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Friday Jun 22, 2007
Essay 5: Tisha Buelto - Blogging for Darfur
Tisha Buelto
Essay 5
06.22.07
Blogging for Darfur: Transnational Relation
?Today there are still significant differences between the ways in which blackness, race and nationality are understood in the different locations whose complex interactions composed the black Atlantic system? (Gilroy 1996). A common gross oversimplification of the conflicts in the Darfur region of Sudan is that it is a conflict of races. A conflict between black Africans and Arabic Africans of the region. As such, the GlobeforDarfur.org blog sites consider Gilroy's conception when they stipulate particular articles in different languages. These blogging sites are acknowledging the history of different regions when they manipulate messages depending upon the language that they are conveying a specific message.
?It follows therefore, that even vast entities are communities based on imagined bonds? (Kennedy and Roudometaf 2002). ? In the case of GlobeforDarfur.org, groups of people who simply speak the same language are able to form a community based on this language, with the further assumptions of ?imagined bonds? (Kennedy and Roudometaf 2002). These blogs can be posted to millions of different people lumped into one language based community because of the cohesion of these ?imagined bonds? (Kennedy and Roudometaf 2002).
Clifford discusses his concern with how specific sets of ?disciplinary practices (spatial and temporal constraints) has tended to become confused with 'the culture'? (1992). This reflects Kennedy and Roudometaf's discussion of ?imagined bonds? (2002). In example, GlobeforDarfur.org is able to group language based communities. Languages are more or less a result of the nation and henceforth renders spatial affiliation. A component of a community is culture, thus forming language based communities, reflect Clifford's concern with confusing spatial constraints and culture (1992).
In another argument by Sreberny-Mohammadi, GlobeforDarfur.org's language based communities may be seen as a progression for the public sphere. Sreberny-Mohammadi's argument is that of the public sphere's ?apparent or possible growth into a transnational civil society? (1996). It can then be argued that by grouping an entire language population of people into one community, this transcends national boundaries, thereby enabling the possible growth into a transnational civil society.
References:
Clifford, James (1992). ?Traveling Cultures.? In Cultural Studies, edited by L. Grossberg, C. Nelson and P. Treichler. New York and London: Routledge. Pp. 96-112. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6048.pdf.
Gilroy, Paul. (1996). ?Route Work: The Black Atlantic and the Politics of Exile.? In The Post- colonial Question: Common Skies, Divided Horizons, edited by I. Chambers and L. Curti. London and New York: Routledge. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6047.pdf.
Kennedy, P. and Roudometof, V. (2002). Transnationalism in a global age. In P. Kennedy and V. Roudometof (Eds.), Communities across borders: New immigrants and transnational cultures, pp. 1-26. London and New York: Routledge. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/b7027.pdf.
Sreberny-Mohammadi, Annabelle (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, pp. 1-19. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6049.pdf.
Posted at 02:59PM Jun 22, 2007 by BUELTO, TISHA in General | Comments[1]
Essay #5 - Jeff Jacobson - The British Television Community: Television without Borders
In recent years, the television market in most countries has become fragmented, with an increasing proliferation of free-to-air broadcasters and especially digital / satellite / cable broadcasters. In addition, the emergence of international media conglomerates and the international distribution of content mean that in many lands it becomes impossible to really view television ?as the location for the construction of a national community? (Turner, 2001, p. 373). While Graeme Turner suggests that the UK is one of the few places where one could still see such a community, I feel it would be beneficial in light of this week?s readings and discussions to step back to a broader community of those who watch British programming. Specifically, we will look at international viewers, in this case in the United States and see what communities they become part of. Once again we see the difficulty of breaking away from nationality as a frame of reference, even as we try to look at a transnational community. We will then discuss whether this transnational media should be a cause for concern.An area where British broadcasting has become most directly accessible to Americans in recent years is through the digital channel BBC America. This channel, formed in a partnership with Discovery Networks, brings original programming from the BBC?including news, dramas, and comedies?more and more of which is programming that might not be seen on other traditional American outlets for BBC shows because of somewhat ?edgier? content. The network has found quite a bit of success with this format?in the first quarter of 2003 their ratings grew faster than any other non-news cable network, jumping ?28 percent among 25- to 54-yearolds [sic]? over the same period the previous year, landing it in 5th place (Gremillion, 2003, ¶6). More interestingly, the network is reaching an audience that might seem surprising at first blush. Jeff Gremillion spoke with two couples from Lafayette, Louisiana. His own characterization has them not fitting ?your standard definition of ?urbane?? (¶1). One couple, the Delahoussaye family, consists of a lawyer who likes to golf and his homemaker wife. ?They?re more likely to turn up at a backyard crawfish boil than a trendy club,? he says (¶1). Yet they?re part of an emerging trend finding a connection with what?s considered some of the best of British programming. They remind me of the ?local/global? connection James Clifford (1992) mentions arising from ?culture as travel??even if that travel is just through television (p. 103). The Delahoussayes are, by their own admission, ?hooked? on the British programming and in a way become part of the community of BBC viewers, wherever they are. Similarly they?ve made the ?leap out of the local? as mentioned by Paul Kennedy and Victor Roudometof (2002) on page 3 of the introduction to their compilation on transnationalism. Interestingly, Gremillion?s title for his article, ?Sex, please, we?re British? seems to be implying that even though the viewers are actually American, through their consumption of British media they become, at least partially or temporarily, British.
However, the Delahoussayes also form a part of another community: people in their same locality who watch the BBC. The Delahoussayes? good friends the Gremillions (related to the author of the piece on BBC America) also watch BBC America extensively (Gremillion, 2003, ¶3). Looking at the common definition of community as provided by Kennedy and Roudometof (2002) on page 6, their shared admiration of the same programming brings them shared ?rituals, signs and meanings? with which they form their social relationships. So the programming from the BBC creates not only one large community of BBC viewers, but also sub-communities.
I feel that as researchers look into the new issues raised by the emergence of transnational media, we should cease looking only at the media as a national phenomenon, or serving a national community. Instead, the media can create multiple communities and people can be part of multiple communities?communities that are defined, not by their location, but by what is uniting them. Through the research I?ve done in this course, it seems we do not need to be too worried about globalization destroying the distinct media production of one country with media from another. Instead, I would hope to see more media coming from other countries, increasing the diversity of programming and helping spread what seem to be positive transnational communal identities. From what I?ve seen, this will enrich our lives, rather than dull them.
References
Clifford, J. (1992). ?Traveling cultures.? In L. Grossberg, C. Nelson & P. Treichler (Eds.), Cultural studies (pp. 96?112). New York and London: Routledge.
Gremillion, J. (2003). ?Sex, please, we?re British.? MediaWeek, 13(23), SR8. Retrieved June 21, 2007, from Communication & Mass Media Complete database: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=10073242&site=ehost-live&scope=site
Kennedy, P. & Roudometof, V. (2002). Transnationalism in a global age. In P. Kennedy and V. Roudometof (Eds.), Communities across borders: New immigrants and transnational cultures (pp. 1?26). London and New York: Routledge.
Turner, G. (2001). Television and cultural studies: Unfinished business. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 4, 371?384.
Posted at 01:23PM Jun 22, 2007 by Jeff Jacobson in General | Comments[2]
Essay 5 - David Speidel - Virtual Transnationality
As the discussion and observation of globalization continues to grow, our understanding of the atmosphere around us changes. This is no different for the virtual worlds of online gaming and the people who participate in these environments. As I discussed in earlier essays, we can view these worlds as having a sense of place and also having an impact on people's lives in the real world. Continuing on those ideals is this sense of transnationality and how it is felt in the online gaming community as a general population base as well as how it forms the idea of clans or guilds.
The virtual worlds of the internet, by nature, are affected by all those who can access them. The advantage of these places is that they have no boundaries that limit people from each other, when you meet another user; rarely will you know where they are from or how they identify themselves. Thus, in analyzing these worlds, we find they are on a different scale and smaller transnational social networks than nations, as Mitchell suggested (2003). The population bases of these communities are all linked together through this medium. They are common places where people find similar goals and achievements, yet have the freedom to experience these events in their own perspective. These worlds act as the "container" in which people from various nations find commonality. (Kennedy & Roudometof, 2002, p. 6) Those inside worlds such as Second Life and World of Warcraft, find themselves forming similar social relationships as they would anywhere and thus developing their senses of community in ways that they can all feel a part of.
One phenomenon inside these worlds, I feel, is important to understand in the context of social interaction, and that is the formation of guilds or clans. The idea of these guilds is one where people join together under a label, sort of a club, where they spend time with the same people. Many of these guilds are created inside games like World of Warcraft, which not only promotes their creation but also creates services designed specifically for these groups to communicate, such as voice communication software (Dabri, 2007). They might meet in the virtual world and talk through text or even using voice communication software over the net. From my personal experience inside one of these guilds for over four years, you might find yourself talking about your experience inside the games with a person from another state, Canada, or even China and other parts of Asia. The groups themselves, generally have no defining nationality, rather they are enriched by the perspectives of these other peoples that come together to form their own small groups within the larger community. These social networks don't always end when people stop playing the games either, as in my own experience, these people feel a common bond and might meet each other in real life and become friends in the physical world or at least trade emails or phone numbers in order to continue interaction over time. These interactions are examples of those virtual communities that share the same themes and forms of traditional ethnological research (Ito, 1999). This phenomenon is important because it speaks not only about people sharing common goals, but meeting people who are part of lifelong networks that are no more or less important than those shared through commonalities in the physical world.
The existence of transnationality is felt very strongly in the virtual community. Online gaming itself exists as an example of ideas formed inside no single boundary or nation. The worlds create themselves from previous ideas of virtual space and are experienced every day by those who identify themselves with different physical places. Yet the medium acts as a container in which those who would never meet otherwise can share experiences and dreams. Thus the social networks create themselves and lead to enriched relationships in which people hold lifelong bonds.
References:
Dabri, S (2007, May 17). Games for Windows Interview Suggests New Features Post-2.1. Retrieved June 22, 2007, from Warcry's World of Warcraft Web site: http://wow.warcry.com/news/view/71813-Games-for-Windows-Interview-Suggests-New-Features-Post-2-1
Ito, M. (1999). Network Localities: Identity, Place, and Digital Media. Paper presented at the Meetings of the Society for the Social Studies of Science,
Mitchell, Katharyne (2003). Cultural Geographies of Transnationality. In K. Anderson, Kay. et al. (Eds.), Handbook of Cultural Geography. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 74-87.
Kennedy, P. and Roudometof, V. (2002). Transnationalism in a global age. In P. Kennedy and V. Roudometof (Eds.), Communities across borders: New immigrants and transnational cultures, pp. 1-26. London and New York: Routledge.
Posted at 12:14PM Jun 22, 2007 by SPEIDEL, DAVID in General | Comments[2]
Essay #5 - Chris Bigelow - $100 Laptops Re-define Local Community
The XO laptop calls for a re-defining of local community. One of my initial criticisms of the OLPC project was that the language barrier would cause problems in getting remote communities connected. The OLPC obviously heard my complaint and mobilized to come up with a viable solution. Now, the XO laptop will be released with Wixi. Wixi is a language learning tool that is structured and used in much the same way as Wikipedia. It is hoped that by including this user-edited learning environment, "kids who know more language might help teach kids who know less" (Crawford, 2007, para. 6). With this strategy, kids choose content that other kids might find interesting, and in doing so, help to teach themselves. This broadening of language will create a sense of "local" community among people who have been traditionally excluded from one another.No doubt the XO laptops will broaden the social horizons of those who use them. More than this, however, they will broaden the experience of those who use them. Even when people stay in one place, global experiences are brought to them through media. In this case, the XO laptops will be bringing the global into the local, even if the users never leave their own hometown. James Clifford suggests that "travel, or displacement, can involve forces that pass powerfully through?television, radio, tourists, commodities, armies" (Clifford, 1992, p. 103). I would add the XO laptop to his list. In the field of academics, the OLPC is attempting to make information available to those who previously did not have access. According to Laurie Rowell, "Access to texts is a huge problem in many developing nations. It's important to realize that the laptop project is also a library project" (Rowell, 2007). In this way also, the $100 laptops will change our idea of local community in areas that adopt this program.
