Globalisation and global flows of culture have redefined the processes in which we share and connect to ourselves, others, and the world. From its onset, globalisation had both proponents’ and critics; some believed that it leads to a rich, hybrid global culture. Others saw it as the west versus the rest, an imprint of Western values and ideologies upon the world’s rich and diverse cultures. In exploring global flows of culture, we can observe these major assumptions about globalisation as well as its changing nature. New, ‘reverse’ cultural flows have begun to emerge and question these traditional assumptions. The case study of Japan’s ‘pink globalisation’ is one such reverse flow. Globalisation can take on many different shapes and forms in its free flow of goods and services across national borders. Cultural globalisation is one of those forms. Capcioglu (2008) refers to cultural globalisation as a “Global circulation of information, signs and symbols on a global scale and the reactions shown to the various socio-cultural transformations as a result of these conflicts.” Ritzer and Barber (1996) first coined cultural globalisation as ‘Americanisation’ and ‘McDonaldisation’, referring to the spread of western culture from the United States across the globe. The American image was beamed around the globe in the 1950’s and 1960’s through Disney cartoons, music videos, television programs, Hollywood movies and products such as McDonalds and Coca Cola. The global appeal of these goods and services was centred on the fact that America is seen as the place of modernity around the world. It is a culture that is rich, powerful and exciting and thus captures global appeal. Arjun Appadurai’s Modernity at Large investigated the dimension... ... middle of paper ... ... challenge to the major assumptions about globalisation and the west to the rest traditional vector. Not only is it a transnational journey of a commodity, it is also a journey of Japanese popular culture and its ability to resonate in the hearts and minds of global consumers. This globalisation of Japanese popular culture emanates through Appadurai’s notion of scapes, in technoscapes, mediascapes, consumerscapes and ultimately, ideoscapes, creating new flows of global culture. Works Cited Lecture notes Wink on pink course reader article In Godzilla's footsteps: Japanese pop culture icons on the global stage Tsutsui, William M; Ito, Michiko. (Eds).[2006] Hello Kitty commodifies Mechademia Wired magazine article Acute confusion Appadurai’s modernity at large review Cultural globalisation and global flow of culture Ritzer and Barber Henry Jenkins
American pop culture recently received flak for cultural appropriation. Artists such as Katy Perry and Selena Gomez were criticized for superficially incorporating Asian images into their music. However, cultural appropriation and cultural tourism – and its consequences – are commonly seen in relation to traditional culture; this lack of attention towards visual representation of modern Asian subcultures – in relation to Asian Americans – dismisses the potential impact of these images. A visual analysis of Avril Lavinge’s “Hello Kitty” and Gwen Stefani’s appearances with the Harajuku Girls reveals that the use of Japan’s Harajuku subculture in American pop culture perpetuates Asian American stereotypes. Specifically, these acts contain characteristics of the submissive “lotus blossom” stereotype and the invisibility that comes from this stereotype. These characteristics result in an insidious formation of race; Avril Lavinge and Gwen Stefani’s cultural tourism constructs the concept of an American that excludes the Asian body through contrasts between themselves and the background Asian body. This racial formation relies on the idea that the two artists have become part of the Harajuku culture, yet they are clearly distinguishable from the homogenized Asian body.
The Levin Institute - The State University of New York. "Pop Culture." Globalization101. The Levin Institute - The State University of New York, 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2014.
“Cultural identity is not something that is easy to manipulate by acting on the mass media, nor does it seem to be much influenced by media culture. It survives and flourishes in many a form, and the general expansion of television, music and other media have added some widely (internationally) shared cultural elements without evidently diminishing the uniqueness of cultural experience in different nations, regional and localities of Europe” (McQuail, 2000, p. 237) Cultural imperialism thesis has also lead to many cultural protectionism policies, designed “to defend indigenous cultures against their corruption, pollution or destruction by foreign elements” (Morley,2006, p.36). