It is astonishing to think that the micro-transactions between diasporic communities around the world (mostly transactions from countries such as Canada and the United States to family in a 'home country') account for more than $100 billion per year. Burman stresses that because most of these transactions are actually quite minute (usually less than $200 per transaction), they are frequent enough to represent a form of international communication. Using financial transactions as a form of international communication can help to shed some light on some topics most often discussed in Communication Studies such as the information society and post-industrial capitalism, governance of and policy regarding global media, transnational content and audiences, and diasporic community formation and support using new communications technologies (Burman, 7).
As we move into the 21st century, we also move into an age of globalization. This new chapter in human history was perhaps spurned by new information technology which has come about in the past 50 or 60 years or so. This technology has enabled humans all around the world to connect to eachother in ways that had previously never been possible. These newly established communication links have helped bring people from all areas of the world together to form imagined communities. These communities exists solely through the interaction of individuals or communities through communication networks and can exist between people who have never met, or have not been face to face in years. In the case of diasporic communities, these communication networks can actually be exchanges of money sent from on member of the family back to their family in their home country. A family will often invest in one of their children by paying for them to relocate to a wealthy, often Western country such as Canada or the US , in the hopes that they will be able to find a job and send money back home to the family. These monetary transactions, although not verbal or textual, can serve as an indication of how well the individual is doing in their new country and at their new job. These monetary flows into a country can actually account for a tremendous amount of that country's wealth. For example, in 2004 these influxes in money from those living abroad accounted for around $2 Billion or 14% of El Salvador's GDP. This statistic speaks volumes to the new ways in which globalization is affecting families throughout the world. It is no longer unusual for families to be physically split up but keep existing on an international scale.
In the last 2 decades or so, a new technology has enabled those living away from home a means of accessing media from their homeland. The proliferation of satellite technology has meant that an Italian living in Toronto can have access to Italian news through their satellite dish. This has enabled those ex-patriates to feel that much more connected to their home and family back in Italy. The rise of cell phones has also meant that those living abroad can contact their families back home much more cheaply, efficiently, and reliably. Technology has had the effect of essentially shrinking space. Parents might as well have sent their children to the neighboring town (as opposed to the other side of the world), considering how easy it is to stay in touch.
The other significant effect of transnationalism has been the formation of ethnic communities in the new country of habitation. For example, in Toronto one can see Indian communities, Italian communities, Chinese communities, Jamaica communities etc. These communities are formed based on the desire to maintain one's culture through continued practice of traditions and values. These cultural interactions in the ethnic communities in the foreign country, as well as the continued contact with those at home, ensure the survival of culture despite living in a country where that culture normally would not exist. These communities often create their own media in the forms of radio stations, television stations, music, and video, with the goal of encouraging the continuation of that culture away from its original location. New media and communication technologies have had a tremendous impact in maintaining the culture of these communities.
When one first begins to study globalization, the first reaction is that it will just end up mixing all cultures together, creating one homogenous culture. However we are learning that this is not actually the case. It is more often the case that culture's are spreading from their point of origin, to somewhere very far away and are not disintegrating in the process, but are oftentimes strengthened in communities far from home. Communication technology, including monetary transactions help to maintain links between families and cultures. Luckily, instead of seeing a degradation of culture around the world, it seems as though we will all just become more familiar with and aware of other cultures that we would never had had the chance to interact with had it not been for the globalized world in which we now live.
Burman, Jenny. "Migrant Remittances as Diasporic Communication", The Journal of International Communication. 2006, pg 7-18.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
World Music: Jesse Cook as World Music?
At the beginning of his article, Feld brings up some very interesting ideas regarding the ways in which globalization is affecting music, specifically the category known as 'World Music'. He claims that music's deep connection to social identities has been distinctively intensified by globalization and that this intensification is due to the ways cultural separation and social exchange are mutually accelerated by transnational flows of technology, media, and popular culture. The result, Feld suggests, is that due to globalization, musical identities and styles are more visibly in constant states of change and flux, and that there is more fission and fusion in music than ever before (Feld, 145). This makes sense because it seems obvious that as all types of music begin to be spread around the world, far away from their original starting point, that music would in turn influence other musicians who would borrow or copy that music and so their own music becomes altered as a result.
This phenomenon is particularly apparent I feel when we discuss globalization in terms of diasporic communities. People from one area of the world will travel to another and bring along with them many of their unique cultural attributes, including their musical traditions. Toronto is probably one of the best examples of this considering its vast array of ethnic groups who are allowed to continue practicing whichever traditions they so choose without discrimination. This has led to a plethora of cultural mixing and interaction and represents Feld's idea that there is more fission and fusion in music than ever before.
An example I would like to use is the Canadian musician Jesse Cook. Cook was born in Paris to Canadian parents and began playing music at a very young age. As a youth, he spent his summer's in the South of France and coincidentally he lived right next door to Nicolas Reyes, lead singer of the flamenco group “Gipsy Kings”. Cook would listen to the flamenco guitar style of the "Gipsy Kings" and would try to imitate the sounds using his toy guitar at the age of three. After moving to Toronto with his mother, Cook attended the best music schools and began to display virtuoso qualities in his guitar playing. Studying Jazz and classical music, Cook honed his skills and eventually moved to Spain to properly learn the art of Rumba Flamenco, which he has now incorporated into his signature guitar playing sound.