We still cannot be sure, however, of how users will receive images of "others" through a medium such as the XO computers. Sreberny-Mohammadi asks some interesting questions along these lines: "In the West, do images of remote suffering, for example, merely reinforce Western stereotypes about African 'primitiveness?' Or can such images mobilize sympathy, humanitarian sensibilities, and useful social action?" (Sreberny, 1996, p. 14). No answer is given for these questions and there is certainly a need to explore this topic in relation to the $100 laptop. Will people who use the laptops make strong distinctions between themselves and members of powerful Western nations, or see themselves like looking in a mirror? If there is a strong distinction, will images of outsiders be positive or negative, and who or what will help to make that initial impression?
In conclusion, the XO laptops are a tool that will make it necessary to reconsider previously held notions on local community. Using these computers will open doors to networks of different people with different languages across the globe. There are considerable questions that are raised by this project and many unknowns as the OLPC proceeds with the vision of "One Laptop Per Child." However, this project is one that will have great benefit for many people that formerly would not have had the opportunity to get connected in an emerging global community. For more information or to get involved in the development, visit http://wiki.laptop.org.
Works Cited
Clifford, James (1992). "Traveling Cultures." In Cultural Studies, edited by L. Grossberg, C. Nelson and P. Treichler. New York and London: Routledge. Pp. 96-112. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6048.pdf.
Crawford, Duke (2007). Test Learning Language Learning in Two Minutes. May 23, 2007 Online: http://www.olpcnews.com. Paragraph 9.
Rowell, Laurie (2007). Can the "$100 Laptop" Change the World?. February, 2007 Online: http://elearnmag.org/subpage.cfm?section=articles&article=43-1.
Sreberny-Mohammadi, Annabelle (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, pp. 1-19. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6049.pdf.
Posted at 12:06PM Jun 22, 2007 by BIGELOW, CHRISTOPHER in General | Comments[4]
Essay 5, Alicia Thomas, Transnational communities - Natives link up.
The dynamic of an evolving Native American culture finds itself in a unique position when it comes to the digital age. A new sense of community, fostered by the internet and other communicative abilities has emerged. This transnationalism has redefined the ?sense of place? for many tribal peoples, allowing for ?a container within which individual members negotiate meanings and construct and reconstruct different kinds of social relationships over time? (Kennedy, Roudometof, 2002, p. 6).
While new patterns are surfacing that illustrate the ability of Native people to reorganize community in different ways, there are some limitations. Native populations in the
In 1999, a study revealed that ?of rural Native American households, only 22% have cable television, 9% have personal computers, and of those, only 8% have Internet access? (Miller, Guzelian, 2003, pg 1). While Native American populations continue to grow and disperse, the continued lack of access to the digital world (most notably in rural and reservation communities) limits their ability to ?link up?. The recent development of ultrawideband ("UWB") technology, which operates by utilizing spectrum occupied by existing radio services, could provide tribes with access to high-speed, wireless telecommunications services. However, a fierce political struggle and technological debate has culminated in a recent decision by the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC" or "Commission") to limit use of UWB for outdoor communications systems (Miller, Guzelian, 2003, pg 2). This does not affect all tribes but is an underlying problem that reinforces the troubled history between the
These harsh political realities and reconstructions of civil liberties have forced indigenous peoples (and sovereign nations) to rethink their strategies when it comes to keeping tribal/indigenous peoples integrated.
New ?units of belonging? are emerging and offering answers for the constantly shifting landscape of Native America and its indigenous relatives worldwide. The launch of the International Indigenous Portal (IIP), a ?unique internet portal about Indigenous Peoples, for Indigenous Peoples and by Indigenous Peoples? is a project that ?will encourage Indigenous Peoples to use the Information Society to their benefit and promote capacity building? (http://iictf.blogspot.com/).
?The site is divided into eight geographical regions in order to accommodate the vast cultural diversity of the Indigenous Peoples. In each region, an Indigenous editor will control and encourage content by, for and about Indigenous Peoples in their area in any language that they chose? (http://iictf.blogspot.com/).
This project gives new life to the reality that indigenous populations on the move must find new ways to stay connected, as well as new ways of connecting, to be drawn onto the playing field of cultural globalization in the digital age. This adds new layers to the notion that there are fixed identities.
Online projects such as the IIP and the aforementioned NVISION demonstrate that the concept of space is transformed and seen ?more in terms of the ex-centric communicative circuitry that has enabled dispersed populations to converse, interact and even synchronize? (Gilroy, 1996, p. 22) As I mentioned in previous essays, the shift to urban areas has robbed many tribal lands of those who could contribute most, but new ways of storytelling give reason for optimism, because through these associations, ?they share moral, aesthetic/expressive or cognitive meanings, thereby gaining a sense of personal as well as group identity.? (Kennedy, Roudometof, 2002, p. 6).
These new communities give rise to future generations of leaders among Native peoples. They have the potential to bring together the poor and disadvantaged with the educated and connected. Those in rural communities can see their own people adapting and thriving in different realities. These connections and exchange of ideas can serve as springboards to a better way of life and to a rebirth of tribal strength, as some even make the choice to return to their home communities to serve. The possibilities are endless if the challenges are met with great resolve ? this is the future of a transnational Native/indigenous movement.
Kennedy, P. & Roudometof, V. (2002). Transnationalism in a global age. In P. Kennedy & V. Roudometof (Eds.), Communities Across Borders: New Immigrants and Transnational Cultures (pp. 1-26).
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Miller, John C., Guzelian, Christopher P. (2003). A Spectrum Revolution: Deploying Ultrawideband Technology on Native American Lands. Comm Law Conspectus, Vol 11, Issue 2, p277, 29p. |
http://iictf.blogspot.com/2007/06/international-indigenous-ict-task-force.html (Retrieved June 20, 2007).
www.nvision1.org. (Retrieved June 20, 2007.)
Posted at 12:00PM Jun 22, 2007 by alicia kathryn thomas in General | Comments[2]
Essay#5-Keitris Weathersbe-New York City: A 'Port' of Settling Cultures
Since the discovery of
The economic influences of a city such as
As discussed in the Braman and Sreberny-Mohammadi article, there are several theories to what defines a local (1996, p. 19). In regards to
References
1. Sreberny-Mohammadi, Annabelle (1996). Globalization, Communication and Transnational Civil Society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, Communication and Transnational Civil Society, p. 1-19. Cresskill, NJ.:
2. Mayer, Grace (1958). Once Upon a City.
3. Clifford, James. (1992). Traveling Cultures. In L. Grossberg, C. Nelson, & P. Treichler (eds.), Cultural Studies (p. 96-112).
4. www.wikipedia.com/newyorkcity
5. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/papr/nyc.html
Posted at 11:58AM Jun 22, 2007 by WEATHERSBE, KEITRIS in General | Comments[2]
Essay #5 Claire de Lespinois WSF- Transnational movement
The idea of Alter-globalization brings into focus the emphasis on transnational organizations and communities. Members of such organizations as the World Social Forum are encouraged to be individuals, while still maintaining a desire for the over all good of the world, which they inhabit. While the forum may be viewed as a means for localized change most see it as a broader spectrum, identifying with the issues of others. The WSF is viewed as a trans-national organization, moving towards a global solution.Mitchell defines the term transnational in a broad sense, from ? examinations of the interactions and literal back-and-forth movement of goods, people and ideas across national boarders, to the theoretical suppleness of post-structural thought across containing and linear narratives and disciplinary confines? (2003, p.1). The WSF embodies the theory of a transnational organization by promoting the idea of a different world. It does not adhere to the common boundaries of a localized movement. It reaches past boundaries, forming something bigger than national networks by ways of alternative globalization.
Political and social movements have long employed the media in the movement of globalization. According to Anabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi, ?the media are key players in this development, bringing the world into our homes? (1996, p.9). Local billboards on the high way, weekly magazines, and television and radio programmed to fit, appeal and cater to a specific demographic in a specific region. To avoid such confines of localized media the forum moves through the World Wide Web where everyone, for the most part has access to the same material. The advertisements, which are based upon location of the user, are less intrusive and not as rampant with political and economic innuendo. While the Internet does have its flaws (limited access, language and economic barriers) the WSF has continued to use it as the primary means of communication being that it is the quickest way to reach the broadest amount of people. The Internet garners more of an objective less localized perspective.
In the excerpt of James Clifford?s Traveling Cultures he discusses the parameters of localization, quoting C. L. R. James saying, ?Time would pass, old empires would fall and new ones take their place. The relations of classes had to change before I discovered that it?s not quality of goods and utility that matter, but movement, not where you are or what you have, but where you come from, where you are going and the rate at which you are getting there? (1992, p.96). The WSF encourages the individual to bring a personal identity to the global movement, thus creating a global community. Members have a new sense of belonging, redefining the boundaries of community on a trans-national level, furthering a cross-cultural menagerie in which the WSF prides itself on. ?Social movements are made of actors with a creative capacity and a desire to transform, thus they contribute to the debate and the outlining of the virtuousness of social justice as the foundation of societies and for transnational relationships and exchanges? (Milani, 2006, p.10). While the WSF protects the identity of the individual member, they further promote a more open-minded way of thinking, a more global perspective. The WSF ensures that not only is ?another world is possible?, but also probable.
References:
Clifford, James (1992). ?Traveling Cultures.? In Cultural Studies, edited by L. Grossberg, C. Nelson and P. . New York and London: Routledge. Pp. 96-112.
Milani, Carlos R. S. (2006). Transnational Social Movements In A
Globalizing World: A Methodological Approach Based on the analysis of the
World Social Forum. Retrieved June 21, 2007 from the world wide web: http://www.cccg.umontreal.ca/pdf/Laniado%20et%20Milani_en.pdf.
Mitchell, Katharyne (2003). Cultural Geographies of Transnationality. In K. Anderson, Kay. et al. (Eds.), Handbook of Cultural Geography. London: SAGE Publications, pp. 74-87.
Sreberny-Mohammadi, Annabelle (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi
(Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, pp. 1-19.
Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press.
Posted at 11:44AM Jun 22, 2007 by DELESPINOIS, CATHERINE in General | Comments[1]
Essay 5- Danielle Tibbetts- Transnational Flows of People and HIV
Transnational support and interconnections between various communities have produced an exponential amount of benefits such has ICT's (Information and Communication Technologies), and the support of various interrelated groups around the world in sustaining developing areas needs and issues through their process of becoming developed. As more and more individuals in all areas around the world are given the chance to travel outside of their once constricting borders for various financial and betterment opportunities, comes the intermingling of various individuals at different levels (transnational levels) of their social and private life. When discussing the effects of transnational migration and global cities being built and run on the "backs" of those less fortunate immigrants (many times illegally), this influx of various individuals and their ability to pass through to urban, global areas and then back to their local areas, which has caused different levels of contact between communities, has also fed, especially in the region of South Africa, into the increased spread of various diseases and especially HIV. The once restricting laws of Apartheid have in the last twenty years been extinguished, and from the new found freedoms of developing democracy, come individual choices associated with the ability to have a choice. As Sreberny-Mohammadi states, "this radically new environment (for South Africans and immigrants entering in the area) in which it is not clear what the appropriate resources, skills, and policies are for collective survival in this (new) truly globalized 'risk' environment" (1996, p.19). People in this area are able to travel, meet, and mix with people they were not able to before and because of ignorance, the inability to practice safety precautions, and individual's choices (having more than one sexual partner (sometimes in different areas at the same time, and not practicing safety in regards to this) the spread of HIV in this newly transnational area has increased exceedingly.
