Envisioning Futurities: Beyond Patriarchal and Colonial Frameworks

Introduction: The Power of Vision

Throughout this course, we've analyzed problems: colonialism, trauma, stereotypes, patriarchy, mental health crises. Analysis is necessary but insufficient.

To create change, we need vision: What are we building toward? What does liberation look like? What futures do we want to create?

This lesson uses speculative and creative thinking to imagine liberatory futures and identify pathways to get there.

Part 1: Positive Role Models and Diverse Masculinities

Contemporary Examples

In Arts and Media:

• Riz Ahmed: Actor/rapper exploring identity, politics, mental health through art
• Hasan Minhaj: Comedy and commentary challenging stereotypes and systems
• Aziz Ansari: Creating complex South Asian male characters
• Dev Patel: Taking romantic lead and complex roles
• Various writers, poets, filmmakers centering South Asian male experience

In Activism and Organizing:

• Civil rights leaders (Sikh Coalition, SAALT, Muslim Advocates)
• Labor organizers fighting for worker rights
• Mental health advocates reducing stigma
• Feminist-allied men challenging patriarchy
• Community organizers building collective power

In Personal Life:

• Fathers modeling emotional availability
• Men in therapy working on growth
• Partners practicing vulnerability and equality
• Friends supporting each other's healing
• Mentors guiding younger men

What They Demonstrate:

• Multiple ways to be man and South Asian
• Vulnerability alongside strength
• Care work and emotional labor
• Challenging systems while building alternatives
• Integration of heritage and contemporary values
• Success beyond narrow definitions

Part 2: Reimagining Masculinity Through Arts and Culture

The Role of Cultural Production

Why Art Matters:

• Shows possibilities beyond current reality
• Creates emotional connection and identification
• Reaches audiences beyond academic/activist circles
• Allows experimentation and imagination
• Builds culture alongside changing structures

Mediums for Reimagining:

• Film and television
• Literature (fiction and memoir)
• Poetry
• Visual arts
• Music
• Theater
• Digital media

Themes to Explore:

• South Asian men as tender, vulnerable, caring
• Non-traditional career paths and life choices
• Mental health journeys and healing
• Complex relationships and intimacy
• Intergenerational connection and conflict
• Joy, pleasure, and play
• Spiritual and creative expression

Case Example: Reimagining Father-Son Relationships

Traditional Narrative:

• Emotionally distant father
• Son seeking approval never received
• Conflict over expectations
• Unspoken love and regret

Possible Reimaginings:

• Father learns to express emotion and apologizes for distance
• Son and father heal together through shared vulnerability
• Intergenerational conversation about trauma and healing
• Multiple models of father-son connection
• Joy and play alongside seriousness
• Father seeking son's wisdom and perspective

How to Portray:

• Short film showing healing conversation
• Memoir exploring complexity of relationship
• Poetry capturing moments of connection
• Visual art depicting intimacy and tenderness
• Music expressing both pain and hope

Part 3: Sports and Physical Culture

Challenging Hypermasculinity in Sports

Traditional Sports Culture:

• Hypermasculine, homophobic
• "Toughness" = no emotion or vulnerability
• Winning above all
• Individual glory
• Body as machine

Alternative Models:

• Emotional support and vulnerability among teammates
• Mental health as priority
• Collective success and cooperation
• Joy and play as goals
• Holistic wellness (mind, body, spirit)
• Diverse body types and abilities valued

South Asian Men in Sports:

• Professional athletes speaking about mental health
• Redefining what athlete looks like
• Cultural sports and games (kabaddi, cricket)
• Recreational sports for health and community
• Coaching that emphasizes growth over winning

Part 4: Intergenerational Dialogue and Healing

Creating Spaces for Connection

What's Needed:

• Facilitated conversations between generations
• Safety to express difficult feelings
• Cultural context for understanding
• Willingness to sit with discomfort
• Hope for repair and growth

Models:

• Father-son workshops
• Family therapy incorporating all generations
• Community events bringing elders and youth together
• Oral history projects
• Collaborative creative projects

Topics to Address:

• Immigration and sacrifice
• Expectations and disappointments
• Cultural preservation vs. adaptation
• Unexpressed love and care
• Trauma transmission
• Different contexts and challenges
• Hopes for future generations

Example: Father-Son Healing Circle

Format:

• Weekend retreat for fathers and adult sons
• Facilitated by therapists experienced with South Asian families
• Mix of large group, small group, and paired activities

Activities:

• Storytelling (each person shares their journey)
• Perspective-taking exercises
• Difficult conversations with support
• Letter writing to each other
• Ritual of acknowledgment and forgiveness
• Commitments for ongoing connection

Outcomes:

• Greater understanding across generations
• Expression of previously unspoken feelings
• Beginning of new relationship patterns
• Tools for ongoing communication
• Community of support

Part 5: Building Liberatory Futures

Vision: Life in 2050

Imagine a future where South Asian men have achieved collective liberation. What does daily life look like?

Childhood and Youth:

• Boys taught full range of emotional expression
• Multiple masculinity models available
• Mental health education from early age
• Cultural pride without rigidity
• Support for diverse interests and identities
• Safety from discrimination and violence

Education:

• South Asian history taught accurately
• Diverse representation in curriculum and staff
• Mental health support integrated
• Cultural celebrations and inclusion
• No model minority pressure
• Support for working-class students

Work and Economics:

• Equal opportunity regardless of race
• Fair wages and working conditions
• No bamboo ceiling
• Diverse leadership
• Work-life balance valued
• Economic security possible

Family and Relationships:

• Emotional intimacy normalized
• Egalitarian partnerships
• Shared domestic and care labor
• Multiple family structures accepted
• Intergenerational healing
• LGBTQ+ inclusion and celebration

Community:

• Strong support networks
• Mental health care accessible and destigmatized
• Cultural spaces thriving
• Political representation
• Intergenerational connection
• Solidarity across difference

Individual Experience:

• Authentic self-expression
• Integration of cultural heritage and contemporary life
• Mental and physical wellness
• Meaningful work and relationships
• Joy, creativity, play
• Contribution to collective good