Mario Takes a Walk (Gravity, 1996)
Jesse Cook serves as an example of the ways in which internationalization has helped expand traditional forms of music and introduce them to other cultures which had previously almost no experience with them. Think of the international map Cook has constructed through his life. Born in Paris to Canadian parents, listened to Gipsy's play flamenco guitar (originally a Spanish style), moved to Toronto to study classical music and jazz, moves to Spain to continue studying Spanish guitar, and is now an internationally known musician who brings his unique style of music with him as he tours the world. The question I'd like to ask is, could Jesse Cook's music be considered 'World Music'? Feld defines World Music as the study of non-Western music or music belonging to an ethnic minority (Feld, 146). For his last album, Cook actually took his gear with him as he travelled to Spain, parts of the middle east, and even Egypt, where he sought sought out local musicians from those areas to help him record his cd. To me, Jesse Cook seems almost like a cross between Westernized ethnic music, and authentic world music. His unique blend of traditional spanish guitar, with elements of Western jazz and classical music provide a musical experienced unparalleled for lovers of guitar.
Feld, Stephen (2000). ‘A Sweet Lullaby for World Music’. Public Culture, 12 (1): 145-171.
Luna Llena (Gravity, 1996)
This phenomenon is particularly apparent I feel when we discuss globalization in terms of diasporic communities. People from one area of the world will travel to another and bring along with them many of their unique cultural attributes, including their musical traditions. Toronto is probably one of the best examples of this considering its vast array of ethnic groups who are allowed to continue practicing whichever traditions they so choose without discrimination. This has led to a plethora of cultural mixing and interaction and represents Feld's idea that there is more fission and fusion in music than ever before.
An example I would like to use is the Canadian musician Jesse Cook. Cook was born in Paris to Canadian parents and began playing music at a very young age. As a youth, he spent his summer's in the South of France and coincidentally he lived right next door to Nicolas Reyes, lead singer of the flamenco group “Gipsy Kings”. Cook would listen to the flamenco guitar style of the "Gipsy Kings" and would try to imitate the sounds using his toy guitar at the age of three. After moving to Toronto with his mother, Cook attended the best music schools and began to display virtuoso qualities in his guitar playing. Studying Jazz and classical music, Cook honed his skills and eventually moved to Spain to properly learn the art of Rumba Flamenco, which he has now incorporated into his signature guitar playing sound.
Mario Takes a Walk (Gravity, 1996)
Jesse Cook serves as an example of the ways in which internationalization has helped expand traditional forms of music and introduce them to other cultures which had previously almost no experience with them. Think of the international map Cook has constructed through his life. Born in Paris to Canadian parents, listened to Gipsy's play flamenco guitar (originally a Spanish style), moved to Toronto to study classical music and jazz, moves to Spain to continue studying Spanish guitar, and is now an internationally known musician who brings his unique style of music with him as he tours the world. The question I'd like to ask is, could Jesse Cook's music be considered 'World Music'? Feld defines World Music as the study of non-Western music or music belonging to an ethnic minority (Feld, 146). For his last album, Cook actually took his gear with him as he travelled to Spain, parts of the middle east, and even Egypt, where he sought sought out local musicians from those areas to help him record his cd. To me, Jesse Cook seems almost like a cross between Westernized ethnic music, and authentic world music. His unique blend of traditional spanish guitar, with elements of Western jazz and classical music provide a musical experienced unparalleled for lovers of guitar.
Feld, Stephen (2000). ‘A Sweet Lullaby for World Music’. Public Culture, 12 (1): 145-171.
Luna Llena (Gravity, 1996)
Monday, March 24, 2008
Why Do People Pirate?
Probably because most feel feel that when they do pirate material, they are essentially just taking away some small amount of profit from a giant or rich entity or corporation, who does not really need the money in the first place. This can be seen as an act of rebellion against the dominant capitalist ideals being propagated within our society. Piracy is seen by some as an act of protest against rich corporations or individuals (essentially 'The [proverbial] Man'). The corporation in question could be an international record company who already has a strong hold on the market and plenty of money, and the entity could be a well known artist or millionaire who does not need any more money than they already have. It is essentially the 'taking money (or a cultural commodity as it were) from the rich to give to the poor' mentality. This view of piracy represents a very anti-capitalist mindset where the pirate is deciding not to contribute to the wealth of the already wealthy. The problem here would be when independent artists/musicians or small business owners are effected and driven to have to stop producing their cultural commodity for lack of monetary compensation as a direct result of piracy.
So now we have covered the rebellion against the mainstream aspect, but what about those who have no problem living in a capitalist dominated world, participate in it, and yet continue to pirate material? To answer this question, we follow Pang's lead and take a look at what is happening in Asia. Although piracy is a growing problem in North America, it is many times worse in Asia. According to Pang, 85% percent of Asian computers contain pirated material, compared with North America's 33%. According to Pang, Asian's are currently in a situation where they are moving towards a more modernized world, a world in which they desperately strive to build for themselves. They look to the West (particularly America) as a model for successful modernization and they see America's cultural products as representations of this modernization (Pang, 20). It makes sense that they would want to appropriate American entertainment culture if that meant that they could gaze, however briefly and in whatever quality, into the modernized world that they so desire. Pirating this material is simply the easiest way to obtain foreign content and since Asia is so far removed from the United States, they do not really see the consequences of their actions ad therefore do not feel any guilt or remorse.
As discussed in class, Western governments and organizations such as the WTO are increasingly putting pressure on Asian governments to crack down on piracy and put an end to this problem. Indeed, piracy is a global problem, and it will take an incredible amount of work and time to put an end to the piracy issue. Currently, the affected industries are working hard with governments and organizations to figure out the best way to deal with this problem, but there is much work to be done.