Many times the arrival of immigrants (legally and illegally), poor working and living conditions, and the financial strain of traveling, living etc. supply the conditions for the spread of the devastating disease. In the case of male immigrants traveling back and forth from their homes, usually rural areas, to South Africa many either contract the infectious virus during their stay in the city (through prostitutes, multiple sex partners, condom-nonuse, living in more than four areas), or bringing infection to the sexual partners they come into contact with when conducting themselves in the cities. Their "preterrain" as Clifford defines, "all the places they have to go through and be in relation with just to get to their village, or to their place of work" is a dangerous "field" (1992, p.100) for them, but many have to do it to survive, and get caught up in the human 'traps' along the way to make their living. The sad truth for these immigrants is the more traveling and migrating to various areas in South Africa heighten the chance of them contracting HIV and other disease by three times (Cohen, 2006, p.564). Cohen states, "high levels of male labor migration, coupled with a low frequency of long-distance migrants returning home and low levels of personal HIV risk perception, indicate that the potential for spread of HIV in this setting is explosive" (2006, p. 564).
For women immigrants in this area they have been exceedingly the victims and carriers of HIV also. As Cohen then states, "women having multiple partners, being under 35 years of age and having contracted other STD's increased their risk of HIV" (2006, p.564). But the sad truth is that many of these newly-able traveling female immigrants do not have a choice or are driven to a certain lifestyle because of financial and social strains. In the case of an illegal Zimbabwean woman, "Louise", her parents were very poor and farmed for a living. A worldly, "globalized" gentlemen approached them about taking their daughter to South Africa to work as a waitress for a year, and then return with the money she earned, to help them. Her parents ended up consenting to the girl's travel, and Louise ended up being placed in a brothel where she was forced to have unprotected sex with clients, and she received no money for it (Solomon, 2000, p.4).
This is just one example of the transnational plight of HIV which has been fueled from the availability of global flows of humans. The global flows of (especially) immigrants may better developing areas because of their hard work, and inexpensive laboring cost, but it also allows more and more contact between various people on all levels of "intimate" communication. When the innocent and sometimes ignorant of the global ways, are in need of finances they can be taken advantage of and/or conduct themselves in ways that are not appropriate in the new millennium when STD's, especially HIV, are extensive.
Cites
1) Clifford, James (1992). ?Traveling Cultures.? In Cultural Studies, edited by L. Grossberg, C. Nelson and P. Treichler. New York and London: Routledge. Pp. 96-112. 2) Cohen, Robin (2006). Introduction: From Fear to Solidarity. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. Vol. 32, No. 4, May 2006, pp. 561-567. 3) Solomon, Hussein (2000). ?Contemplating the Impact of Illegal Immigration on the Republic of South Africa. In the Unit for African Studies Working Paper. Centre fo International Political Studies, University of Pretoria. 2000. 4) Sreberny-Mohammadi, Annabelle (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, pp. 1-19. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press.
Posted at 11:33AM Jun 22, 2007 by TIBBETTS, DANIELLE in General | Comments[3]
Essay #5 - Christina Kellmann - Advertising Connects Communities
Research over the course of this semester has added up to seeing that although globalization is affecting the world, its pace and intensity is not as strong as it would seem. We are still a long way from becoming a true global village, but we have successfully moved on from having a set, unchanging sense of place. We now view a place as an ever-changing network influenced by other cultures and ideas. And instead of belonging to just one community, these networks allow us to be part of many. Advertising plays a significant role in forming transnational networks because it is a basis on which different communities can find a common ground, and a common ground can form new communities.
Transnationality emphasizes ?relations between things and on movements across things? (Mitchell, 2005, p. 74). Advertising is like a common thread that infiltrates all types of media in every nation across the globe. The ads that people in foreign countries see are likely to be for much of the same types of products as a majority of other nations see. Sreberny-Mohammadi (1996) says, ?Much of the original focus of images and discourses of globalization came from capitalistic marketing strategies, based on the transnationalization of capital? (p. 5) But the strategies are not necessarily as important as the effects (Sreberny-Mohammadi). The effects are what bond us as global citizens. For example, Motorola and Apple launched a campaign in 2004 linking music and mobile phones targeted at Chinese youth (Wang, 2005). This campaign effectively linked Chinese ?youth culture? with others around the world who consumed any type of music that was available on iTunes (Wang, 2005). So in effect, the advertising strategies used by Motorola helped form one part of the web that is the transnational social network.
Communities are not just based on proximity. A community can be based on similar ideas or beliefs, which makes marketing toward that specific group easier. Women are a global community in and of themselves. Social networks can be based on any types of likenesses between people or groups (Sreberny-Mohammadi). Advertising focused towards women can be based on issues that transcend any kind of language or cultural barrier, such as motherhood (Dallmann, 1999). This shows how we, as global individuals, can be parts of many different communities and thus be affected by different advertisements from any given nation; this is the true meaning of a transnational network.
Globalization and the formation of transnational networks are still a road being paved. The global village is still an idea that is being formed. As Dallmann (1999) says, ?Although the approach shows promise for the development of advertising campaigns targeting global market segments, much additional work is certainly needed before its potential for advertising research is realized? (p. 1336).
Sources:
Dallmann, K. (1999). Targeting women in German and Japanese magazine advertising: A difference-in-differences approach. European Journal of Marketing. 35(11/12) pp. 1320-1339.
Mitchell, Katharyne
(2003). Cultural Geographies of Transnationality. In K. Anderson, Kay. et al.
(Eds.), Handbook of Cultural Geography.
Sreberny-Mohammadi,
Annabelle (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society:
Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization,
communication and transnational civil society, pp. 1-19.
Wang, J. (2005). Youth culture, music, and cell phone
branding in
Posted at 11:23AM Jun 22, 2007 by KELLMANN, CHRISTINA in General | Comments[3]
Walt Disney Conglomerate essay 5
There is no denying that Walt Disney?s creations have achieved global fame and developed transnational fan bases. ?Behind the ?happiest place on earth? there is the institutional and ideological power of a multinational conglomerate that wields enormous social and political influence? (Giroux, 1999). But just how far do the virtual borders of the
?It has been evident that advances in the technological arena have facilitated and accelerated globalization processes? (Mitchell). The Walt Disney conglomerate has not been left out of this loop . There are countless fan related websites devoted to Mickey Mouse and various other classic Walt Disney characters, as well as individual films, theme parks, and Walt Disney himself. Some of these websites offer blogs and chats where fan club members can declare their love for Disney, speculate on upcoming films, or simply socialize virtually with other Disney fans. However, now, instead of sitting back and letting fans around the globe create unofficial fan club websites, Disney has taken charge and created its own official, mobile, social network.
?New communicative technologies dissolve distance and transform time, changing the basis on which spatially separated groups can connect and identify with each other? (Gilryoy, 1996), and that is exactly the purpose of Disney?s Wonder Days. In April of this year, Walt Disney
While the new program is still currently only available in the Japanese market, Walt Disney will soon expand the program to include its global market.
References
Gilroy, Paul. (1996). ?Route Work: The Black
Giroux, H. (1999). The mouse that roared: Disney and the end of innocence.
Mitchell, Katharyne (2003). Cultural Geographies of Transnationality. In K. Anderson, Kay. et al. (Eds.), Handbook of Cultural Geography.
Saluke: Press Room (2005, January 19). Benchmark Capital invests in Sulake, the company behind the leading online teen community and game property Habbo Hotel. Retrieved
Wireless Watch
http://wirelesswatch.jp/2007/04/04/disney-launches-mobile-social-network
Posted at 10:40AM Jun 22, 2007 by COX, KATIE in General | Comments[4]
Essay #5 - Will Long - The Importance of Cuban Exile Newspapers
Will Long ? Essay #5 ? The Importance of Cuban Exile Newspapers
Kennedy and Roudometof define communities as ?units of belonging whose members perceive that they share moral, aesthetic/expressive or cognitive meanings, thereby gaining a sense of personal as well as group identity.? (2002, p. 6). With that definition in mind, transnational communities are ?immigrant groups that establish solidaristic communities in the host country, often concentrating geographically in particular cities and neighborhoods, and who still maintain close bonds with their places of origin.? (Alonso, 1995, p. 596). One of the most well-known diasporic communities in the
Rex separates most of
Similar to Clifford?s example of the Moe family (1992, p. 101), Cuban exiles keep a distinct culture, although many have not been to their homeland for several years - in some cases even decades. In
Through exile newspapers, Cuban exiles living in
Sources:
Almeida, R. (1995). Nos ku Nos: The transnational
Alonso, W. (1995). Citizenship, nationality and other identities. Journal of International Affairs, 48(2), 585-599.
Brown, W. & Botero, C. (1997). Cuban Exile Newspapers at the
Clifford, J. (1992). Traveling Cultures. In L. Grossberg, C. Nelson, & P. Treichler (Eds.), Cultural Studies (pp. 96-112).
deVarona, E. (2000). The Cuban exile periodicals collection at the Cuban Heritage Collection of the
Georgiou, M. (2005). Diasporic media across
Kennedy, P. & Roudometof, V. (2002). Transnationalism in a global age. In P. Kennedy & V. Roudometof (Eds.), Communities Across Borders: New Immigrants and Transnational Cultures (pp. 1-26).
Mitchell, K. (2003). Cultural geographies of transnationality. In K. Anderson, et al. (Eds.), Handbook of Cultural Geography (pp. 74-87).
Rex, J. (1994). The second project of ethnicity: Transnational migrant communities and ethnic minorities in modern multicultural societies. Innovation: The European Journal of Social Sciences, 7(3), 207-217
Saxenian, A. (2002). Transnational communities and the evolution of global production networks:
Posted at 09:30AM Jun 22, 2007 by William Long in General | Comments[2]
Essay-#5- Jason Preston-Immigrant Transnational Societies Effect Future Social Member?s Opinions of American
Immigrant Transnational Societies Effect Future Social Member's Opinions of AmericanSchool.
Immigrant students from Mexico are an ever-growing force within American public schools. Latinos are the fastest growing minority in the United States, (Ericsdigest.org 2000) and those of Mexican origin are the largest population. This increase in transnational immigrants into the United States has an affect on labor markets, community advocacy, politics, and most significant to this research, education. "Research that connects transnational cultural geographies with economical processes, particularly those focusing on the rise of the network society and the shift to regimes of flexible accumulation, is important to understand the structural factors of how globalization works", (Mitchell pg 77). As immigrant children from Mexico continue to enter American school systems in large numbers, this commonality between them and those they closely communicate and socialize with back home, has an overall effect on the future dynamic of that transnational society. The term transnational society in a global since in not confined to a population in a given geographical area, but also a general population of people in groups that shares something in common. The communication between immigrants and future immigrants can be considered transnational because it often brings individuals who live in separate nation states together in physical groups and social exchanges. Communication between transnational immigrants and future transnational immigrants has an overall impact on the future of transnational societies in the American schools system.
"The increased concentration of transnational immigrants into the American schools context can overtime lead to the formation of a transnational social space if the action of the students serve to keep ties with their country of origin", (Brittain 2001). A majority of minority students often attend schools in America that are highly segregated by characteristics such as race, ethnicity, and spoken language. In many situation co-nationals makeup the major peer group in American schools and becomes the main source of friendship for the newcomers, creating groups of collective transnational societies present in American schools.
With the use of modern communication technology, view about life in the United States may be rapidly sent back to the countries of origin when these immigrants report and share their experiences as "transnational immigrants" in the United States to their co-nationals in their country of origin. The passing of information across borders can contribute to a reproduction of expectations, and acceptance of a particular social position of their own specific national group as newcomers learn from their co-nationals (U.S. Immigrants) about life in the United States schools system.
Current communication between transnational immigrants and future transnational immigrants has an overall global impact on the future of transnational societies in the American school system. "Giddents connects global processes to modernity, arguing that ?modernity is inherently globalizing", (Sreberny-Mohammadi pg. 6). As Mexican immigrants within American Schools relay their experience back to their conational counterparts, opinions and expectations about the American schools system are formed prior to an individuals arrival. The final result is a swayed opinion of future transnational immigrant groups about the quality of education they will be offered in Americanschools, which will ultimately affect the makeup of these transnational societies within the schools systems in the future.
