance as well as videos on YouTube that can help you learn about salsa, tango and other styles,” says Tomé. “I also recommend that anyone who wants to go more in-depth look at the literature. In recent years, dance historians, sociologists and anthropologists have written excellent books that examine dance forms for their artistic values and sociocultural complexities. These books look at how these forms have been used to construct identity and create meaning within the communities that practice them.” Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

“

MARY ALTAFFER © AP Images

Left: Rocio de Los Santos as Giselle (foreground) dances with Esteban Domenichini as Lorenzo during a performance of “Tanguera,” a tango musical, in New York City. Far left: Renato Medeiros (left) and Kendra Haynes during a zouk dance class in North Miami Beach, Florida. Zouk dance and music, born in the French Caribbean, adopted in Brazil and spread through Latin America and Europe, is now taking root in the United States. Center left: Dancers with Peru Danza perform during the annual Calle Ocho street festival in the Little Havana neighborhood of Miami, Florida. The festival features music, food and dance from various Latin cultures. Below left: Sai Gunaranjan (left) and Kirthi Kishore of India perform at a world salsa championship in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

Latin dance styles provide avenues for communication expression, regardless and self-e of whether you’re a Latino or not. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

ROBERT MULLER

Interplay of

Words and W By PAROMITA PAIN

read “The Story Hour” by Indian American journalist and author Thrity Umrigar, when it released in 2014. Reading Umrigar’s books is an immersive experience. Her characters are deceptively simple, but keep their hold on the readers even when the last page is turned. Umrigar is a professor of English at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. “I became a writer because I was a reader from a very young age,” she says. “Writing was an outlet for my feelings and emotions.”

Thrity Umrigar’s novels explore the cultural divide between India and the United States through universal human experiences and relatable characters.

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Power play

Born in Mumbai, Umrigar moved to the United States at the age of 21. “In India, the extreme poverty around me, in stark contrast to my life, forced me to notice how power and privilege work,” she says. “Who uses power against whom, what the strategies of resistance are, especially among those who have very little of it. Because, let’s face it, even the most powerless person does usually try to mitigate the circumstances.” Through her writing and her characters, she Rights and wrongs explores the concept of power, especially With “Bombay Time,” her debut novel, through the eyes of the “people who don’t Umrigar says that if she “was trying to change usually have power and don’t have a chance to anything, it was, perhaps, to do with wield power against those who do.” perceptions about Parsis. Even if we are a very So, what happens when a poor, powerless woman, under dire circumstances, moves to small, distinct ethnic minority, we are an integral part of the larger fabric of the country.” the United States, where language and other behaviors serve to complete her isolation? In There was also a desire to commemorate this community in all its human richness. And “The Story Hour,” Umrigar explores the uncomfortable questions that moving to a it’s here that her work is reminiscent of supposed land of plenty like the United States Rohinton Mistry, an award-winning Indianentails for those already on the margins of born Canadian writer. “I like his work very society. “It was my most difficult book to much,” she says. Umrigar reads a lot of write,” she says. “Especially the sections on contemporary writers like Ian McEwan and Lakshmi,” one of the protagonists. Umrigar Salman Rushdie. Toni Morrison and Virginia had to struggle to figure out her speech Woolf are among her favorites. Umrigar has often reflected on the aspect that, mechanics as well as make her an engaging in some ways, her early writings weren’t just character. “Despite her poor English and forms of self-expression, but were also efforts to grammar, I wanted her intelligence and right some perceived wrongs. “When you are 5, humanity to come through,” she adds. the perceived wrong may be a piece of chocolate It’s this humaneness that makes Umrigar’s you wanted and which your parents gave to characters transcend borders and touch readers someone else,” she says. “As we grow older, our in diverse contexts. For example, in perceptions of what is wrong grows with our “Everybody’s Son,” a child escapes a locked expanding world. And, therefore, what we want room only to enter a cage of another kind. to change becomes larger.” The novel is also an exploration of race,

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Photographs courtesy Thrity Umrigar

orlds

Case Western Reserve University

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class divide and the thread of isolation. Published in June 2017, it is, perhaps, Umrigar’s most explicit exploration of the power and privilege that race bequeaths in the United States.