Pang, Laikwan (2004). 'Mediating the Ethics of Technology: Hollywood and Movie Piracy.' Culture, Theory and Critique, 45 (1): 19-32.
Monday, March 17, 2008
SARS scare
It is always interesting to see how certain issues can become so skewed in the media that they become so much more (or less) than than they actually are in real life. The group presenting on the media's interpretation of SARS did an excellent job at outlining the media's interpretation of this 'panic': national, international, and otherwise. Even their first question "which one of us do you think could possibly have SARS", and the response "the Asian guy" perfectly demonstrated the way in which this event was portrayed by the media. It was apparent during the scare, or any big scare for that matter, that the media has a tendency to feel the necessity to find someone or something to blame the situation on. In this case, the obvious scapegoat was of course, the Chinese, which was an easy one considering he virus came from Guangdong, China. Sure, this was an easy connection to make, however, the media really pushed this assumption and completely deflected any blame which could have fallen on Canada. The group did a great job at showing this deflection when they showed us (or tried to show us as it were) the pictures the media displayed of people in Asian walking around busy intersections with masks on, making the public feel as though Asian had become a dangerous, diseased place who were infecting the rest of the world.
As always, this is another example of how powerful the influence of the media is. A few cases of SARS breakout in Toronto, and all of a sudden there are high schools in small rural Ontario towns (such as my hometown of Owen Sound) who are considering canceling there planned school trips to see musicals downtown Toronto. This was indeed a created media scare which had mass effects all across the country. I find it interesting that even back then (before I had ever heard of Communication studies) I was always a little wary of the things I heard through the media. This was demonstrated when I went on an adventure in Chinatown with my family during the height of the SARS scare to buy some fresh Asian lychee fruit (or as we called them at the time, SARS berries). According to the media this was an incredibly stupid and reckless thing to have done, however we sensed that this issue was being made out to be much worse than it actually was and so did not take it as seriously as the media would have liked us to have. A similar situation could be the MSG scare. According to my research, there is nothing harmful about MSG. Some people have been known to have allergic reactions to the substance (one man had an allergic reaction to it and this got blown up in the media, hence the MSG scare), however for most people it is completely harmless and has no damaging effects. However, because of a few specific cases, most people are suspicious of MSG.
The powers of the media continue to be displayed and are especially evident in 'scares' such as this. One must always be conscious of what the media is trying to tell us an try to take an objective approach to consuming the news.
As always, this is another example of how powerful the influence of the media is. A few cases of SARS breakout in Toronto, and all of a sudden there are high schools in small rural Ontario towns (such as my hometown of Owen Sound) who are considering canceling there planned school trips to see musicals downtown Toronto. This was indeed a created media scare which had mass effects all across the country. I find it interesting that even back then (before I had ever heard of Communication studies) I was always a little wary of the things I heard through the media. This was demonstrated when I went on an adventure in Chinatown with my family during the height of the SARS scare to buy some fresh Asian lychee fruit (or as we called them at the time, SARS berries). According to the media this was an incredibly stupid and reckless thing to have done, however we sensed that this issue was being made out to be much worse than it actually was and so did not take it as seriously as the media would have liked us to have. A similar situation could be the MSG scare. According to my research, there is nothing harmful about MSG. Some people have been known to have allergic reactions to the substance (one man had an allergic reaction to it and this got blown up in the media, hence the MSG scare), however for most people it is completely harmless and has no damaging effects. However, because of a few specific cases, most people are suspicious of MSG.
The powers of the media continue to be displayed and are especially evident in 'scares' such as this. One must always be conscious of what the media is trying to tell us an try to take an objective approach to consuming the news.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Presentations, March 4th
Overall, there were four great presentations in this class which all brought up very interesting and relevant topics and discussions. The range of issues covered was especially nice, as it allowed for a variety of issues to be discussed and analyzed without much repetition. With respect to the issues pertaining to internationalization and globalization I thought that The Dubai group and the Starbucks group did a great job at making connections between what was going on on a local level compared to what was happening internationally. Both groups were able to apply their research to the international stage and connect it to the bigger picture of some of the themes we have been discussing in this course.
For example the Dubai group did a great job discussing the issue of censorship in the middle East and how the digital age is causing some concern regarding the free flow of information that the internet can offer. On page 230, Thussu states that "in many countries the growing use of the internet and its potential power to provide alternative viewpoints and exchange of information beyond national borders have generated anxiety". The power of the internet to create a collective knowledge base is one of the triumphs of the new technology and its ability to be a seemingly unlimited source of information is seen as a major success in the West, but a major detriment and nuisance in many places, such as parts of the middle East. The group outlined a scenario where a person from Saudi Arabi could go on the internet and read about the comparatively free lifestyles of those in the West. That person would potentially become jealous and might decide to abandon certain aspect of their religion. This provided an example of the ways in which the free flow of information caused by the information/digital revolution has begun to make fundamental changes to the lifestyles and mind sets of people living far from the source of the original information.
As for the Starbucks presentation, I found interesting their comparisons between the consumption habits and cultural atributes of various cultures and how that correlated to their view of the Starbucks experience. One of the examples used by the group was the Italians aversion to a 'fast food' style coffee shop as opposed to their more laid back approach to coffee consumption. It was interesting to think about the challenges an international corporation like Starbucks would face when trying to adapt to a local culture with its unique attributes. In a way it is refreshing to think that even in our highly globalized world, there are still significant differences between cultures, even when it comes to seemingly simple things like drinking coffee. It was also ironic to think that some people will travel halfway around the world only to stop in at a Parisian Starbucks for the same cup of coffee they could get in Hamilton.