Brittain, C (2001) Voices Across Borders: How Mexican Immigrants Learn About U.S. Schools in Transnational Spaces. pg 1-23
www.Ericsdigest.org (2000). Mexican Immigrants in High Schools: Meeting Their Needs. pg 1-5
Mitchell, K ( 2001). Cultural Geographies of Transnatinality pg 74-84
Sreberny-Mohammadi, A. (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, pg 1-19
Posted at 09:06AM Jun 22, 2007 by PRESTON, JASON in General | Comments[1]
Essay #5 Patrick Bedics Apple
One week from today Apple is releasing the product that the company and stockholders are forecasting as the best piece of technology to hit the market since the debut of the iPod in 2001. The anticipation of this product has generated numerous articles and discussions. Apple sold over 40,000,000 iPods in the year 2006, and is setting their goal at 10 million units for the year 2008 for their new product (Dignan, 2007). The iPhone already has incredible standards to live up to.
Where can you expect to find the iPhone on June 29, 2007? You can find it in every Apple store, every Apple store that is in the United States that is. The release of the iPhone in other countries is still pending numerous factors. Apple is hesitant to solidify the release date of the iPhone in other countries ?until they become confident that the high risk first release of the iPhone proves worthwhile, and more important, quickly earns wide consumer demand and acceptance? (Carson, 2007). This seems to go against the ?Apple Culture? that the company appeared to work so hard to build and maintain.
Clifford asks the question, ?Who determines where (and when) a community draws its lines, names its insiders and outsiders?? (1992). For Apple, a company that has been working so hard to blur the line between all the countries its products reach, it would have seemed like they agreed with Clifford. This new restriction on the release of the iPhone, however, being limited to the United States allows Apple to box themselves back in using the lines of our country. The delay of the iPhone in other countries will emphasize that it is in fact an American made product once it arrives (if it arrives). Even the researches on the goals of this phone have been taken from American statistics. Apple?s motive, with the release of this phone, is to change consumer habits when it comes to cell phones from buying based on the service to buying because of the phone itself (Cuneo, 2007).
For the company that had probably come close to crossing national boundaries without carrying negative connotations and with smooth acceptance, it appears they are distancing themselves with the iPhone. The second of the two hurdles of globalization that Sreberny-Mohammadi presents is ?to develop adequate theoretical tools to conceptualize the dynamics? (1996, p2). Apple had those tools mastered, and has been incredibly successful in the aspect of getting their name and products built up in multiple countries, but they are taking two steps back by limiting the release of the iPhone next Friday to the United States. Countries that thought of Apple as their own could be re-thinking the thought process of the company.
REFERENCES
Carson, H. (2007). Apple iphone release date ? sort of. KSN Tech ? Daily News & Reviews. Retrieved on June 21, 2007, from http://www.kickstartnews.com/2007/06/apple-iphone-release-date-sort-of.html
Clifford, J. (1992). Traveling cultures. In Cultural Studies, edited by L. Grossberg, C. Nelson and P. Treichler. 96-112
Cuneo, A. Telecoms shore up defenses for iphone invasion. Advertising Age 78(23): 14
Dignan, L. (2007). Apple?s iphone: Is 10 million units in 2008 realistic? Seeking Alpha. Retrieved on June 21, 2007, from http://ce.seekingalpha.com/article/37415
Sreberny-Mohammadi, A. (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, 1-19
Posted at 08:17AM Jun 22, 2007 by BEDICS, PATRICK in General | Comments[3]
Essay #5- Julia Tew- Marginlized groups and globalization
The modern era of globalization has certainly brought changes to the international landscape. Inter, and intra-national, relationships are all impacted by modern globalization?s extensive, and speedy, reach. Nations, networks, and individuals are now situated within a transnational community, or even many communities. From a political standpoint, the increase in mobility and the speed and breadth of communication possibilities create more heavily intertwined interdependencies for states than in previous eras. And the changes are not merely political. Increasingly, globalization, as its moniker implies, requires multi-pronged approaches. Networks, organizations, and individuals interact with globalizing factors on multiple levels. Sreberny-Mohammadi notes that ?issues such as peace, development, the environment, and human rights? can each ?assume a global character? (1996, p. 11). Thus for transnational organizations like Amnesty International (AI), political, social, technological, cultural and personal aspects are combined within one universal movement- one that is also many in its multifaceted expressions.AI strives to promote global adoption of a universally understood and respected notion of human rights. Rhetorical consistency is encouraged through explicitly stated objectives, beliefs, goals and methods of operation (Amnesty International 2007). These draw from similar well-known and accepted documents from the human rights discourse, such as United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and are communicated to the various publics primarily through AI?s website (Winter, 2003, p. 384, Amnesty International, 2007). The goal is ultimately global adoption and adherence to these beliefs and the formation and enforcement of local, regional, national, and international policy that supports this agenda.
There are some clear obstacles to AI?s success. Some issues are technical- not all potential supporters have access to AI?s information and assistance through the Internet. Although the organization also distributes information in the form of press releases that are frequently picked up by nation and international new agencies, again, access is potentially limited by location, with certain populations enjoying a greater degree of access to worldwide press and the necessary education to process the information. These limitations act to reproduce informed and influential ?communities? of transnational elites, while still regulating certain people, perhaps those in the most desperate need of AI?s services, to the margins (Wresch, 1996).
Despite marginalized positions, these less mobile, less connected populations are still experiencing the effects of a globalized human rights ideology. As Mitchell explains, ?centre-margin binaries are no longer adequate for addressing the? relationships between? flows? (2003, p.79). It is insufficient to simply call the marginalized marginalized without evaluating their interactions with the world around them. Clifford draws on the analogy of traveling to illustrate how travel may occur without the benefit of bourgeois status (through virtual experiences provided by technology) and Gilroy rather poetically describes the transnational traveling experiences of a decidedly oppressed population, slaves, as they traversed the Atlantic in multiple directions (Clifford, 1992, p. 103, Gilroy, 1996). Similarly, Ehrenreich and Hochschild draw attention to another, although globally mobile, socially invisible population of female migrant workers, hired by affluent Western families and businesses (2002). All of these serve as particular examples of populations traditionally regarded as disadvantaged in the global community, but who are experiencing and in some cases leveraging globalization to their advantage, thus lending credibility to AI?s endeavors to reach populations sometimes considered unreachable. In a recent Washington Post article, AI?s work in Afghanistan demonstrated some surprising tangible results for one such invisible population- the women of war-torn Afghanistan. Despite an otherwise gloomy report on the state of affairs (and human rights), AI?s concentrated efforts have resulted in ?a better overall economy and more rights for women? (Washington Post, 2007, p. A11). It?s a small but positive step for women in Afghanistan, but perhaps something equally worthy of note, is that this news of a minor Middle Eastern population is being reported in a major U.S. newspaper.
Amnesty International. (2007). About Amnesty International. Retrieved May 31, 2007,
from http://web.amnesty.org/pages/aboutai-index-eng
Clifford, J. (1992). ?Traveling Cultures.? In Cultural Studies, edited by L. Grossberg, C. Nelson and P. Treichler. New York and London: Routledge. p. 96-112. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6048.pdf.
Ehrenreich, B. and Hochschild, A. (eds.) (2002). Global women: Nannies, maids, and sex workers in the new global economy: Introduction. p. 1- 13. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
Gilroy, P. (1996). ?Route Work: The Black Atlantic and the Politics of Exile.? In The Post-colonial Question: Common Skies, Divided Horizons, edited by I. Chambers and L. Curti. London and New York: Routledge. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6047.pdf.
Sreberny-Mohammadi, A. (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, p. 1-19. Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files2/h6049.pdf.
Winter, B. (2006). Religion, culture and women's human rights: Some general political and theoretical considerations. Women's Studies International Forum, 29(4). 381-393.
Witte, G. (Feb. 24, 2007). Afghans see marked decline since 2005: Violence, corruption, U.S. role add to unease and loss of confidence, report says. Washington Post. p. A11.
Posted at 01:37AM Jun 22, 2007 by TEW, JULIA in General | Comments[3]
Thursday Jun 21, 2007
Essay 5 - Allison Cuculich - Music Builds a Transnational Bond
Music Builds a Transnational Bond
The multiple communities that we feel we are a part of helps in building our identity as a whole. Almost everyone has that sense of belonging as though they have their foot in a number of doors, all leading to separate cultures and communities of people. This idea of a transnational civil society, as made popular by Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi, is one that does not exist in present day but is something that can be more easily achieved than the old notion of a single global culture (1996). The fact that there is an abundance of communities that exist, almost guarantees that there is not going to be one community that can contain everyone in the world.
Music has developed into a booming medium that draws people in collectively, its own community. The way that music has become such a strong community is because of the support of almost everyone throughout the world. There are other media forms that are easy for people to reject or deny because they do not believe in what is being presented or accept it, but music is a form that many more embrace. Within the much larger category of the music community, there are the subcategories of genres and even smaller lays the millions upon millions of individual musicians and bands. Immanuel Kant had this belief about an aesthetic community that is essentially ?a community that forms and undoes itself on the basis of taste?(Erlmann, 1998, p. 12). If there were ever a perfect example of an aesthetic community, music would be the poster child.
Even more so than movies, musical events have the ability to draw in large numbers of people into the same venue to experience the sounds that attract them to their community. This makes music a very rare transnational community because everyone who feels a part of the specific community that a particular band is a part of can listen to their music from the privacy of their own homes as well as come to a venue that the musicians are actually live to perform in. Music that has not been recorded naturally becomes open to the public as it is played out loud for ears to receive. Obviously, nowadays you have to pay a fluctuating amount of money to see the musicians in good ear shot that you are fans of, but there will always be the free-loaders and passersby that could potentially hear this music (Lange, 2005, p. 1).
Pulling this concept together can be further supported by the vision of the perfect sphere by Habermas. This idea is that this social space in which our communities exist are not determined by the geographical space that they stem from or by the market system (Sreberny-Mohammadi, 1996, p. 9). For the musical community, this means it will be a seamless transition between countries without hesitation to listen based on the nation ties. This is already in the works as so many musicians today allow themselves to market into a variety of countries. There are many reasons that musicians want to pursue a career in other countries than their own, and being unsuccessful in their native has proven to rank among the top. The example of the slave girl that was not allowed to publish in America, sought after other countries outside where she lived to share her works with (Gilroy, 1996, p. 18) is a similar story to many musicians who are looking for a career but are seemingly forced to pursue that dream outside of their country.
Music is a staple in the progression towards transnational communities developing. There is this world which has produced so many types of music and an extraordinary amount of musicians, and is still able to keep a constantly massive fan base. Music is one of the communities that reach almost everyone, globally, and people can count as one of the communities that they belong to.
References
Erlmann, V. (1998). How beautiful is small? Music, globalization and the aesthetic of the local. Yearbook for Traditional Music, 30 12-21.
Gilroy, P. (1996). Route work: The black atlantic and the politics of exile. In The Post-Colonial Question: Common Skies, Divided Horizons, 17-29.
Lange, R. (2005). Is digitized music becoming a quasi-public good? Conference Papers ? International Communication Association, 1-26.
Srenberny-Mohammadi, A. (1996). Globalization, communication and transnational civil society: Introduction. In S. Braman and A. Sreberny-Mohammadi (Eds.), Globalization, communication and transnational civil society, 1-19.