Connecting threads Loss and isolation are recurring themes in Umrigar’s works. In “Everybody’s Son,” we see it in the death of children and lost childhoods. In “The World We Found,” we see it in the separation of friends. “These are universal human experiences,” she says. “In a novel, they are more pronounced because they are condensed versions of life. Life, in so many ways, is a journey of loss.” Umrigar recently started writing for children, with her first book, “When I Carried You in My Belly,” published in April 2017. Even though Umrigar has no favorites among the characters she creates, she mentions how she enjoyed creating Ellie Benton in the “The Weight of Heaven” and would have liked to have her in the novel for a while longer. But, as she explains, “The plot dictates when you are done with a character.” Talking about books in general, Umrigar says they are “an interplay, a dance” between the author and readers. “As an author, I believe a book belongs to you until the day it’s published,” she says. “Once a reader picks it up, the reader is engaged in your dance. Then, it’s a duet of some kind.” Paromita Pain is a journalist based in Austin, Texas.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Go Online Major League Soccer

www.mlssoccer.com

U.S. Women’s Soccer National Team https://goo.gl/qKTb9u

1994 FIFA World Cup USA

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www.fifa.com/worldcup/ archive/usa1994/

28 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Game Goals By JASON CHIANG

TED S. WARREN © AP Images

TERESA CRAWFORD © AP Images

Soccer is gaining huge popularity in the United States, thanks to increased exposure to international tournaments and players.

he question has been asked many times—has soccer finally made it as a mainstream sport in America? Ever since the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994, there has been a gradual rise in the game’s visibility and popularity. Following that, in 1996, Major League Soccer (MLS) was launched as a professional American soccer league. It has now expanded to 22 professional teams across the nation. Meanwhile, the U.S. women’s national team has won three FIFA Women’s World Cups—the latest one being in 2015, where it beat Japan in the finals match. It drew 25.4 million viewers on Fox, making it the most-watched soccer match in U.S. television history. Excerpts from an interview with Arielle Castillo, senior editor at MLSsoccer.com, the digital content arm of Major League Soccer, about the growing popularity of the sport in the United States and the road ahead.

Left: U.S. defender Becky Sauerbrunn plays against New Zealand at an international friendly soccer match in Commerce City, Colorado. Above: U.S. soccer fans cheer after a goal by Carli Lloyd during the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final. The fans witnessed the action on a jumbo screen at a watch party in Chicago’s Lincoln Park. Above right: Fans cheer as a recordsetting attendance of more than 67,000 is announced during a Major League Soccer match between the Seattle Sounders FC and the Portland Timbers, in Seattle.

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ELAINE THOMPSON © AP Images

“

For kids, soccer is more popular than ever to play. Women, especially, are playing it more than ever before.

30 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

How has the game of soccer evolved since the 1994 FIFA World Cup and the creation of the Major League Soccer? There are several developments going on at once. For one thing, more of the global game is available to watch in the U.S. than ever before. We can get Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and all kinds of international tournaments on network and cable TV here in America. The U.S. men’s national team has strengthened and become more competitive in international tournaments. At the same time, of course, MLS continues to thrive, along with other lowerdivision professional leagues, which means more people than ever can connect with a hometown team and enjoy the game in real life. Then, for kids, soccer is more popular than ever to play. Women, especially, are playing it more than ever before. And, they can look up to our World Cup-winning U.S. women’s national team. In your opinion, what or who were the greatest moments or individuals key to soccer’s visibility in the United States? Big question. I think, the 1994 World Cup was a pivotal moment for a lot of people. National team legends like Alexi Lalas, Tony Meola, Cobi

Jones, Brian McBride and Tab Ramos [Tabaré Ramos Ricciardi] were the earliest rock stars of the game in the U.S. The fact that they continue to be involved in the sport strengthens it. David Beckham coming to the LA Galaxy [soccer franchise] was obviously a huge moment in drawing international attention to the domestic league in the U.S. Please tell us about the younger fans of Major League Soccer. The crazy thing is our youngest fans—anyone younger than 21 years old—only know a world in which MLS has existed! We now have kids who are literal lifelong fans of some teams; which is pretty wild if you were alive before the 1994 World Cup. Another beautiful thing is how local teams provide a unifying point for immigrant communities and new arrivals in cities. Who are some of the brightest U.S. soccer players who, you think, can take the game to the next level in the United States? Of the current crop of players in the national team picture, all of the hype right now is around Christian Pulisic, a 19-year-old American who currently plays for Borussia Dortmund in Germany. This is a teenager who is starting in

Courtesy Arielle Castillo

Above: The U.S. women’s national team celebrates with the trophy after they beat Japan 5-2 in the FIFA Women’s World Cup soccer championship in Vancouver, Canada, in July 2015. Above right: Sporting Kansas City forward Cristian Lobato (front) plays the ball against Los Angeles Galaxy defender Ashley Cole during a Major League Soccer match in Kansas City.

