Favoritism in Folktales: Shifting the Story Spotlight to Underrepresented Communities

Author: Amithi Nair

Field of Study: Philosophy, Politics and Law

Program Affiliation: Source Project Research Program

Faculty Mentors: Christopher Robbins

Easel: 35

Timeslot: Morning

Abstract: Growing up in the USA, I was constantly surrounded by classics of contemporary fairy tale literature – Rumpelstiltskin, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty – which are primarily European stories. As a Binghamton University student, I began to collect fairy tales on campus, trying to understand what made them meaningful. I hoped that there would be diversity in my results. Unfortunately, most of the stories collected were European. Therefore, the goal of this project is to literally shine a light on the under-represented tales from cultures around the world, aiming to diversify the moral lessons and the history that people are typically aware of. I will be expanding on the Spiderwoman Theater and Nalini Malani’s art with use of projections and sound, and Marina Abramović’s art, utilizing audience participation. By drawing on the pasts of societies relatively unknown to us, I want to draw out the untold stories that the audience has living inside of them.