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Writer's pictureGender Studies Student

The World in Ten Blocks - an Interactive Documentary

Updated: Mar 28, 2019



Entry:

This interactive documentary is a great teaching tool for discussing migration and transnational identities. The interactive nature of this piece of media allows users to explore the ten block radius of Bloorcourt village, a fast gentrifying area that has become home to so many immigrant families in Toronto, ON. Toronto is theorized to be the most diverse city in the world, since almost half of its population has been born outside of Canada. The documentary showcases the small-business owners within the blocks, all of whom have been immigrants or refugees to the city. Not only does the user get to explore the neighbourhood at ground level, but we are introduced to those who make the neighbourhood so vibrant, and we “Get to Know” each person’s story through video, pictures, sounds and story maps.


Rationale:

This tool is humanizing and that is why I believe it is a powerful teaching tool. The makers of the interactive documentary are children of immigrants and have learned first hand the struggles of not feeling like you belong. The facts are enladen into the piece, but it all just feels as if the people themselves are telling their stories. We hear from refugees who now own a restaurant and this changes one’s preconceived notion of who is a refugee, what they look like, how they fare in a new and safe environment. What GNDR 335 has taught me, is that first hand stories are powerful, but they are unappreciated in the academic world as a form of pedagogy. This project was sponsored by The Globe and Mail, therefore, it is meant to reach an audience of regular journalism readers, however, the format is accessible to all. The fact that this content is free online also reflects the values of transnational feminism because we can share it to make sure the one-story narrative myth is proved false.

Keywords: interactive, story map, immigration, refugees

Author: Justine B

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