[Union of European Football Associations] Champions League matches. He’s definitely on target to be the next household name like Landon Donovan. Jordan Morris is also a talented forward, from the Seattle Sounders FC, who is one to watch.

Right: New Zealand defender Ria Percival (left) steals the ball from U.S. midfielder Megan Rapinoe during an international friendly soccer match in Commerce City, Colorado. Below: Arielle Castillo, senior editor at MLSsoccer.com. Below center: Philadelphia Union’s Andre Blake blocks a shot during a Major League Soccer match against the Seattle Sounders FC in Chester, Pennsylvania. Below far right: LA Galaxy player Tristan Bowen plays soccer with a young girl at the launch of Operation Community Cup in Los Angeles, California.

Jason Chiang is a freelance writer based in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

A Musical Mix By MICHAEL GALLANT

Whether hugely popular or under the radar, American musical styles draw inspiration from different countries and cultures.

Go Online Tim Page

https://goo.gl/LbGWwq

Minimalism https://goo.gl/1q9vUV

Latin Music’s Mushrooming Impact on American Popular Culture https://goo.gl/ZRvKc0 32 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

FERNANDO ACEVES

MUGA MIYAHARA

Left: Singer, songwriter and pianist Alicia Keys blends diverse influences, including rhythm and blues, hip-hop, classical and jazz. Right: Minimalist composer Philip Glass’ work was shaped by Indian music, among other diverse influences. Far right: Members of the Buena Vista Social Club, the group of legendary Cuban musicians formed by Ry Cooder, perform at New York City’s Carnegie Hall. Right: Lauryn Hill was the creative force behind some of the most innovative hip-hop of the 1990’s, both with the Fugees group and as a solo act. Far right: Japanese American keyboardist and composer Hiromi combines elements of jazz, rock and electronic music in her highly creative and diverse music.

hen it comes to music in the United States, it’s the age of the hybrid,” says Pulitzer Prizewinning music critic Tim Page, “and I don’t see us going back.” A professor at the University of Southern California and a celebrated journalist, Page has studied many forms of American music during his career. He has seen first-hand how diverse the influences that shape those music forms can be. From jazz to blues and soul to rock ‘n’ roll, many popular global styles of music have grown out of African and European musical influences, uniquely fused within the culture and geography of the United States. Jazz innovators like trumpeter Louis Armstrong, and rock ‘n’ roll legends like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley all embody that fusion in their own unmistakable ways. Yet, according to Page, a lesser-known genre of American music, equally fueled by diverse influences, may have had just as significant an impact, not just in the United States, but around the world.

Minimal music, maximum impact Created in the early 1960’s by American composers like Steve Reich, Philip Glass and Terry Riley, minimalism is a form of music that focuses on drones and repetition, similar to many varieties of Indian music. As Page describes it, the music tends to be consonant

and experimental, hypnotic and meditative. “As a radio D.J., when I used to play works by Reich and Glass, I would get calls from people telling me that the record was stuck,” says Page with a laugh. “Back in the 1970’s, minimalist music sounded like music from Mars.” Like other quintessential, American-born styles of music, minimalism was created from a unique alchemy of cultures and influences. “Steve [Reich] used to say that his great influences were [Russian-born composer] Igor Stravinsky and bebop jazz, and he was also working with percussionists from Ghana,” says Page. “Philip Glass was greatly influenced by Indian music and Terry Riley worked with Ravi Shankar and Alla Rakha Khan. They were all influenced by so many global styles of music.” Since its early days as “music from Mars,” American minimalist music has influenced a huge array of popular music styles around the world, from jazz to pop to hip-hop. The American rock band of the 1960’s, The Velvet Underground, for example, drew direct inspiration from the work of minimalist composers, specifically when it came to the use of drones and repetition, says Page. Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis also drew directly from the minimalist style for his album “On the Corner” and beyond. Page describes how a great portion of

