Community Learning Day Focuses on Cross-Cultural Issues

On October 12, the College hosted “The Face of the Other,” the sixth annual Community Learning Day. The event’s keynote speaker, Marjane Satrapi, author of Persepolis: The Story of A Childhood, spoke about her controversial book, in which she uses the story of her childhood to tell a larger tale about of her native country of Iran.

Persepolis, comprised of black-and-white comic strip images, explains the contradictions between the author’s public life and her family life. In doing so, Satrapi hopes to battle the “abstract notion” that people hold about the Middle East as a country of oppression and fanatics.

Charging journalists with inaccurate portrayal of the region, Satrapi explained, “The media has dehumanized us completely.” She added that the inaccurate portrayal works both ways and said, “I grew up with the notion that everything bad in the world came from the United States.”

“I did not understand the gap,” she said, reflecting upon her first visit to the United States several years ago.

“We assume we have this global vision of the world. How much of that is the truth?” asked Satrapi. “We are not an abstract notion. These abstract notions are what scare me the most.”

Throughout Persepolis, Satrapi highlights the resemblances of humans across cultures. She recognizes that “human expressions are often the same” and these expressions are used in the comic strip images to emphasize similarities.

“When I made [Persepolis] I assumed that nobody would want to publish it. Suddenly it became a success and I don’t know why, and at the same time I do,” Satrapi said. She attributes the success of the piece to its focus on human similarities.

Speaking of similarities across cultures during her presentation, Satrapi drew a comparison between the governments of both the United States and Iran. She asserted that the governments are very similar, both operating on the basis of fear. She also said that a popular sentiment within both governments is, “If you are not with us, you are against us.”

Satrapi’s presentation was followed by breakout sessions with TCNJ faculty members who facilitated discussions around the theme of “The Face of the Other” in our society today. “Reporting the ‘Other’: Media in the Eye of Katrina,” coordinated by Susan Ryan of the communication studies department, addressed media coverage related to Hurricane Katrina, and panelists included Paul D’Angelo of the communications department, Kim Pearson of the journalism and interactive multimedia departments, Donna Shaw of the journalism department, and Natalio Pompilio of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “The Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design Conflict in Public Schools: Understanding the Issues from Historical, Scientific, and Sociological Perspectives,” coordinated by Donald L. Lovett of the biology department, included panelists Eugene Cohen of general education and William Behre, dean of the School of Education.