Fit in This Box

We tend to make sense of people through stereotypes. In international environments, the stereotypes are mostly based on our nationalities. Many people struggle with these stereotypes and the prejudices, feeling being put in boxes that limit them and are far from representing their identities. This stereotype based world view prevents people to get to know each other and connect. It creates walls between people.

This was our experience when we moved to Scandinavia. We were put in the Turkish women box which was associated with oppressed, uneducated, non-intellectual, not feminist, Muslim stereotypes. We found ourselves answering questions over and over again about our religious believes, alcohol consumption, pork eating in our initial interactions. The questions were on the surface, far from curiosity but more like an interrogation based on a check list. This experience, both made us feel alienated and also encouraged us to think about this national identity issue and come up with a new way of approaching it.

A Shift

I Feel From argues that today the world we live in is far from static. The trends and social shifts as globalization, internet, mobilization and so on have resulted in the disappearance of borders between countries; not only physical borders such as in the case of EU but also cultural borders. Yet, the nation state and national identity discourse is still present causing conflicts within countries with multiethnic populations. Hence, I Feel From suggests a shift from static nationality world view to fluid cultures world view.

A Dynamic Model

I Feel From accepts a dynamic model based on the inherited culture and experienced culture that we build up through the consumption of other cultures. It argues that people create their own identity through the fusion of a variety of cultures regardless that they are associated with their nationality or not.

The rejection of perceiving individuals as representatives of nations help to remove prejudices, nationality stereotypes and discriminations. It creates an unbiased, open society.

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OMG! I LOVE IT, HOW CAN I TAKE PART?

Then, do one of the following!

I Feel From Passport Workshops

At the passport workshops participants design their own passports after a discussion on sense of belonging, nationality and identity.

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I’ve participated in dozens of workshops in the past, but I Feel From project is the one that deeply touched my heart most. When I met Seda for the workshop, it was exactly the time when I was struggling with my “cosmopolitan” identity – as being an “Asian” in Europe and a subject of isolation, I was unconsciously looking for a gentle encouragement that tells me “I can belong to wherever I want”. There it was in the I Feel From passport workshop, I discovered my multiple homes – well, everywhere. I still carry my own I Feel From passport, and I am still in a journey to travel from home to home. I’ll forever be grateful for this project!

Mariko Sugita

I Feel From … Workshops

At the “I Feel Fom …” workshops participants express their connection to cities through artistic mediums with an aim to explore what makes that place home? How do memories, values, dreams, architecture, urban design, weather, people, activities influence our connection to different cities?

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I believe that many of us have these secret homes – far away cultures with which we feel a strong affinity, even though we have no official connection with them.

Pico Iyer, author (Kinfolk Magazine, Volume 20, Travel Issue, page 31)

I Feel From Exhibitions

The exhibitions show examples from previous passport workshops. It is also planned to curate exhibitions inviting professional artists.

I Feel From Talks

The talks introduce the social movement, how and why we started it and how the audience can take part.

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The university college UCC in Copenhagen was delighted to have Hamide Design Studio as guests, presenting their very informative and thought provoking workshop “I Feel From Passport”. The workshop contributed immensely to our course on cross cultural understanding and intercultural communication. UCC would highly recommend this workshop to other educational institutions and settings.

Justin Karlson, Lecturer MA, UCC