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today’s popular music—hip-hop, pop, electronic music and more—is based on the use of loops, seconds-long snippets of music or drum beats that are then repeated over and over, forming the bedrock of a song over which singers and other instrumentalists perform. “I see a direct connection between minimalism and the widespread use of loops today,” says Page. “Whenever you listen to the hippest, most current music, you can often hear pure Philip Glass influences and, therefore, everything that influenced him, all the way through.”

Latin leverage While influences from Africa, Europe and Asia have all fueled the creative evolution of American music—rock, jazz, minimalism and more—the musical culture of Latin America continues to play a key role as well. “Whether you’re talking about salsa, tango or other styles, music from Latin America has had a huge influence within the United States,” says Page. “Music from Cuba’s Buena Vista Social Club is just one case. Though it started in the 34 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

1940’s in Cuba, the music only came to the U.S. when the musicians were older, in the 1990’s. Tons of young people in the U.S. have adopted that genre and continue to play it in this country. I like it enormously.”

Around the world Connected by airplanes, cell phones and the Internet, an increasingly globalized world has its clear benefits when it comes to music, says Page. “We all know so much more music that we would have never encountered before the Internet,” says Page. “For me, recently, it’s been Korean pop bands, some of which are very good.” Page has noticed a shift in global musical diversity in the context of India as well. “Thirty or 40 years ago, if you were in an Indian restaurant in a sophisticated city, you wouldn’t hear anything but sitar music,” he says. “Now, you hear interesting, rhythmic Indian pop, which is influenced by music from the United States, Europe and elsewhere. I think, it’s great that there are musicians and producers in India who are madly in love with

Above left: Matt Hensley of Flogging Molly, an American Celtic punk band, performs at the Bunbury Music Festival in Cincinnati. Above: Ravi Shankar’s music influenced many American music creators, including minimalist composers. Far left: South Korean rapper Psy performs his massive K-pop hit “Gangnam Style” live on NBC’s “Today” program in New York City. Left: Luis Coronel, an American singer of regional Mexican music. Right: Clint Maedgen of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band performs at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. The band is known for performing traditional New Orleans-style jazz.

pop music, taking it all in and putting their own stamp on it.” Page is thrilled that in the United States and around the world, diversity in music and musical tastes appears to be thriving. “People like what they like, regardless of where it comes from,” he says. “Everywhere in the world, everybody listens to so many different genres and styles—and that’s a very good thing.” Michael Gallant is the founder and chief executive officer of Gallant Music. He lives in New York City.

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When it comes to music in the United States, it’s the age of the hybrid.

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Japanese anime and manga have influenced the readership of American science fiction, fantasy and comics.

Shaping

Animation

I Courtesy Wikipedia

JON DELOREY/Courtesy Flickr

By CANDICE YACONO

nterest in anime and manga has moved to the mainstream in the United States, and their popularity shows no sign of waning. Anime are Japanese animated television series or films and manga are Japanese graphic stories or comics. Their worldwide distribution is on the rise, and America is now home to an entire generation that has grown up watching anime and reading manga. This generation is now introducing them to its children. “Anime has strongly influenced American animation, and American superhero comics,” says Ada Palmer, an American historian, author, and anime and manga expert who teaches in the history department at the University of Chicago. The same is true for manga. Palmer describes how Marvel and DC comics now show signs of influence of Japanese styles of art and narration. “Anime has especially influenced animation aimed at teens, telling more complex adventure stories,” she says. She cites examples like the “Teen Titans” American animated television series, which show clear Japanese influence. “In a larger sense though, I think, anime and especially manga have influenced the readership of American science fiction and fantasy and comics, more broadly, by bringing women into these genres,” says Palmer. “Other feminist influences were at work, but there are many, many more women now both reading and writing fantasy and science fiction. And Above left and right: Manga has greatly influenced the reading and writing of fantasy and science fiction genres in the United States. Left: Modern anime uses various styles of art and narration, often inspiring American animation.

36 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

many of the younger ones are also consumers of anime and manga.”