Not to ignore the other two presentations, I thought it was very creative of group three to take a look at the comparison's between various cultures and their reaction to the resignation of Fidel Castro. It really shed some light on the differing agenda's of each nation observed. While some cultures seemed almost indifferent to the situation, others (namely the US) displayed a vested interest in the change in government and the group did a good job at explaining the reasoning behind each nation's attitude towards the resignation.
Let us hope that the next group of presentation's will be equally enlightening!
Thussu, Daya Kishan. “Creating a Global Communication Infrastructure.” International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 230.
For example the Dubai group did a great job discussing the issue of censorship in the middle East and how the digital age is causing some concern regarding the free flow of information that the internet can offer. On page 230, Thussu states that "in many countries the growing use of the internet and its potential power to provide alternative viewpoints and exchange of information beyond national borders have generated anxiety". The power of the internet to create a collective knowledge base is one of the triumphs of the new technology and its ability to be a seemingly unlimited source of information is seen as a major success in the West, but a major detriment and nuisance in many places, such as parts of the middle East. The group outlined a scenario where a person from Saudi Arabi could go on the internet and read about the comparatively free lifestyles of those in the West. That person would potentially become jealous and might decide to abandon certain aspect of their religion. This provided an example of the ways in which the free flow of information caused by the information/digital revolution has begun to make fundamental changes to the lifestyles and mind sets of people living far from the source of the original information.
As for the Starbucks presentation, I found interesting their comparisons between the consumption habits and cultural atributes of various cultures and how that correlated to their view of the Starbucks experience. One of the examples used by the group was the Italians aversion to a 'fast food' style coffee shop as opposed to their more laid back approach to coffee consumption. It was interesting to think about the challenges an international corporation like Starbucks would face when trying to adapt to a local culture with its unique attributes. In a way it is refreshing to think that even in our highly globalized world, there are still significant differences between cultures, even when it comes to seemingly simple things like drinking coffee. It was also ironic to think that some people will travel halfway around the world only to stop in at a Parisian Starbucks for the same cup of coffee they could get in Hamilton.
Not to ignore the other two presentations, I thought it was very creative of group three to take a look at the comparison's between various cultures and their reaction to the resignation of Fidel Castro. It really shed some light on the differing agenda's of each nation observed. While some cultures seemed almost indifferent to the situation, others (namely the US) displayed a vested interest in the change in government and the group did a good job at explaining the reasoning behind each nation's attitude towards the resignation.
Let us hope that the next group of presentation's will be equally enlightening!
Thussu, Daya Kishan. “Creating a Global Communication Infrastructure.” International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 230.
Monday, March 3, 2008
'Scapes' Approach to Studying Globalization
While studying international communication, it is helpful to always be thinking about the world in terms of patterns and themes. Thussu uses the word 'scape' in conjunction with a prefix to describe the general theme or 'landscape' which it represents. For example the theme of ethnoscape refers to a way of looking at the world map in terms of the people who are living in certain locales, and who move from place to place. This term represents a wide variety of people including tourists, refugees, immigrants, students on exchange and professionals who move from one part of the world to another (Thussu, 62). Those of us who enjoy traveling to other places and countries will fall into this category in one way or another. Finanscape refers to the international flow of money, particularly with regards to foreign investment. The other two main 'scapes' are mediascape, which represents the global flow of media, especially the flow of electronic information as it flows around the world and lastly, technoscape, which as you can probably guess, refers to the transfer of technologies as it flows across national borders Thussu, 62). An example of technoscape would be the flow of laptop computers from factories in Shanghai to the hands of consumers in North America.
While these 'scapes' can exist in harmony with one another, it is often the case that two are present in the same area but are moving at completely different directions or perhaps are moving in the same directions, but at different speeds. These differences are called disjunctive flows and can result in dramatic differences experienced at the local level. For example of where two 'scapes' are at a disjunct with each other, China stands out as an interesting case study. When the ethnoscape and finanscape themes are applied to China, one interpretation would say that they are at a disjunct, traveling in opposite directions. With regards to finanscape, in the past decade foreign investment has dramatically increaded and China has become one of the worlds fastest growing economies as a result. Each year, 10's of billions of dollars flow into the country as direct foreign investment. However, with regards to ethnoscape, each year there are more people who have emmigrated from China, than there are people who immigrated from China. To make it clear, one can see that as money is flowing into the country, people are moving out of it, and migrating to countries like Canada.
An example of a disjunctive flow of mediascape versus technoscape could be seen with regards to the United States. American media is exported to many parts of the world, including Japan, who seem to love American media content and often try to emulate it. However, much of the technology America receives has come from Japan, who is generally a few years more advanced than the West. As entertainment media flows one way, technology flows in an other and opposite direction.
THinking about the world in terms of the movements and relationships of these 'scapes' gives globalization scholars a system for discussing themes and patterns which have emerged in our highly globalize world. It represents the diversity which is present between nations and can provide clues into the sorts of relationships that are taking place between countries as they interact with eachother. As globalization continues to occur at ever-increasing rates, consciously looking at and studying these 'scapes' will be beneficial indeed as a means of understanding more about what is happening on national and particularly international levels.
Thussu, Daya Kishan. "The Historical Context of International Communication" and "Contraflow in Global Media." International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 62.