Posted at 09:59PM Jun 21, 2007 by CUCULICH, ALLISON in General | Comments[6]
Friday Jun 15, 2007
Essay #4 - Jeff Jacobson - Hybridization in the United Kingdom: The British Place in Media Production
When looking at UK media production, one will often see a fear that US media production will dominate or destroy British influences. While it is true that US programming is a major force in the world of television, upon closer examination we can see that British production has many influences converging, including its own vaunted history. This hybridization of influences means that while there is some influence from the US, it is not the only influence. The UK does and will certainly experience influences from a variety of sectors, but this will not turn it into a clone of another culture; rather, the UK will continue to create its own unique media culture, though perhaps one that is slightly different from its historic past.British television has a long history of critically acclaimed television production. The 1950s and 60s are referred to as the ?new wave? in British television (Cooke, 2005, p. 24). The programs produced then were vaunted for their ?working-class realism,? especially as the programs transitioned from live studio productions to shows shot on location with film (Cooke, p. 24). Characters in the shows spoke with dialects authentic to the northern, working-class regions (Cooke, p. 25). This broke away from the dominance of London?s upper-class culture and created television that spoke ?to, and for, its working-class audience? (Cooke, p. 25). Since then, British television has continued to break new ground and find critical acclaim.
However, in recent years, many American imports have received critical acclaim at the expense of British programming, with some declaring American drama to be ?generally superior to that made in Britain? (Cooke, 2005, p. 23). Whether that is true or not could certainly be debated and would ultimately be at least partially a matter of opinion, but to state that there is no good British television would certainly be false. Lez Cooke points to 5 indicators that British dramatic television is experiencing a new ?new wave? (p. 25). These are: (1) a return to regional locations, (2) the presentation ?of a new working-class,? (3) innovative styles and postmodern visuals, (4) use of music in propelling the narrative, and (5) greater diversity in characters (Cooke, p. 25). While there may be some American influences on this, the result is still a distinctly British style.
Doreen Massey (1993) points out that with a progressive sense of place we would recognize a number of influences, and even identities, in a space (pp. 65?67). We do well to consider what influences have developed this current British style, the ?place? where British television is at the moment. One obvious source is the strong history of British television that many of the current producers have grown-up on and experienced throughout their lives. One example is the way we see regionalism and working-class representations in Cooke?s assessment of both the new ?new wave? and the old (2005, pp. 24?25). Another source, one whose amount of influence is debated, is current and past American productions. Some critics draw comparisons between British police shows such as Cardiac arrest, This life, and The cops, and American shows like Homicide: Life on the streets or NYPD blue (Cooke, pp. 27?28). Some of this influence is denied by the producers; Tony Garnett is quoted by Cooke as saying:
If people really look at these shows they?ll see that they?re not similar. But if they see a fairly busy camera, the illiterates who write about these things, the cine-illiterates, will say that they?re the same. In fact, the visual style and the lighting on Cardiac was very much the creation of David Hayman. (p. 28)This highlights another influence: the ?wobbly camera? comes from the use of new, low-cost digital video techniques in production (Cooke, pp. 27?28). This is a result of the influence from the spread of technology, what Arjun Appadurai called ?technoscapes? (1990, pp. 297?298). Along with that is the ?finanscape,? manifest here in the need to cut costs and work with less budget in an era of increased competition (Appadurai, p. 298). This has been a point of pride for British digital channel ITV2, which in September 2006 had roughly double the viewership share of its nearest rivals while operating on a significantly smaller budget (Clarke, 2006, ¶6?7). Thus, these new British dramas are not merely copycats of American imports, but are the result of a complex interaction between a variety of cultural flows.
The success of this new wave is starting to become evident. While many of these shows have been on smaller channels, Cooke (2005) points out that many of these shows or elements of this new wave are finding their way into the programming of the major British channels (p. 30). Quality television is a good thing no matter its source, and just because one source that was previously not seen as good improves (in this case American), it does not mean that the old standard bearer (in this case Britain) cannot continue to improve and innovate as well. Likely, this new wave of British television will soon gain greater recognition for its own contributions to quality programming.
References
Appadurai, A. (1990). Disjuncture and difference in the global economy. Theory, Culture & Society, 7, 295?310.
Clarke, S. (2006). ITV2?s formula for success. Television, 43 (10), 14?15. Retrieved June 14, 2007, from: http://www.rts.org.uk/magazine_det.asp?id=5063&sec_id=862
Cooke, L. (2005). A ?new wave? in British television drama. Media International Australia Incorporating Culture and Policy, (115), 23?32.
Massey, D. (1993). Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place. In, J. Bird, et al. (Eds.), Mapping the futures: Local cultures, global change (pp. 59?69). London: Routledge.
Posted at 02:37PM Jun 15, 2007 by Jeff Jacobson in General | Comments[0]
Essay 4: Tisha Buelto - Localization in a Developing Nation
Tisha Buelto
Essay 3
06.15.07
Blogging for Darfur: Localization in a Developing Nation
First and foremost, to present a back drop, non-profit governmental organizations (NGOs), such as Save Darfur, an alliance of organizations committed to making the public aware of the ongoing genocide in Darfur, utilize blogging as a means of heralding their mission around the world (2007). The site blog is cross-posted between SaveDarfur.org and GlobeforDarfur.org. And with Internet access barely penetrating one-sixth of the world's population, GlobeforDarfur.org, in particular, stands as a prime example of human rights blogging sites that contradictorily call upon the world to take action. GlobeforDarfur.org blogs in several different languages. For the most part, the blogs tend to be translated from one language to the next, but particular stories are catered to particular countries as well. The manner in which the blogging sites are translated and cater particular articles to different blogs is at the very least, minimal evidence contradicting Hardt and Negri's theory of a global empire (2000).
Building upon these thoughts, ?the idea that globalization erodes the power of the state,? is a theory that Morris and Waisbord examine in their article, ?Media and Globalization: Why the State Matters? (2001). Massey discusses a specific problem of this function of globalization, when she addresses the notion that there are receivers of globalization who are not senders (1993). A reaction to this sort of globalization is localization. Localization is the process of adapting something to a particular community. Hines elaborates on localization as ?a process which reverses the trend of globalization by discriminating in favour of the local? (2000). This idea of localization is significant in that ?localization can further the aims of a wider range of movements concerned with improving social infrastructure (such as schools, housing, hospitals, transport, etc), environmental protection and the economic position of the majority in the developing world? (Hines 2000).
Hines discusses several criteria for which community sustainability can be achieved. Among these ten criteria are: (1) diverse wildlife and good air, water and soil quality; (2) low energy use and waste, coupled with warm homes and resource-efficient businesses; and (3) sustainable lifestyles, requiring less unhealthy and unnecessary consumption and resource use, encouraged and facilitated by education, information and opportunities supporting lifestyle change (2000). It is important that these criteria are met from a local standpoint, as there is variance from each local community to the next.
Henceforth, in applying this concept to the Globe for Darfur blogging site, it is important that they continue their own sort of localization in adapting their blogs to different communities. For GlobeforDarfur.org, their audience or community is divisible by language. So it is necessary that they cater blogs to those address those differences.
References:
Globe for Darfur (2007). ?Blog.? Retrieved May 25, 2007, from http://www.globefordarfur.org/blog.
Hardt, Michael, and Negri, Antonio (2000). ?Preface? (pp.xi-xvii) and Part I (pp. 1-66), Empire. Cambridge, MA, and London, England: Harvard University Press. Online: http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/~wiley/courses/447/hardtnegri2000.pdf.
Hines, Colin (2000). ?From Globalization to Localization- A Potential Rallying Call.? Ch. 4., Localization: A Global Manifesto. James & James: Earthscan. Pp.27-37. Online:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=w0c0QHxgdSUC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=localization+ globalization&ots=hOYkp4RQDr&sig= oo8hctjiGZxvML2NkvtQHG9hTxY#PPA27,M1
Massey,
Doreen (1993). ?Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place.?
Ch. 4. in Bird, John, et al.
(editors),
Mapping the Futures: Local Cultures, Global Change. London:
Routledge. Pp.59-69. Electronic
reserve:
http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files/h5217.pdf.
Save Darfur (2007). ?Blog.? Retrieved May 25, 2007, from http://www.savedarfur.org/blog.
Waisbord,
Silvio, and Morris, Nancy (2001). Introduction: Rethinking media
globalization and state power. In
Silvio
Waisbord and Nancy Morris (editors), Media and
Globalization: Why the State Matters. Lanham,
MD;Boulder, CO; New York, NY; and Oxford, UK: Rowman and
Littlefield. Pp. vii-xvi. Online:
http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/~wiley/courses/447/WaisbordMorris2001.pdf
Posted at 01:35PM Jun 15, 2007 by BUELTO, TISHA in General | Comments[1]
Essay 4-Music and the Global Community
Arjun Appadurai's idea of 5 different landscapes are a perfect channel for understanding the relationship between money, international politics, and global media present during the Live 8 concerts on July 2nd, 2005. The relationship between ideoscapes and mediascapes is particularly interesting. Mediascapes refer to the capabilities to produce information in the media as well as the images that are produced (Appadurai, 1990). Ideoscapes are defined as "concentrations of images, but they are often directed politically and frequently have to do with the ideologies of states and the counter-ideologies of movements explicitly oriented to capturing state power or a piece of it" (Appadurai, 1990, 299). The mediascape of the Live 8 concerts was vast. The concerts were available to be viewed on television, streamed on the internet, heard on satellite radio, and later available for purchase on DVD. The ideoscape of these concerts relied on the vast mediascape to make the idea of ending African poverty global. These concerts are a perfect example of the media wishing to publicize the counter-ideology of musicians and activists around the world.Appadurai also mentions how mediascapes and ideoscapes use ethnicity and images of different ethnoscapes (in my case, images of starving African villages), which have blurred the boundaries of identity based on location and that we "stay linked to one another through vast media capabilities" (Appadurai, 1990, 306). This was the case during the Live 8 concerts, when the vast media capabilities mentioned above attempted to link the globe together using the African ethnoscape as a common link. This directly relates to Doreen Massey's concept of an "adequately progressive sense of place". Her notion of place is "one which would fit in with the current global-local times, and the feelings and relations they give rise to and one which would be useful in what are, after all, our inevitably place-based political struggles" (Massey, 1993, 64). The African poverty ideoscape behind the Live 8 concerts is definitely a place-based political struggle, but we can avoid drawing boundaries outside of the realm of the African problem. National boundaries seemed to disappear as people in America watched hours of concert footage taking place in Germany, Italians in Rome watched Americans in Philadelphia enjoying the same music they were, and so on and so forth. Mediascapes and ideoscapes seemed to break down national boundaries while the world came together to attempt to resolve a place-based political struggle. Waisbord and Morris (2001) seem to echo this idea. They state, "the availability of transnational media may facilitate the creation of transnational collective identities" (xiii). Before the rise of transnational and global media corporations, this was not possible when the first Live Aid concerts took place in 1985. Although the concerts were available on 95% of televisions around the world, different nations around the world saw different content. Some saw abbreviated versions of the concerts, some nations saw interviews and press conferences, and some nations saw the entire concert (http://liveaid.free.fr/). The exact opposite occured with the Live 8 concerts. American and British media corporations used the cause of ending African poverty to bring over 3 billion people together around the world together over the internet, radio, and television in an environment where ethnic and cultural differences were set aside in light of powerful cultural citizenship.
References
Appadurai, Arjun (1990). Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Economy. Public Culture 2(2): 1-24
Massey, Doreen (1993). "Power Geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place". Ch 4 in Bird, John et. al.
(editors) Mapping the Futures : Local Cultures, Global Change. London, Routledge 59-69
Waisbord, Silvio, and Morris, Nancy (2001). Introduction: Rethinking media globalization and state
power. In Media and Globalization: Why the State Matters. Lanham, MD; Boulder, CO; New
Yor, NY; and Oxford, UK: Rowman and Littlefield. Pp. vii-xvi.
http://liveaid.free/fr.// Accessed Wednesday June 13th, 2007 8:00 pm
Posted at 12:06PM Jun 15, 2007 by FULTON, WILLIAM in General | Comments[8]
Essay 4, Alicia Thomas, Native Reactions to Globalization
When the time came a few years ago to find an Inuktitut term for the word ?Internet?,
In our class studies this week, we looked at responses to globalization and how they are adapted in different contexts. My research suggests the continued efforts of Native populations in creating hybridized and localized flows to counter Western globalization. Multi-directional flows are also influencing these trends. Increasingly, indigenous communities are adapting modern technology to their traditional heritage(s), to construct their group identity and inhabit a new ?space.? ?Cultural anthropologists examining contemporary Native storytelling have described storytelling as an important narrative event that empowers and constructs group identity. Storytelling has modern forms that extend beyond the traditions of tribal history and culture? (Reaves, 1995, p. 60.)