Dawn of manga While manga is considered a subculture in the United States, it has been a thriving art form in Japan for decades. According to Palmer, manga’s popularity in Japan is due to the prominence of woodblock printing as an art form in the country since the 18th century. These cartoon-like images have been a major part of Japanese culture for all age groups since then. “In Japan, as much as 40 percent of all printed material is manga. Manga, like novels, treat a huge range of different genres, from romance to historical biography to cooking,” says Palmer. “Its range of subject matter and, especially, its range of intended audience are staggering compared to English language comics.” Manga was introduced in the United States through distribution between fans. But, it wasn’t until shojo manga, or manga for teenage girls, took hold in the 1990’s that American girls discovered they, too, had comics made for them. “To this day, American comic bookstore owners talk about how, when ‘Fruits Basket’ came out in 1998, girls suddenly started coming to their stores,” says Palmer. “Anime and manga appealed to female readers in a way that male-dominated Western comics, science fiction and fantasy never had.”

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Above: Chalk artist Lexi Fulmer at the Anime Expo 2014 in Los Angeles, California, the largest anime and manga convention in North America. Below: Ada Palmer, anime and manga expert and author of “Too Like the Lightning” (bottom).

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Osamu Tezuka

Photographs courtesy Ada Palmer

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Rise of anime

While live action productions are more popular than animated shows and films in The rise of anime began in the post-World Japan, these productions tend to cost more for War II period. By the 1960’s, the anime genres like science fiction, fantasy and industry in Japan started to focus on selling its historical fiction. So, these genres are more works abroad, particularly in America. likely to be made as anime. “Osamu Tezuka, creator of ‘Astro Boy’—the “If the ‘Game of Thrones’ television series first popular anime television series—designed it has taken audiences by storm with its complex with the hope that it would air in America. He ongoing story and imaginative setting, anime used his manga and anime to try to encourage an has been supplying at least 10 series just as era of cultural exchange between Japan and the complex and imaginative every year, which is U.S., which he hoped would foster international what makes anime fans so excited,” says Palmer. cooperation and prevent conflicts like world But hits in Japan don’t necessarily become wars from happening again,” says Palmer. hits in the United States, or vice-versa. From the 1960’s through the 1980’s, anime “The differences are often related to timing,” aired in the United States and Europe, but the says Palmer. Those used to polished anime, works were heavily edited and dubbed so as to from the 1990’s and later, may see earlier work not look Japanese. as rough or “cartoony” by comparison, she “For decades, many kids in America, Europe adds. A flashy series like “Fullmetal Alchemist” and even China grew up watching what they might boom in the United States, as compared did not realize were Japanese cartoons,” says to bestsellers in Japan like “The Rose of Palmer. But in the 1990’s, fan clubs began Versailles” or “Black Jack.” importing anime and sharing it. “By the midJapanese audiences seek out mecha stories, 1990’s, fed by a few big hits and by the rise of about giant robots, or moe stories, about a video games, Japan was now ‘cool’ in the eyes group of young girls. In comparison, of Western kids. Corporations found they could Americans tend to gravitate toward teen, sell more by advertising the fact that anime fantasy and science fiction anime and manga, was Japanese than they could by concealing it.” mainly because such a small range of them By then, shows like “Pokémon: The Series” gets translated into English. had become de rigueur, and fan conventions in “While Japan will certainly continue to the United States had begun to draw thousands produce great work, loved around the globe,” of attendees and cosplayers. says Palmer, “it will be interesting to see what “Japan was the first nation to make innovations Japan tries as it works harder than inexpensive animated series for broadcast before to retain its supremacy as the world’s television, and pioneered many techniques for top animation producer.” producing animation cheaply. So, it has an enormous animation industry, producing Candice Yacono is a magazine and newspaper animation for both domestic audiences and writer based in southern California. export,” says Palmer.