While these 'scapes' can exist in harmony with one another, it is often the case that two are present in the same area but are moving at completely different directions or perhaps are moving in the same directions, but at different speeds. These differences are called disjunctive flows and can result in dramatic differences experienced at the local level. For example of where two 'scapes' are at a disjunct with each other, China stands out as an interesting case study. When the ethnoscape and finanscape themes are applied to China, one interpretation would say that they are at a disjunct, traveling in opposite directions. With regards to finanscape, in the past decade foreign investment has dramatically increaded and China has become one of the worlds fastest growing economies as a result. Each year, 10's of billions of dollars flow into the country as direct foreign investment. However, with regards to ethnoscape, each year there are more people who have emmigrated from China, than there are people who immigrated from China. To make it clear, one can see that as money is flowing into the country, people are moving out of it, and migrating to countries like Canada.
An example of a disjunctive flow of mediascape versus technoscape could be seen with regards to the United States. American media is exported to many parts of the world, including Japan, who seem to love American media content and often try to emulate it. However, much of the technology America receives has come from Japan, who is generally a few years more advanced than the West. As entertainment media flows one way, technology flows in an other and opposite direction.
THinking about the world in terms of the movements and relationships of these 'scapes' gives globalization scholars a system for discussing themes and patterns which have emerged in our highly globalize world. It represents the diversity which is present between nations and can provide clues into the sorts of relationships that are taking place between countries as they interact with eachother. As globalization continues to occur at ever-increasing rates, consciously looking at and studying these 'scapes' will be beneficial indeed as a means of understanding more about what is happening on national and particularly international levels.
Thussu, Daya Kishan. "The Historical Context of International Communication" and "Contraflow in Global Media." International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 62.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Cultural Imperialism: An Adequate Approach to a Complicated World?
In class we had a debate as to weather or not the argument of cultural imperialism is an adequate approach to studying the current state of our world, particularly with regards to the seeming American domination of global media and culture. It was a very productive and animated discussion which brought up many interesting and opposing points. However, after considering both sides of the debate, I have concluded that cultural imperialism is not an adequate approach to thinking about our world. Today's world culture is far too complex and integrated to simply use an overarching theory 'cultural imperialism' to attempt to explain all of the cultural and economic relationships. While aspects of cultural imperialism can be observed in some aspects of world culture, it by no means provides a definitive outlook on an ever changing and complicated world.
In our debate, it seemed as though people were interchanging the two separate ideas of cultural imperialism and globalization. McDonald's is a good corporation to study because although it began as an American company, it has now evolved into something much more global. It is too easy to say that because people eat at McDonald's in China, that they are being exposed to cultural imperialism from America. The fact is that McDonald's is now a global corporation which is taking advantage of advances in global communications in order to expand its business to as many parts of the world as possible. In fact, talking about the glocalization theory we discussed in class, these so-called American products are actually undergoing a transformation as they enter a new culture. Glocalization occurs when a product is altered to reflect the culture of a specific region. For example, McDonald's in China actually offer Chinese food and McDonald's in India offer Halal meat. Is a person sitting in a Miky D's in China eating local Chinese food and talking about Chinese issues being affected by American imperialism? It would be closer to imperialism if the American menu remained, however as it stands, each McDonald's restaurant is a franchise owned by a native local who can choose to offer local foods and decorations and is able to bring jobs and income into whichever area it resides in.
In our debating team, we discussed how other cultures often borrow American cultural frameworks, and simply input their own cultural attributes. For example, we discussed Bollywood and how they have made many so-called remakes of American movies. An advocate of cultural imperialism would argue that this provided a definite example of cultural imperialism at work. However, if a person were to study these remakes, they would not find anything familiar or American about it. They would find a film filmed in the Hindi language, with Hindu actors, in an Indian context (and supposedly much Indian singing and dancing). There might be some slight similarities in the way the plot is organized, however the overall impression is that of a distinctly Indian production promoting Indian values and culture.
The middle eastern 'Razann' dolls are another great example. While it may seem like these dolls are nothing but barbie imitations with traditional Muslim clothing and that this is another example of cultural imperialism, this is indeed not the case. People have been playing with dolls throughout human history and therefore does not necessarily represent America or American entertainment. Furthermore, even if the idea for these dolls came out of the desire to copy the commercially successful barbie, the fact remains that they are dressed as traditional middle eastern women and so represent a glocalization of the local culture.
It is important to remember that when dealing with cultural exchanges, there is a two way flow of information. For example, since Canadian's tend to love shopping for household goods at Ikea, does that mean that we are being subjected to Swedish cultural ideals which are degrading our Canadian culture? It is true that American media has tended to dominate the global culture, however that is because they have tradtioally had the most advanced networks of communication and distribution. Today, more and more countries are becoming technologically advanced and so are able to spread their cultural products just as the United States has been doing for decades. As the world continues to become more globalized, this two way flow of communication will only increase and we will see a more even distribution of world culture.
Cultural Imperialism makes sense on a macro level. One could say that American media and corporations are dominated global culture and that local cultures are being reduced. However, looking more closely at these situations and it becomes apparent that there is more at work than just a passive consumption of American products. Audiences are active, and they will engage with products and transform them in the process. It is naive to assume that they will sit back and be completly taken in by American culture.
