The sketch that most drew my interest was the discussion of the text's empirical data. The nature of online virtual ethnography and video games is so novel and interesting to me, so that was very intriguing.
This sketch proposes to relay the ethnography as a video series or an online livestream. Akil does mention concerns about protecting the anonymity of the interlocutors in such a proposal. I do think that a carefully crafted video series or livestream on Twitch could be a great way to expand audiences for this kind of work! Maybe even in a Q&A kind of setting.
I think, in addition to the live stream and video series ideas, the ethnography could also be relayed as an educational interactive with children and teenagers. Since video games are so popular among youth, a chance to create characters and play the game together in a small group setting, while integrating an explanation of the findings of the book, could be a great way to teach young people about the book's findings.
As a medium, academic books read rather similarly: a problem-description, puzzle, or observation, some historical background, some theory, a few empirical chapters, and a conclusion. Weapons of the Weak is no different. I would say that he back-loads high theory at the end - which was slightly different. The layout provides a backbone a basic rhetorical argument. It progresses from topic to evidence into theory. It’s an interesting rhetorical device, but Scott bookends his work with theory.
According to the sketch, the text is about colonial inheritance in China, with a focus on its' impact on the global economy.
Each chapter focuses on a different Chinese city and its' social structure, with visuals utilized including maps, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
The cover is fairly minimal, with the title in red and a smokey, shadowy image that almost seems to invoke a face. I think the imagery is stark and somewhat haunting, invoking colonialism's shadowy legacy in China.
I was interested in how the various players are included in the text and how they are related by "increasingly intertwined economic investment." These seemed like an intereseting phenomenon to explore.
They propose a number of options including an audio installation, a digital story archive, and a photographic architectural exhibit. Given the photographic and narrative nature of the data, I think these options would all communicate the findings well and in a way that was interactive and accessible.
The writer of the sketch discusses the relevance of the text beyond just the geographic region it explores, noting "the U.S. has a huge moral and financial debt to descendants of enslaved people yet there is utter refusal to provide reparations despite acknowledgement of historical atrocities." Perhaps this ethnography could also be transformed into a history lesson for undergraduate students, to trace the impact of colonialism in China and then draw connections to the United States's history of settler colonialism.