What are Anime and Manga?

n Japan, anime is simply an abbreviation for “animation.” Outside Japan, anime refers to the specifically Japanese style of animation. So, while an animation from anywhere in the world is called anime in Japan, in the U.S. and elsewhere, anime means animation created in Japan. Similarly, to the Japanese, manga means all comics and cartooning. It comes from two Japanese characters for “whimsical” and “pictures.” Outside of Japan, manga identifies the Japanese style of comics created for both children and adults. A large percentage of anime is adapted from existing manga books, and some successful anime series are adapted to manga versions. Silmairel/iStock/Thinkstock

Text courtesy ShareAmerica.gov

Top left: A glimpse of the Pokémon Go augmented reality game, which became an instant hit with Western audiences, owing also to the popularity of “Pokémon: The Series” anime. Top: Players dressed as the anime characters participate in a Pokémon Go search during a gathering of players in San Francisco, California, in 2016.

Above center: “Astro Boy,” like many anime and manga, has become a household name, popularizing various merchandise in the United States and elsewhere. Above: Anime cosplayers at the Anime Expo 2015 in Los Angeles. Thanks to the increasing popularity of anime and manga in the United States, conventions like this draw thousands of attendees and cosplayers every year.

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MACLEK LULKO/Courtesy Flickr

Below: The Brooklyn Bridge in New York City was designed by Germanborn American civil engineer John Augustus Roebling. Right and far right: The St. Louis Union Station in Missouri was designed by German American architect Theodore Link. Once one of the busiest passenger rail terminals in the world, it is now a mixed-use complex with shops, event spaces and restaurants. Below right: The Waldorf Astoria New York luxury hotel was built by the Astor family. The founder of the family fortune, John Jacob Astor (17631848), was a German immigrant. It is recognized as one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most significant examples of Art Deco art and architecture. Far right: The Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress in the Thomas Jefferson Building, in Washington, D.C. The building was designed by John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz, a German American architect.

Building Influence By HILLARY HOPPOCK

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From log houses to iconic buildings, examples of German-inspired architecture can be found across the United States.

DUSTIN BATT/Courtesy Flickr CAROL M. HIGHSMITH/Library of Congress

PETE/Courtesy Flickr LAMBERTO ZANNOTTI/Courtesy Flickr

rom President Abraham Lincoln’s log cabin and rural German-style buildings in Texas Hill Country to the skyscrapers and famous bridges of U.S. cities, Irwin Richman finds multiple examples of German-inspired architecture in the United States. A specialist in American arts and architecture, Richman traces the influence of German immigrants on American style and structures in his book, “German Architecture in America: Folk House, Your House, Bauhaus, and More.” He is also the professor emeritus of American studies and history, humanities at Penn State Harrisburg in Middletown. German immigration to the United States began in the 1600’s. By the late 1620’s, German immigrants started settling in the Dutch New Amsterdam, renamed New York

in 1664. This was followed by German Lutherans and other church people and sectarians escaping Europe’s religious wars to settle in Pennsylvania from 1683 to 1790. In 1848, another wave of mostly German economic refugees to the United States was followed by the settling in of Christian and Jewish intellectuals and professionals. Finally, due to the rise of the Nazi regime in the 1930’s, many German artists, architects and engineers made their way to the United States.

German heritage Across the United States, reminders of German heritage abound, from city and town names like Berlin and Hanover in New Hampshire, and Rhinebeck in New York, to the

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Above: The log cabin replica of President Abraham Lincoln’s Boyhood Home near Hodgenville, Kentucky. German settlers in the United States brought the tradition of log houses with them from Europe. Above right: A bank barn in Pennsylvania. A favorite among German immigrants in Pennsylvania, the style was adopted by others. Soon, bank barns came up across New England and the mid-Atlantic states.

breweries of Anheuser-Busch, Pabst and Schlitz. “The impact of Germans on architecture has been multifaceted, from folk architectural traditions to our most sophisticated built environment, with some of America’s iconic landmarks designed by German architects,” says Richman. For instance, the Brooklyn Bridge, the 1883 engineering feat connecting Brooklyn to Manhattan Island in New York, was designed by German-born American civil engineer John Augustus Roebling and completed by his son George Washington Roebling. The Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., was designed by John L. Smithmeyer and Paul J. Pelz, a German American architect.