In conclusion it can be said that while American culture has tended to dominate the global market, this is not in fact cultural imperialism, but simply globalization. Thus far, it has been American media and corporations that have had the means of creating extensive distribution networks and so have become prevalent throughout the world. However in most cases, the products have been transformed in the process and have incorporated many aspects of the local cultures in question. It is easy to say that the infusion of American products and culture into other cultures around the world is an example of American cultural imperialism, but in fact the argument is not so cut and dry. Foreign cultures have used American culture for their own purposes just as America has borrowed from other cultures. However, just because this exchange has traditionally been slightly one-sided, this does not imply cultural imperialism and it is not an adequate approach to studying a comlicated world.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Entertainment Media as a Record of Recorded History
Documented popular entertainment culture often provides some of the best sources of history in our world. Sources of entertainment often contain hidden or subtle meanings which are representative of certain ideologies or agendas of the time period of which they are a part of and therefore can be studied and analyzed in order to tease out these deeper meanings.
Historians do not always tell the whole story, especially if telling the whole story would be contradictory to the popular ideologies of the time. For example a historian during the cold war would not become very popular if they began to point out all of the problems which Capitalist America was causing as a result of their overly consumeristic habits. Indeed, that historian would probably be labeled a 'commie' and would not receive his or her research grant the following year. That being said, a content analysis of the popular entertainment of the time can provide an avenue for finding trends which were not explicitly stated during the time being studied.
Doing a content analysis of Disney's Latin American oriented films provides a means of uncovering some of the hidden meanings present in these seemingly helpful and innocent educational films. Put into historical context, these films were created at a time during the Second World War when America was at war with many European and Asian countries and realized that they could not afford to make any more political or economic enemies. They saw Latin America as not only a place where they could hopefully find friends and allies, but also as a convenient location to set up industries which would provide an almost endless source of cheap labour.
Disney's series of films were intended to serve two main purposes. The first was to educate the American people on the subject of their neigbours to the South. Disney created his Latin American themed films at the bequest of the American government. One of the films included was The Three Caballeros which documented Donald Ducks playful romp through Mexico and Brazil and depicted these places as beautiful and full of life and energy. It really only highlighted the good aspects of each society and some parts almost came across as an advertisement for tourism. It seems that this film was intended to make the American people feel at ease about the friendship being created between their government and those of Latin America, regardless of the corrupt dictators with who the United States was forging friendships with at the time.
Propaganda has been used countless times as a means of altering the state of the general consensus in terms of mindset and ideology that it is no surprise to think of Disney's government initiated as a form of propaganda intended to influence the thinking of both the domestic Americans watching Donald Duck trump through Latin America, to those Latin American's themselves who were watching Disney's educational films. A historian during this time of intense political tension might not have accused the American government of trying to use propaganda to make its actions seem more favourable and expected to the public. However, a content analysis of the work from the perspective of the future can reveal the true colours and purpose of the said artistic or entertainment project. Much can be learned about the cultural, political and economic aspect surrounding Disney's series of Latin American themed films however, for the purposes of this argument, the point is that a researcher can in fact use such mediums as a provider of actual recorded history, capable of being studied academically.
Cartwright, Lisa and Goldfarb, Brian. "Cultural Contagion: On Disney's Health Education Films for Latin America". CMST 4D03: International Communication. McMaster Universty Custom Courseware 2008. 7-13.
Historians do not always tell the whole story, especially if telling the whole story would be contradictory to the popular ideologies of the time. For example a historian during the cold war would not become very popular if they began to point out all of the problems which Capitalist America was causing as a result of their overly consumeristic habits. Indeed, that historian would probably be labeled a 'commie' and would not receive his or her research grant the following year. That being said, a content analysis of the popular entertainment of the time can provide an avenue for finding trends which were not explicitly stated during the time being studied.
Doing a content analysis of Disney's Latin American oriented films provides a means of uncovering some of the hidden meanings present in these seemingly helpful and innocent educational films. Put into historical context, these films were created at a time during the Second World War when America was at war with many European and Asian countries and realized that they could not afford to make any more political or economic enemies. They saw Latin America as not only a place where they could hopefully find friends and allies, but also as a convenient location to set up industries which would provide an almost endless source of cheap labour.
Disney's series of films were intended to serve two main purposes. The first was to educate the American people on the subject of their neigbours to the South. Disney created his Latin American themed films at the bequest of the American government. One of the films included was The Three Caballeros which documented Donald Ducks playful romp through Mexico and Brazil and depicted these places as beautiful and full of life and energy. It really only highlighted the good aspects of each society and some parts almost came across as an advertisement for tourism. It seems that this film was intended to make the American people feel at ease about the friendship being created between their government and those of Latin America, regardless of the corrupt dictators with who the United States was forging friendships with at the time.
Propaganda has been used countless times as a means of altering the state of the general consensus in terms of mindset and ideology that it is no surprise to think of Disney's government initiated as a form of propaganda intended to influence the thinking of both the domestic Americans watching Donald Duck trump through Latin America, to those Latin American's themselves who were watching Disney's educational films. A historian during this time of intense political tension might not have accused the American government of trying to use propaganda to make its actions seem more favourable and expected to the public. However, a content analysis of the work from the perspective of the future can reveal the true colours and purpose of the said artistic or entertainment project. Much can be learned about the cultural, political and economic aspect surrounding Disney's series of Latin American themed films however, for the purposes of this argument, the point is that a researcher can in fact use such mediums as a provider of actual recorded history, capable of being studied academically.
