Desiring the mainstream/enchantment as tactic (of recognition) : minority visuality in Hong Kong South Asian Youth’s short films

Discussions around minority discourses have evolved from the need for recognition of the art of discovering possible divergent voices of the marginalized. This calls for the articulation of the conditions in which the voices could be heard, especially in a culturally homogenous, semi-democratic context like Hong Kong. This chapter crystallises the findings from a government-funded research project which looks into the visuality of ethnic minority. It asks, specifically, how do minority youths use film production (and social media) to represent their complex negotiations with the mainstream? How would the ensuing visual narratives represent the complex and diverse regimes of representation? Employing notions such as ‘affect’ and ‘politics of representation’, the paper examines the narratives of this visualty by the way of discussing the conditions for alternative regimes of representation, and how they might inform us of the politics of listening. Particularly, I would argue for ‘enchantment’ as a ‘minority tactic’ to both ‘talk back to’ and attract the mainstream. Based on findings from surveys and a focus interview among ethnic minority respondents, I argue that the agency for ethnic minorities’ diverse regimes of representation necessitates the ability of the institutions to listen. The critical discussion in this chapter hopes to contribute to the current literature around multiculturalism discourses, which tend to lag behind the dynamics and complexities involved in the politics of (mediatised) recognition among minorities.