This summer has been an incredible experience as a first step into the work of research. The opportunity to articulate an observation I made and held since freshman year is one that I am extremely grateful for. Over the course of this summer, I have expanded on my ideas in ways that I have not anticipated. For example, performance studies is not a discipline that I have thought of applying to my thesis until I have immersed myself in the community that I am working with. Naturally being a person who came from Sunset Park makes the area more accessible. In doing so, I have been constantly conscious of my positionality being both a part of the community and also someone who is coming to research this community has brought up some mixed feelings.
Taking up identities that have historically oppositional and binary implications and then treading between these fixed positionalities is what has made Sunset Park unique to the work that I am doing. When I tried to relocate this project to Flushing it simply felt off. This is a feeling that I wish to sit with and explore whether it’s in my paper or in another opportunity in the future. As for other plans for this research, I would like to start doing interviews with people. I can reach out to the Chinese American Association that’s in the area or find a more organic way to talk to people beyond the context of customer service. Another step that might be interesting to pursue is to look into the cultural significance of the products that these markets/businesses are selling. That being said, this has been an incredible first step into the world of research and I strive to take this experience with me as I go on.
