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]