Cartwright, Lisa and Goldfarb, Brian. "Cultural Contagion: On Disney's Health Education Films for Latin America". CMST 4D03: International Communication. McMaster Universty Custom Courseware 2008. 7-13.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Lucky Native English Speakers
People who speak English as their first language often forget how lucky they are that they conveniently are able to perfectly speak the world's most important language. English speakers take for granted the fact that they are fluent in the international language of business, the international language of computers, technology and the internet and the dominant language in mainstream television, music and books. English speakers can not imagine having to learn an entirely different language in order to become internationally successful in business, entertainment, or science.
Beginning with the domination of the British empire of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, and more significantly with their domination of the telegraph industry, English became widely spread and spoken in many parts of the world. Just as Britain began to lose it's foothold, thereby threatening the proliferation of English as an up and coming world language, the United States emerged as a new world superpower who conveniently for Britain, used English as their dominant language.
At the forefront of technological innovation, world commerce, and entertainment, the United States solidified the use of English as the worlds most popular and most widely spoken language. It remains the international language of communication and it is expected that by 2016, over 2 billion people will be learning or speaking it.
However, as the world economy begins to shift from West to East, Mandarin may be in a good position to shake the foundations of this English speaking empire. Currently by numbers, there are more people who actually speak mandarin and it is expected that this number will only continue to grow as the Asian economy becomes more and more important on the global stage. An interesting thought is expressed in the Thussu book when it suggests that the emerging global English of the future may have an Asian inflection to it.
Thussu, Daya Kishan. “The Historical Context of International Communication.” International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 163-166.
**Special Note**
This issue is especially important in my life as I will be traveling to Taiwan in May to teach English as a foreign language and learn Mandarin Chinese. My Uncle is head of languages at school of continuing studies at University of Toronto and has been studying Mandarin from the age of 7 years old. Currently my cousin lives in Shanghai where she has been living for 3 years working with an NGO (the Jane Goodall Foundation) and learning Mandarin Chinese.
Beginning with the domination of the British empire of the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, and more significantly with their domination of the telegraph industry, English became widely spread and spoken in many parts of the world. Just as Britain began to lose it's foothold, thereby threatening the proliferation of English as an up and coming world language, the United States emerged as a new world superpower who conveniently for Britain, used English as their dominant language.
At the forefront of technological innovation, world commerce, and entertainment, the United States solidified the use of English as the worlds most popular and most widely spoken language. It remains the international language of communication and it is expected that by 2016, over 2 billion people will be learning or speaking it.
However, as the world economy begins to shift from West to East, Mandarin may be in a good position to shake the foundations of this English speaking empire. Currently by numbers, there are more people who actually speak mandarin and it is expected that this number will only continue to grow as the Asian economy becomes more and more important on the global stage. An interesting thought is expressed in the Thussu book when it suggests that the emerging global English of the future may have an Asian inflection to it.
Thussu, Daya Kishan. “The Historical Context of International Communication.” International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 163-166.
**Special Note**
This issue is especially important in my life as I will be traveling to Taiwan in May to teach English as a foreign language and learn Mandarin Chinese. My Uncle is head of languages at school of continuing studies at University of Toronto and has been studying Mandarin from the age of 7 years old. Currently my cousin lives in Shanghai where she has been living for 3 years working with an NGO (the Jane Goodall Foundation) and learning Mandarin Chinese.
Monday, January 28, 2008
History of Success = History of Technology
As stated early on in the Thussu book, Communication has always been critical to the establishment and maintenance of power, particularly over large distances. As can be seen in the great empires of the past such as the Persian, Greek, Roman, and British empires, efficient networks of communication were essential for the imposition of imperial rule, as well as for international trade and commerce. The book also suggests that the extent of a certain empire could be used as an indication of the efficiency of its communication networks. Communication technology is imperative for operating government, military campaigns and trade.
Perhaps the beginning of our modern day instantaneous international communication can be seen in the invention and implementation of Samuel Morse's telegraph machine, starting in 1837. The significance of this technology was recognized immediately and it began to connect the people of the world together in a ways that they could not possibly have imagined previously. The United States and England were the first nations to really begin utilizing the telegraph and they quickly prospered because of it. The telegraph arguably above all else led to the rapid expansion and unification of the British empire and in turn provided networks of communication to many parts of the world which previously had no contact together.
The U.S. and England were not the only nations to be affected by the Telegraph. The American's worked closely with the Turkish empire and sold them the technology required to set up a communications network and the Sultan used it to administer his authority throughout the land. He also used this seemingly magical device to win support from citizins of his empire.
Japan also provides a very interesting case study. Before 1850, japan had relatively no contact with the outside world, save for the Dutch who they used as a means of 'keeping up to date' with world affairs. However in 1852, Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States sailed in with his navy and introduced the Japanese to a host of new technologies, including Morse's telegraph. They were so impressed that the ruling Shogun (military ruler of Japan) decided to begin trading with the West, which was something that was unheard of and previously very undesirable. By the end of the century Japan had fully integrated Western communications technology into the nation and used it efficiently as a government tool and extremely efficiently in wars fought against the technologically lacking nations of China and Russia. The defeat of these two nations spurred Japan to continue to develope it's communication network and by the beginning of the Second World War Japan had risen from a backwater agricultural nation to become a major technologically and militarily advanced world superpower.
There are many examples of how technology has shaped history in very dramatic ways, and communication technology is no different. Especially upon the initial implementation of the telegraph, it seemed as though the nations who possessed this technology and used it efficiently had tremendous advantages over those who did not have it. Perhaps it is the head start received in the race for communication technology by Western powers and Japan that has let to them continuing to be the dominant powers in the world. It is only now in the 21st century that other previously great nations like China and India are finally starting to catch up with the West in terms of communications infrastructure and technology and their rising economies and influence can attest to their relatively recent achievements. It will be interesting to see where this century takes us in terms of international power relations.
