Photography

Minority In The Majority

Roles of Members

For this project our group brainstormed together and decided what we would choose as an overall theme. Taking inspiration from each other’s experiences, we discussed our ideas on cultural diversity in minority groups. We then decided to take minority groups which exist in the majority of the population of DCU. As a group we decided to take numerous photographs to highlight what we felt portrayed minority cultural groups within DCU. Then we made our final decision, uploading seven photos onto our blog. During the editing process we decided to use both Photoshop and Gimp as they were available to us all to use both at home and on campus. We edited the pictures together and all gave our input into how the pictures should be altered. Continuing on we reviewed them to ensure that the pictures had a good flow to them and that there was a general connection to the theme of cultural diversity in DCU. 

Theme and Reasons

Our connecting theme for our photos is the concept of minority groups in DCU. While drawing on general racial and ethical groups we also discovered popular groups around campus, for example smokers and the older generation of the surrounding area. Our underlying theme overall is to focus on the less common but more student-focused cultural groups. The reason for selecting the more minor groups was to try and think outside the box in terms of the brief of “Cultural Diversity”. We as students relate more to the minority groups and as a result delved more into personal and local groups. 

1. As young people, smoking is heavily associated with youth and in particular with college students. ‘Social Smoking’ is a popular lifestyle with many students on a night out, they take a cigarette while other people are smoking. For many it is a culture. From a personal level in our social group, smoking is a minority and therefore we don’t feel the impact as highly as others.
2. As racial issues are more pronounced around the world, we felt it was only appropriate to address the topic. In this simple image we explore many cultural diversities, however, we also see how these diversities connect to create a diverse society.
3. DCU is advertised as a youthful and forward thinking college. This can be reflected on it’s campus to a certain extent. However, one can not ignore the variety of generations that walk though the grounds, in particular the older generation. For us it is unusual to see these people as we are surrounded by youth.
4. Social media eclipses our lives. This photo shows that we are ‘socially communicating’ with each other but it is ‘silent communication’ - we are communicating through text, not through speech. You are categorised as a minority if you are not on social media.
5. International students in themselves are seen as their own population in DCU with events and societies showcasing their cultures. We focused on the Asian population in DCU. While they are are well travelled internationally, they are viewed as a minority group in Ireland and in particular in DCU.
6. It is evident throughout Ireland that we hold many diverse cultures within our social environment. On geographical terms, Dublin has a strong divide between north and south. While we don’t like to admit it, there are times when there is a cultural divide on opposite sides of the Liffey. 

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