The storytelling, so to speak, of NVISION?s mission and implementation across ?Native?
?The availability of transnational media may facilitate the creation of transnational collective identities. Electronic mail groups and global news networks provide the communication backbone for global and political activities. Constant flows of media materials between home countries and diasporic communities feed long-distance nationalisms? (Waisbord & Morris, 2001, p. 7). Placed under the microscope of ?Native America?, this hybridization is creating multi-directional flows between different tribes and cultures. Each tribe is a distinct community or ?nation?, but cyberspace is redefining the sense of ?place? and ?boundaries?. Also, as mentioned above, the organization NVISION and its project of reaching global media flows from a Native perspective are an example of this as well, but, also speak to the ?global cultural economy? ideology. Appadurai argues that this is directly influenced by global disjunctures. ?Ideas of nationhood appear to be steadily increasing in scale and regularly crossing existing state boundaries (1990, p. 304). Not only is this media crossing boundaries within Native America, (different tribes/nations, urban vs. rural population dynamic) it is reaching Native communities across the Western hemisphere as well as connecting with the wider world.
Are these progressive forms of globalization processes affecting identity and how groups organize in a negative way? There are undoubtedly challenges to modernizing sovereign indigenous communities without sacrificing traditional constructs of their ethnicity. Massey tells us that there is not a ?seamless, coherent identity, a single sense of place which everyone shares? (1993, p. 65) and ?this in turn allows a sense of place which is extra-verted, which includes a consciousness of its links with the wider world, which integrates in a positive way the global and the local (1993, p. 66). This essay shows that Natives are making inroads and achieving this.
It is imperative that ethnic communities find ways to coexist and thrive in the realm of globalization. The challenge lies in marrying the global and the local without losing the ?communal? tradition that threads the Native community together. I hope to expand my research next week in looking at movements of this and how they are affecting the Native community and its unique position within the wider world.
Massey, Doreen (1993). "Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place."
Reaves, Sheila. Native American journalists: Finding a pipeline into journalism. Newspaper Research Journal, Fall1995, Vol. 16 Issue 4, p57-73
Soukup, Katarina. Travelling in Layers: Inuit Artists Appropriate New Technologies. Canadian Journal of Communications, Vol. 31, No. 1 (2006). pp 239-246.)
Waisbord, Silvio, and Morris,
www.nvisionit.org (Retrieved June 13, 2007).
Posted at 12:02PM Jun 15, 2007 by alicia kathryn thomas in General | Comments[2]
Essay #4- Julia Tew- Afghani women's rights in context
The situated context of Afghani women?s universal and cultural rights.While it is popular to imagine culture, tradition, and even nations as possessing a consistent unchanging character, such constructions are inaccurate As Massey explains, the culture and context of any given place is relative and open to interpretation (1993). Not only do traditions and culture change and adapt over time, but the meanings assigned to particular places or traditions vary from group to group and individual to individual. These understandings often spring from subtle power structures, or what Massey terms ?power-geometry? (Massey, 1993, p. 61). As she explains, ?Different social groups and different individuals are placed in very distinct ways? it is also about power? (p. 61).
Winter (2006) builds more specifically on this theory, exploring the constructions of women?s rights as either universal rights or subsets of ?group? rights (p. 381). The chosen construction frequently depends on the powerful social actors? interpretation of the meanings and contexts of the specific rights in question. Often, religion and tradition are invoked to provide support for one interpretation over another. These two issues become particularly relevant in modern Afghan society, where religion is a key part of culture and is continually being evaluated and updated based on understandings of the religious tradition. What some deem as mere cultural or religious differences, as does Pfaff (2006), others situate within a framework of universal understanding. Take for example the Muslim tradition, and sometimes state law, of women?s head coverings. Pfaff intuitively defines this a cultural tradition, not worthy of questioning specifically, but as a non-moral civilization difference (2006, p. 14). Winter, however, repositions the issue within a broader context, seeking similarities with situations across the global in order to understand not only the particular place and time, but also the traditions, adaptations and power structures that have shaped and continue to mold the traditions.
Much work on the issue of globalization and change revolves around issues of culture, homogenization and the role of nation-states. But as Winter (2006) and Massey (1993) contend, evaluating these aspects without an eye toward power relations paints an incomplete portrait. Morris and Waisbord comment on the cultural flows concerning human rights that ?from the outside in, human rights groups such as Amnesty International communicate directly with affected publics? (2001, p. xiv). But this optimistic observation is quite minimal. While it is true that AI and similar groups strive to communicate directly with their ?affected publics?, their communication and their access is understandably restricted and reframed within the context of national and global culture. This culture, according to Winter, is one that universally privileges males, restructuring and re-interpreting society and its laws to serve masculine interests, including a continued suppression of females (2006, p.383). This, she states, is not merely a culturally contextual practice but one that is prevalent across national and religious boundaries. Additionally, she adds a critique of human rights groups, similar to AI, that strive to make changes within the confines of this oppressive systems and through the assistance of the oppressors, namely the male-dominated national governments. This type of collusion cannot be enough, as it still situates women as secondary humans (Winter, 2006, p.385).
Massey, Doreen (1993). ?Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place.? Ch. 4. in Bird, John, et al. (editors), Mapping the Futures: Local Cultures, Global Change. London: Routledge. Pp.59-69. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files/h5217.pdf.
Pfaff, W. (June 16, 2006). Clash of cultures: Globalization and the march of Western values. Commonweal. 13-17.
Waisbord, Silvio, and Morris, Nancy (2001). Introduction: Rethinking media globalization and state power. In Silvio Waisbord and Nancy Morris (editors), Media and Globalization: Why the State Matters. Lanham, MD; Boulder, CO; New York, NY; and Oxford, UK: Rowman and Littlefield. Pp. vii-xvi. Online: http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/~wiley/courses/447/WaisbordMorris2001.pdf.
Winter, B. (2006). Religion, culture and women's human rights: Some general political and theoretical considerations. Women's Studies International Forum, 29(4). 381-393.
Posted at 11:56AM Jun 15, 2007 by TEW, JULIA in General | Comments[3]
Essay #4 Claire de Lespinois- WSF: Space or Movement?
The theology of the World Social Forum is predominantly based on the statement, ?Another world is Possible.? (WSF, 2007). Even though this strives to move away from the idea of a set school of ideals, and a typical train of thought, the WSF does face very typical problems within the forum. One end of the spectrum demands the space of the forum in order to maximize diversity and individual freedom of thought. The other end however insists that the organization must stabilize in order to address the growing needs of the community as a whole.According to Giorel Curran, Chico Whitaker, one of the ideologists of the open space model, defines a space as ?having no leaders? and being ?horizontal?(2007, p. 10). Those who argue for the space model promote WSF as a forum for ideological diversity, self-governing in a civil society. This means that it has no set power or strict rule. While some feel this autonomy is the best way where multiple voices can be heard equally, critics complain that in order for something to survive and be successful it needs a governing power to protect and guide it (Curran, 2007, p. 10). The idea of the WSF as a space directly contradicts the thoughts of Silvia Waisbord and Nancy Morris. These two authors believe that ? The rise of transnational organizations, the unprecedented worldwide expansion of corporations and market economies?..render obsolete the basis of stateness, the existence and protection of sovereign territory? (2001, paragraph 1). They believe in the importance of the state, while the space model for the WSF remains without a state.
On the opposing side is the idea of the WSF as not an open space, but instead a movement. This idea of political movement demands some sense of hierarchical power and a collective conscious towards certain objectives. Those who would argue for political movement believe that the WSF should cease being a ?talking shop and start taking power.? (Curran, 2007, p. 10). Such would include delegating political power towards an institutional reform. Followers of this method believe reform would organize and better enable the WSF to more effectively take action towards political and social change.
While these are the two main views under dispute, not all arguments fall under these two distinct categories. Some people have a different idea of what the term space actually means. Going back to the WSF?s slogan of ?Another world is possible?, some people argue that the WSF is just that. Followers of this model would agree with the concept of ?imagined worlds? as presented by Arjun Appadurai. This concept implies, ?there are multiple worlds which are constituted by historically situated imaginations of persons and groups spread around the globe? (Appadurai, 1990, p. 297). Within this imagined new world, change and progression can occur. This is just one of the multiple views that can be applied to the WSF, thus further emphasizing its broadness.
To encompass the ideas and resolutions of the entire globe, while protecting the identity and voice of the individual is a task that involves a great deal of balance. While the WSF faces much criticism, the majority comes from the sheer size of the forum. Hammond states that, ?A global movement has to be big, but the Social Forum bursts at the seams (2005, paragraph 61). This large size challenges the forums ability to set up meeting spaces to accommodate people. It also leaves little time for everyone to express their items of concern. Also, followers of the WSF constantly battle of whether it is a political space or an actual movement. While not everyone can agree on the exact definition of the WSF, they can all agree with one thing: the world needs our help.
References:
Appadurai, Arjun. (1990). Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Economy. Public Culture 2 (2): p. 296-308.
Curran, Giorel. (2007). Making Anither World Possible? The Politics of the World Social Forum. Social Alternatives. First Quarter, Vol. 26 Issue 1, p. 7-12.
Hammond, John. L. The World Social Forum and the Emergence of Global Grassroots politics. Retrieved 13 June 2007, from http://www.wpunj.edu/newpol/issue42/
Hammond42.htm.
Waisbord, Silvio, and Morris, Nancy (2001). Introduction: Rethinking media globalization and state power. In Silvio Waisbord and Nancy Morris (editors),
Media and Globalization: Why the State Matters. Lanham, MD; Boulder, CO;
New York, NY; and Oxford, UK: Rowman and Littlefield. Pp. vii-xvi.
WSF. Retrieved 13 June 2007, from www.wsf 2007.org
Posted at 11:16AM Jun 15, 2007 by DELESPINOIS, CATHERINE in General | Comments[2]
Essay #4-Keitris Weathersbe-The Influence of New York City as a 'Place'
The Influence of
There are several factors to take into consideration when describing the most populous city in the
The five dimensions of global cultural flow, as outlined by Arjun Appadurai, help to categorize the functions of
?
References
1. Appadurai, A. (1990). Disjuncture and difference in the global economy. Public Culture, 2(2), p295-310.
2. Massey, Doreen. (1993). ?Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place.?
3. The Role of Metro Areas in the
4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City
Posted at 11:00AM Jun 15, 2007 by WEATHERSBE, KEITRIS in General | Comments[2]
Walt Disney Company
Walt Disney characters, films, theme parks, and products are loved by children all over the world. Disney World and
For example, when the Disneyland Paris theme park opened in the early nineteen-nineties, it received large amounts of negative criticism for being culturally insensitive to its European tourists. Not only were guests to the theme park upset that wine was not offered, but Disney also did not understand, or take the time to research how Europeans plan their vacations. Unlike most Americans, Europeans tend to rely heavily upon travel agencies when booking their vacations, instead of directly contacting the resort itself (Holson, 2005).
The Walt Disney Company took special care to avoid stepping on cultural toes again, when it began construction of Disneyland Hong Kong by altering their normal practices and incorporating aspects of the local culture into their product and design instead of simply imposing their own on consumers; practicing localization (Hines, 2000). Engineers, architects, and construction workers ?Feng Shui-ed? their building plans. Incense is burned when a building is completed. A virtual pond with virtual fish will adorn an upscale restaurant in the park, and images of fire will be depicted on a screen behind the bar. Cash registers are going to be located in corners, where it is believed they will be more prosperous (Holson, 2005). Disney has even taken into consideration, the unlucky connotations associated with the number four in Chinese culture. Therefore, there are no fourth floor buttons on any of the elevators in the park. There is, however, plenty of evidence of the lucky number eight. For example, a ballroom in one of the hotels is eight hundred, eighty-eight meters squared (Holson 2005).