1. Thussu, Daya Kishan. “The Historical Context of International Communication.” International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
2. Yakup, Bektas. “Displaying the American Genius: The Electromagnetic Telegraph in the Wider World,” The British Journal for the History of Science, 34(2001)
Perhaps the beginning of our modern day instantaneous international communication can be seen in the invention and implementation of Samuel Morse's telegraph machine, starting in 1837. The significance of this technology was recognized immediately and it began to connect the people of the world together in a ways that they could not possibly have imagined previously. The United States and England were the first nations to really begin utilizing the telegraph and they quickly prospered because of it. The telegraph arguably above all else led to the rapid expansion and unification of the British empire and in turn provided networks of communication to many parts of the world which previously had no contact together.
The U.S. and England were not the only nations to be affected by the Telegraph. The American's worked closely with the Turkish empire and sold them the technology required to set up a communications network and the Sultan used it to administer his authority throughout the land. He also used this seemingly magical device to win support from citizins of his empire.
Japan also provides a very interesting case study. Before 1850, japan had relatively no contact with the outside world, save for the Dutch who they used as a means of 'keeping up to date' with world affairs. However in 1852, Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States sailed in with his navy and introduced the Japanese to a host of new technologies, including Morse's telegraph. They were so impressed that the ruling Shogun (military ruler of Japan) decided to begin trading with the West, which was something that was unheard of and previously very undesirable. By the end of the century Japan had fully integrated Western communications technology into the nation and used it efficiently as a government tool and extremely efficiently in wars fought against the technologically lacking nations of China and Russia. The defeat of these two nations spurred Japan to continue to develope it's communication network and by the beginning of the Second World War Japan had risen from a backwater agricultural nation to become a major technologically and militarily advanced world superpower.
There are many examples of how technology has shaped history in very dramatic ways, and communication technology is no different. Especially upon the initial implementation of the telegraph, it seemed as though the nations who possessed this technology and used it efficiently had tremendous advantages over those who did not have it. Perhaps it is the head start received in the race for communication technology by Western powers and Japan that has let to them continuing to be the dominant powers in the world. It is only now in the 21st century that other previously great nations like China and India are finally starting to catch up with the West in terms of communications infrastructure and technology and their rising economies and influence can attest to their relatively recent achievements. It will be interesting to see where this century takes us in terms of international power relations.
1. Thussu, Daya Kishan. “The Historical Context of International Communication.” International Communication: Continuity and Change. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000.
2. Yakup, Bektas. “Displaying the American Genius: The Electromagnetic Telegraph in the Wider World,” The British Journal for the History of Science, 34(2001)
Monday, January 21, 2008
Free Flow of Information
Free Flow of Information Theory
This is the idea that media proprietors should have complete agency and have the right to sell and advertise their goods wherever and to whoever they wish. This free market ideology came into being as a result of a few key developments beginning in the cold war era after world war 2. The push for capitalism by Western powers, specifically the U.S., meant a push for free markets and international communication had the primary function of promoting democracy, freedom of expression and market freedom. As opposed to Marxists, who were proponents for state regulation on communication and media outlets, the concept of free flow of information reflected the Western capitalist belief that markets should not be controlled or censored. It is not surprising that the state felt this way. Due to the fact that most of the world's media resources were concentrated in the West, Western governments, media proprietors, and business communities had the most to gain from such a free flow market. Therefore, free flow markets served both economic and political purposes and more regulated policies involved in communism and Marxism were actually bad for business. Regulated media markets reduced the ability of Western media organizations from advertising and marketing their goods and services in foreign markets and therefor, reduced capitol gain and market share.
Capitol and monetary gains were not the only thing at stake in the cold war era. Ideological battles with communist Soviet union also factored into the equation. The U.S. wanted to spread it's influence in other countries around the world, thereby strengthening it's global position in the eyes of foreign nations. Western dominance was indeed achieved as a result of saturating the foreign entertainment media market with Western ideals such as individualism and capitalism.
This is the idea that media proprietors should have complete agency and have the right to sell and advertise their goods wherever and to whoever they wish. This free market ideology came into being as a result of a few key developments beginning in the cold war era after world war 2. The push for capitalism by Western powers, specifically the U.S., meant a push for free markets and international communication had the primary function of promoting democracy, freedom of expression and market freedom. As opposed to Marxists, who were proponents for state regulation on communication and media outlets, the concept of free flow of information reflected the Western capitalist belief that markets should not be controlled or censored. It is not surprising that the state felt this way. Due to the fact that most of the world's media resources were concentrated in the West, Western governments, media proprietors, and business communities had the most to gain from such a free flow market. Therefore, free flow markets served both economic and political purposes and more regulated policies involved in communism and Marxism were actually bad for business. Regulated media markets reduced the ability of Western media organizations from advertising and marketing their goods and services in foreign markets and therefor, reduced capitol gain and market share.
Capitol and monetary gains were not the only thing at stake in the cold war era. Ideological battles with communist Soviet union also factored into the equation. The U.S. wanted to spread it's influence in other countries around the world, thereby strengthening it's global position in the eyes of foreign nations. Western dominance was indeed achieved as a result of saturating the foreign entertainment media market with Western ideals such as individualism and capitalism.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
International Communication
This where I will be posting all of my International Communication blogs for 4D03.
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