including the newly developed glass blocks. Now owned by the Historic New England, a nonprofit preservation organization, the Gropius House has been declared a National Historic Landmark. Gropius’ name is often associated with the reputation of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design as the cradle of American Modernist architecture. According to an article in Harvard Magazine, “His tenure at Harvard marked the end of the academic French BeauxArts method of educating architects. Gropius’ philosophy grew out of his leadership of the German Bauhaus: an emphasis on industrial materials and technology, functionality, collaboration among different professions, and a complete rejection of historical precedent.” Another pioneer of Modernist architecture was German American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, the last director of Bauhaus. He influenced an entire generation of architects while tenured as head of the architecture department at the Illinois Institute of Technology from 1938 to 1953. His iconic

In the 1930’s, renowned architect Walter Gropius left his job as the director of Germany’s legendary art school, Staatliches Bauhaus, and brought Modernist architecture to America. While serving as the chairman of Harvard University’s Department of Architecture from 1938 to 1952, Gropius designed his Modern house in the Bauhaus style in Lincoln, Massachusetts, as the perfect statement of the new architecture melding traditional and industrial materials, 42 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

PETER ALFRED HESS/Courtesy Flickr

Architectural modernisms

works include the Seagram Building, designed in conjunction with American architect Philip Johnson, in New York City in 1958. Inspired by Mies’ design of Farnsworth House near Chicago, Johnson created his famous Glass House in Connecticut in 1949.

Folk architecture Examples of German folk architecture dot not only the landscape of states adjacent to New York, the initial immigrant destination, but also surface in the Kentucky one-room log cabin of America’s 16th President, Abraham Lincoln, and in churches and farms of the Midwest. Half-timbered “fachwerk” homes, infilled with brick or rubble stone and plastered over for weatherproofing, are found throughout early Germansettled areas. Pennsylvania is often deemed the birthplace of the American concept of log homes. “The homes used German log technology for their threeroom floor plan with a kitchen (küche), a parlor (stube) heated through the back of the kitchen fireplace and an unheated

Coast-to-coast influence Midwest cities in the United States are replete with examples of German-inspired

architecture like St. Louis Union Station, Milwaukee City Hall and the efficient glass-walled automobile factories of Detroit. “The German influence was so widespread that in 1843, a Republic of Texas law called for the printing of all laws in German as well as English,” says Richman. By 1855, New York City had the most German-speaking people in the world, following only Berlin and Vienna, with many living in the Kleindeutshland “Little Germany” neighborhood on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Credit must be given to German immigrants in cities across the country, who became the architects and patrons of numerous Modern and Postmodern 20th-century landmarks. The

Waldorf Astoria hotel and Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City were built or started by multi-generational Germans as were Texas’ Neiman Marcus department store and Cincinnati’s Music Hall located in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. This area’s distinctive name comes from its builders and early residents—German immigrants of the mid-19th century. With these and many other landmark structures across the United States, German influence on American architecture has created a lasting legacy. Hillary Hoppock is a freelance writer, former newspaper publisher and reporter based in Orinda, California.

Courtesy Library of Congress

Right: A view of the study at Gropius House (below) in Massachusetts. A National Historic Landmark, it was the home of Walter Gropius, founder of the German design school known as the Bauhaus and chairman of Harvard University’s Department of Architecture from 1938 to 1952. Below left: The Gropius Complex at Harvard University consists of five interconnected residence halls.

Walter Gropius’ name is often associated with the reputation of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design as the cradle of American Modernist architecture. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017

Courtesy Library of Congress

bedroom (kammer) downstairs and three bedrooms with no central hall upstairs. The logs were often sheathed with siding and looked from the outside like normative English-influenced architecture,” says Richman. Tracing the bank barns built in Pennsylvania and through the Great Valley of Virginia reveals a German migration route to North Carolina. The two-level bank barns were built into a hill and gave farmers a lower level for their cattle, with their hay and grain stored directly overhead.

INHABITAT/Courtesy Flickr

Irwin Richman

https://goo.gl/VuCkuK

The Germans in America: Chronology

CAROL M. HIGHSMITH/Library of Congress

https://goo.gl/mShMDQ

Mies: The Man, the Legacy http://miessociety.org/mies/

Gropius House

https://goo.gl/KwFtXv

JASON RELBOLD/Courtesy Flickr

Left: The Seagram Building in New York City, designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Philip Johnson, which was completed in 1958. Inspired by the German American Miesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; use of modern materials like glass and industrial steel to create spaces of austere elegance, Johnson designed his own Glass House in Connecticut (above and top), which is now a National Trust Historic Site.

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