Yet, while localization of the company?s practices and plans is a joint effort between Walt Disney executives and the Chinese government, there is a case of hybridization of a globally beloved Disney character that is clearly a lone work of the culture in which it appears. In
References
Hines, C. (2000). Localization: A global manifesto.
Holson, L. (2005, April 25). Disney bows to feng shui. The New York Times. Retrieved
Riedemann, D. (2007, May 9). Mickey Mouse clone teaches hate: costumed character on Hamas show violates Disney copyright. Retrieved
Posted at 09:42AM Jun 15, 2007 by COX, KATIE in General | Comments[3]
Essay #4 - Christina Kellmann - Localization or Americanization?
My research up until now has focused on the effects of
Americanization on advertising in foreign countries. There is evidence to show
that it does indeed have an impact on certain cultures, like
Re-examining the definition of place is one way that we can show the relationship between globalization and localization. A place no longer has a single identity (Massey, 1993, p. 65). There can be an array of different cultures represented in one single area. ?If it is now recognized that people have multiple identities, then the same point can be made in relation to places? Along with this goes the notion that media corporations have overwhelmed nations to the point that they no longer have control over their own markets. This is true to an extent but it is not as extreme as it seems. Waisbord and Morris (2001) say, ?It would be unwarranted, however, to conclude that the state no longer matters? (p. ix) and then say, ?Also, there is insufficient evidence for asserting the death of the state, because the state remains under analyzed in the literature on media globalization? (p. ix). A place should include a ?consciousness of its links with the wider world, which integrates in a positive way the global and the local? (Massey, 1993, p. 66). So while globalization has some effect on the definition of place, a majority of the evidence shows that on a local level, the media have not completely taken over.
What
matters in terms of globalization and Americanization in foreign advertising is
being sure that the target audience understands the message, and this helps
lead to localization. The question is, ?How can we sell a standardized product to local and
different consumers?? (Guidere, 2002, ¶ 2). One study in an
Arabic-speaking country showed that advertisements had to not only be
translated, but the sentence structure had to be changed into a way that was
more commonly used in local advertisements to better get to the target audience
(Shakir, 1995). Adapting to a local region?s ?place? is important because ?the relevance and the
influence of the local culture are still very substantial in numerous countries
around the globe? (Guidere, 2002, ¶ 9). Wiley (2006) found that ?the increasing
enmeshment of
The changing
sense of place contributes to more nations becoming focused on localization,
and in turn this makes media corporations have to adapt to their target
audiences. This is not to say that globalization is not occurring, but it is
occurring in a different way. Many cultures can still be represented in a
certain place while maintaining a local structure.
Sources:
Guidere, M. (2002). The translation of advertisements: From
adaptation to localization. Retrieved
Massey, D. (1993).
?Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place.?
Shakir,
A. (1995). The translation of advertisements: Registeral and schematic
constraints. Meta. Pp. 62-72. Online:
http://www.erudit.org/revue/meta/1995/v40/n1/004123ar.pdf
Waisbord, Silvio, and Morris,
Wiley, S. B. C. (in press).
Transnation: Globalization and the reorganization of Chilean television in the
early 1990s. Forthcoming in the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media.
Posted at 09:28AM Jun 15, 2007 by KELLMANN, CHRISTINA in General | Comments[2]
Essay #4 Patrick Bedics Apple
Apple is a company that has been working hard to sidestep the stigma of Americanization. It is this conscious effort to avoid this dominant title that has allowed them the room for success in the global market. With an estimated income of $70 million in the international sales alone, I think they have proven to be successful in avoiding being placed into that category (Johnson, Petrecca, & Halliday, 1997, p3). Apple?s mentality seems to match that of Arjun Appadurai as he feels that critics seem to forget that as things are ?brought into new societies they tend to become indigenized in one or other way? (1990, p295). It is that very idea that is established to push away from the idea that Americanization is something that is easily achieved.
The threat of local countries becoming a dominant factor is much more real to certain countries, than is the thought of Western culture being forced (Appadurai, 1990, p295). This illustrates that even though it is not necessarily simple to create a force deserving of the title of Americanization, but companies can still go into business with all intentions of avoiding even the hint of it. Apple was once considered the runt of the business world, but quickly changed its status with the outbreak of iPods. As mentioned in previous essays, this is a product of Apple that crosses a lot of geographical boundaries. How does that piece of Apple not carry the idea of Americanization?
A situation Massey describes, is that people feel like they knew a certain street but now there are different shops and restaurants that occupy this space and that creates a distance from that person to what they once knew (1993, p1). This cannot be said in the present anymore. The population today is not phased anymore by the idea of foreign objects, media, or people that come into their native country. We are not phased, because it happens all too often whether you are accepting or rejecting of it. Because we know that there is inevitably going to be the presence of other countries within our own nowadays, the finger is not able to be strongly pointed at one country or another. That fact has allowed Apple to spread their products, namely the iPod, to other countries without coming off as a dominating American force.
Working with, instead of against another countries enables Apple to push themselves product by product into the corners of the globe without being seen as an evil force. Apple, of course, is out to collect profits but they are also bringing the products to people that they want and that is what has built credibility with consumers globally. Daniel Altman wrote in a blog in the International Herald Tribune, ?How can you tell when a company?s feeling powerful? One way is when its boss believes that he can give away a moneymaker, change the way a global industry operates, and still come out on top. And that?d what has happened at Apple? (2007, p1).
REFERENCES
Altman, D. (2007). Is copy protection obsolete? International Herald Tribune. Retrieved on June 13, 2007, from http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/business/globalization/?p=351
Appadurai, A. (1990). Disjuncture and difference in the global cultural economy. Public Culture 2(2):1-24
Johnson, B., Petrecca, L., & Halliday, J. (1997). Reunited: Jobs, clow aim to rebuild apple ?very quickly.? Advertising Age, 68(32): 3-26
Massey, D. (1993). ?Power-geometry and a progressive sense of place.? Ch. 4 in Bird, John, et al. Mapping in the futures: Local cultures, global change. Pp 59-69
Posted at 09:09AM Jun 15, 2007 by BEDICS, PATRICK in General | Comments[2]
Essay 4 - David Speidel - Sense of Place and Identity in the Virtual
When it comes to senses of place and identity, the virtual worlds of online games are complex and have cultural meaning all their own. As this culture develops inside the virtual space, players relate to them and take an active role in the environment. As demonstrated in earlier discussions of economics and growth, these worlds can have effect on the physical world of those players and as such have a connection to the global culture we analyze. When looking at these developing online cultures it is important to understand how they create senses of identity and place to their users as well as how real world cultures have created hybrids inside the virtual space.
In these worlds that are becoming more intricate every day, there can be flows similar to those found when discussing real world cultural identities. They discussion of flows through different ?scapes? by Appadurai are felt in these worlds. For example, movements of people and ideas take form of users subscribing to the different worlds and quitting them so that there are new influxes of people and ideas into and out of the individual game cultures (Appadurai, 1990, p. 296). Also inside these virtual cultures like Second Life, there are feelings of commonality yet a connection to the outside that give it a specific place. All of the players share an experience in their particular virtual worlds, encountering similar, if not the same, obstacles and information, as well as limitations. Yet these users connect to their outside worlds much differently from each other, using the game environment as their common space. This has a strong correlation to Massey?s idea of place being ?particular constellation of [global] relations, articulated together at a particular locus? (Massey, 1993, p.66). Much like a city atmosphere where there are large populations that create somewhat anonymous interactions but still hold a common connection to the population center they are a part of (Donath, 1997). With these connections the virtual worlds demonstrate their own development of cultural space and identity that connect to our global culture.
Although the idea that there are unique virtual cultures has strong support, how Western and Asian culture mesh inside these places is a more difficult relationship to identify. There are obstacles that still create some separation between the two cultures inside the online cultures in the form of language. While these characters experience the world together, they don?t always speak the same language and as such find new ways to communicate. The players may use gestures or emotions to try to converse, out of which grow learned behaviors with shared meanings inside the community. In communities as complex as Second Life, there are areas in many languages, but the interface to the world itself is in the language the player understands. There are unique aspects of these cultures that are spread, from clothing ideas to architecture, that can be sold and then spread around peoples of both Asian or Western heritage. Companies that are based in Japan, China, or America, can all have virtual representations inside of Second Life that take form as ?we see the increasing 'technologization' and commodification of urban and public spaces? (Galloway, 2006), allowing the spread of information and media among the community but without limitations of geographic separation. While the individuals may react differently, the world remains and the community created by these intermingling of cultures grows into a unique entity.
The existence of these virtual cultures allows an interesting view into another hybridization of culture. While the culture is still taking form as the capabilities of virtual worlds increase, it is evident that the players inside these environments share a sense of place, at least while together in that world. These growing entities will see more changes as they allow greater freedom and control to their population base.
References:
Appadurai, Arjun. (1990). Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Economy. Public Culture 2 (2):1-24.
Donath, J. S. (1997). Part I: The virtual society. In Inhabiting the virtual city: the design of social environments for electronic communities (pp. 15-42) Ph.D. Dissertation.
Massey, Doreen (1993). ?Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place.?
Posted at 06:41AM Jun 15, 2007 by SPEIDEL, DAVID in General | Comments[2]
Essay 4- Danielle Tibbetts- The Oral Tradition of Africa and HIV education
Globalization and the modern marvel of mass media communication methods, and technologies of the 21st century have become the supposed ?Clark Kent a.k.a. Superman? savior of developing countries around the world, especially in Sub Sahara Africa and their battle against the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Waisbord and Morris explained this attitude, ?Optimists believe that cross-border technologies open up new possibilities for more people around the world to have better and faster access to more information? (2001, p. viii).Yet, recent research has emphasized the weakness of these marvels in developing countries because of the incomparable differences between the Western societies, in which these communication methods and technologies are developed and tested in, and the underdeveloped countries they are then applied to; which repeatedly do not bring about equivalent results. As Mushengyezi stated in his research, ?Modern mass media?have remained largely inaccessible to the majority of Ugandan (as well as other Sub Saharan areas) communities not just because of the low literacy level, but also because of the lack of hardware, software and supporting infrastructure of computer-accessed communication?these media can not be seen as essential to communication in predominately rural societies? (2003, p.108). Because of the technology and educational gap that remains in many parts of Africa, the extensive amount of information and preventative help towards the HIV pandemic through ICT?s (Information and Communication Technology) is unsuccessful, because the areas and populations they are imposed upon can not receive them. This problem of failing ?Western? ideologies in Sub-Sahara Africa provides proof for the question Appadurai asked, ?What sets of communicative genres are valued in what ways and what sorts of pragmatic genre conventions govern the collective ?readings??the vary relationship of reading to hearing and seeing may vary in important ways that determine the morphology of these different national and transnational contexts? (1990, p.300). Therefore, recent studies have focused on anti-global, highly local forms of communication practices, traditionally found in Sub Sahara Africa, to spread knowledge and preventative measures concerning HIV/AIDS through the custom of Folk Media.
As Panford et al. explained, Folk Media is, ?any form of endogenous communication system?serving as a channel for messages?that require the utilization of values, symbols, institutions, and ethos? of that particular culture (2001, p.1560). Folk media of Sub Sahara Africa include storytelling, puppetry, proverbs, visual art, drama, role-play, concerts, gong beating, dirges, songs, drumming and dancing. As you read traditional communication practices of this area are not based on reading and writing, like traditional ?western? cultures, but on listening, speaking and seeing, which have fostered a much more visual-audio receptive society (Mushengyezi, 2003, p.107, Panford et al., 2001, p.1559). Modern African researchers believe the combination of these locally- created forms of media communication, with modern messages of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention, could have a stronger effect on the rural populations of
Radio has become a chosen source of dispersal for many of these newly opted folk media incorporating plans. In many African countries radio is accessible and affordable, and many rural inhabitants rely on it for their information receiving. Local stations have begun incorporating HIV information/ awareness/prevention ideas into their programs through story-telling, drama, poetry recitals and proverbs. This collaboration also facilitates interaction between listeners and hosts, through the audience calling in and giving their opinions and stories (Panford et al., 2001, p.1561). Because the rural populations have grown up with these types of communication practices they immediately see them as more trustworthy, and could possibly be more prone to integrate messages of AIDS prevention and knowledge into their lives. Again, Mushengyezi eloquently explained, ?In the quest for globalization, the way forward in the new millennium should consist not so much in an aggressive quest to provide modern media to people as in harnessing and modernizing, ?traditional? forms of communication as viable tools for development? (2003, p.108). This is an example of how counter-western forms of communication media seem to be more effective in areas than the believed ?rehabilitating forms? of modern global media outlets.
Cites
1: Appadurai, Arjun. (1990). Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Economy. Public Culture 2 (2): 1-24.
2:Mushengyezi, Aaron. (2003). Rethinking indigenous media: rituals, ?talking? drums and orality as forms of public communication in
3: Panford, Solomon et al. (2001). Using Folk Media in HIV/AIDS prevention in rural
4: Waisbord, Silvio, and Morris, Nancy (2001). Introduction: Rethinking media globalization and state power. In Silvio Waisbord and Nancy Morris (editors), Media and Globalization: Why the State Matters.
Posted at 06:11AM Jun 15, 2007 by TIBBETTS, DANIELLE in General | Comments[2]
Essay-#4- Jason Preston Hispanic Media in the U.S.
The flow of foreign media across international lines has been a major topic of discussion among scholars lately. With the growing popularity of new technologies such as the Internet and satellite television service, media is spreading across the globe at a rapid pace. " Any individual connected to the global information superhighway has access to more information than his or her forebears could have ever imagined, and the access comes substantially without government regulation," (Morris Waisbord pg. ix). People in Japan can download movies from France, people in Canada can download music from Jamaica, and people in the United States can watch Hispanic talk shows. Some American scholars would argue that these global flows are bad for our nation, and some would argue the opposite. This essay will focus on the general fact that, foreign media does have an effect on our culture. Hispanic focused media in the United States effects the American school system.
One source of foreign media flow in the United States is Univision. Univision is the largest Spanish Language network in the United States. Supported by a large Spanish speaking migrant population living in the United States, Univision has been broadcasting for over 40 years. "In 1970, Univision became the first U.S network to cover World Cup Soccer live", ( Univision .net pg 1). Univision also broadcast a wide variety of programs aimed to please the Hispanic audience, this includes; novellas, news, sports, talk shows, and other specialized programming.
The growing presents of Hispanic media in the United States effects the culture in numerous ways. The growing number of Hispanic immigrants living in the United States, combined with the increased broadcasting of Hispanic media on American television is a phenomenon that is integrating the two cultures. "For the ideas and images produced by mass media often are only partial guides to the goods and experiences that deterritorialized populations transfer to one another",(Appadurai pg 303). The increased exposure, is making the Hispanic culture more widely accepted, and giving immigrants a better feel of home here in the United States. These media flows serve somewhat as a catalyst to the booming number of Hispanic immigrants, legal and illegal, deciding to make the United States their new home.
The growing population of Hispanic immigrants in the United States is having a direct effect on the economy, the job market, and the school systems. As more Spanish only speaking children enter the schools system, the difficulties created by the language barrier begin to increase, and reform becomes necessary. Dallas is an example of a city that us making changes to accommodate the language barriers. "In Dallas 65% of the schools 165,000 students are Hispanic. Under a policy approved by the school board, some Dallas administrator will be required to learn Spanish. The new policy, approved on a 5-4 vote last month, requires that all elementary school principles who work in schools in which at least half of the students are English-language learners, or formerly carried that designation, must learn the native language of those students", (edweek pg1).
Hispanic focused media in the United States effects the American school system. Hispanic viewer focused media is a way in which our two culture are being integrated, and having an effect on the growing population of Spanish speaking immigrants. As the population continues to grow many aspects of American culture, including our school systems, are somehow affected. As technology continues to advance, and migrant levels in Spanish speaking communities continue to increase, an increase in foreign media flows directed at Spanish speakers is expected to increase.
Appadurai, H. (2000, pg 303) "Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Culture Economy".
Education Week ( 2005 pg1) www.edweek.org "Some Dallas Principles must Learn Spanish".
Morris, N.& Waisbord, S. Waisbord (2001 pg. ix). "Rethinking Media Globalization and State Power". Rowman & Littlefield Publishers inc.
Univision Network web-site (2007 pg 1) www.univision.net.
Posted at 05:58AM Jun 15, 2007 by PRESTON, JASON in General | Comments[4]
Essay #4 - Chris Bigelow - Can the $100 Laptop Realize the Dream?
For many, the XO laptop has the expectation of being a program that will one day bring the free exchange of ideas across the internet and into the lives of the average citizen of any country that adopts this project. This conjures to mind images of students sitting on the sand next to a camel having an online discussion with students across the globe bundled up next to their igloo. Of course, in this vision these kids are discussing issues of politics, economics, and religion in an environment that is encouraging, respectful, and fosters learning through the sharing of ideas. But, will the goal of "One Laptop Per Child" actually help to make this vision a reality?
First, having a laptop with some sort of internet connectivity does not necessarily guarantee that governments will allow the free discussion of ideas. Even in a country that allows completely unrestricted discussion, this does not always lead to changes in policy. According to Waisbord and Morris, "Globalization has made it more difficult for all states to monopolize the information that citizens consume, but it has neither eliminated attempts to influence media content nor slowed governments' allocation of resources to make this possible" (2001, p. xvi). With all of the collaboration and globalization that has occurred in recent years, the government still controls domestic policy making in even the most technologically saturated countries. In an observation of post-apartheid South Africa, Jacobs observed that increased media freedom (specifically progressively unrestricted internet access) has not lead to positive effects on democratic participation. "In fact, the state-sponsored or market-led changes, while in some ways introducing much needed and long overdue changes, have on the whole not resulted in the expected opening up of the media" (Jacobs, 2002, p. 42).
Second, having a laptop with internet access does not necessarily imply that it will be used for the discussion of important issues, especially when the laptops are being given to children. Mansilla, in an article on the OLPC news website suggests that "It is a distinct possibility that a massive number of kids connected to each other by XO laptops all around the world end up spending all their networking time exchanging Pokemon trivia and very little else, notwithstanding a small minority of motivated children that may have got connected to each to discuss the issues of the day even without OLPC XO's" (2007, para 9). Children will be children, and no doubt any teacher will back the assertion that it is difficult to get kids to discuss important issues on any topic. A study was conducted in which children in rural India were asked to help design computer software for English learning games. During the course of the survey, researchers noticed that it was difficult to keep the children on task or to get intelligent comments about how to improve the games. By the end of the study, they realized the usefulness of bringing local supporters to direct the kids in their activities. "Although rural students were our target users, we found that gaining the support of parents, local facilitators (both adult and children) and local teaching staff was critical for a productive design workshop" (Kam, 2006, p. 32).
Third, a user in Africa is far more likely to be chatting with a user in the next village than one from a different continent. Unless there is a specific reason that these users are brought together, the likelihood of them finding one another is slim. There would need to be a specific forum, site, or software that encourages these kinds of connections to take place, or perhaps a policy or program governing the use of the laptops that makes diverse correspondence more likely. Even so, the fact that African students are discussing politics with American or Asian students means that they are not (at least at the moment) discussing politics with other Africans. Massey gives the example that "Every time you drive to that out-of-town shopping centre you contribute to the rising prices, even hasten the demise, of the corner shop" (1993, p. 63). Carrying Massey's example even further, the determining factor here is whether you go to the out-of-town stores just to get things that are unavailable locally or whether you ignore local stores entirely and look to the outside sources for all of your needs. The things that we have discussed so far seem to indicate that the most common way to adapt to internet use is for users to rely on local sources for information that is available, and only turn to the net for the more exotic fare. If this is the case, then perhaps not as much globalization will be happening as some expect.
Works Cited
Jacobs, Sean (2002). Good is the South African Media for Democracy? In African and Asian Studies. Brill. Volume 1, Number 4, 2002, pp. 279-302(24).
Kam, Matthew, et al. 2006. Practical Considerations for Participatory Design with Rural School Children in Underdeveloped Regions: Early Reflections from the Field. Interaction Design And Children. Online: http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~mattkam/publications/IDC2006.pdf
Mansilla, Eduardo Villanueva (2007). Building One Laptop Per Socialized Child. June 12, 2007 Online: http://www.olpcnews.com. Paragraph 9.
Massey, Doreen (1993). "Power-geometry and a Progressive Sense of Place." Ch. 4. in Bird, John, et al. (editors), Mapping the Futures: Local Cultures, Global Change. London: Routledge. Pp.59-69. Electronic reserve: http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/eresdocs/files/h5217.pdf.
Waisbord, Silvio, and Morris, Nancy (2001). Introduction: Rethinking media globalization and state power. In Silvio Waisbord and Nancy Morris (editors), Media and Globalization: Why the State Matters. Lanham, MD; Boulder, CO; New York, NY; and Oxford, UK: Rowman and Littlefield. Pp. vii-xvi. Online:
http://social.chass.ncsu.edu/~wiley/courses/447/WaisbordMorris2001.pdf.
Posted at 01:27AM Jun 15, 2007 by BIGELOW, CHRISTOPHER in General | Comments[2]
Thursday Jun 14, 2007
Essay #4 Will Long The Global Flows of Sabado Gigante
Essay #4 - Will Long - The Global Flows of Sabado Gigante
Many scholars agree that place should be seen as the sum of different flows. Appadurai lists a series of ?-scapes? that account for these flows. Ethnoscapes, the movement of people; technoscapes, the movement and access of technology; finanscapes, the movement of money; mediascapes, the movement of information; and ideoscapes, the movement of ideologies, all affect a place?s identity (Appadurai, 1990, p. 296). A circle of flows and counter-flows contruct the Spanish-language television in the United States and Latin America. These flows and counter-flows are exemplified by the television variety show Sabado Gigante.
The show began on Canal 13 (UCTV) in 1962 in Chile?s capital city, Santiago. Kreutzbergerwas influenced by American television while studying in New York in the late 1950s. When he returned to Chile, television was in its beginnings. He soon created a show that was a combination of all the shows he had seen and the host of what was to become the longest-running variety television show in history (Hall, 2004, ¶ 3). For twenty-four years, Don Francisco was seen every week all over Chile.
The show gained popularity in Chile and in 1986 the show started being produced in Miami, Florida when Univision picked it up. At the time ?there was no Spanish-language television produced in the [United States], the Spanish shows there were imported from Mexico and Puerto Rico.? (Hill, 2005, ¶ 7). For three years the show was produced in
Now the ?Miami-based production?is projected regionally to a Spanish-speaking population throughout the
Sabado Gigante is a perfect example of the flows and counter-flows that influence place. First, North American television compelled Kreutzberger to create the show. Second, the show made an impact in Latin America and the Latino community in North America. Lastly, the show is now produced in North America and distributed to the Latino community into Latin America, including Chile ? its country of origin.
SOURCES:
Appadurai, A. (1990). Disjuncture and difference in the global economy. Public Culture, 2(2), 295-310.
Brennan, B. (2002). Don Francisco gives back. Perspectives in Health Magazine, 7(3),.
Hall, L. (2004). Star of ?Sabado? reigns on Univision. Television Week, 23(13), 12-14.
Hill, L. (2005). Giant of spanish tv first in U.S. production. Television Week, 24(22), 26-28.
Morris, N. & Waisbord, S. (2001). Media and Globalization: Why the state matters. New York: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Wiley, S. (2004). Rethinking nationality in the context of globalization. Communication Theory, 14, 78-96.
Posted at 11:19PM Jun 14, 2007 by William Long in General | Comments[3]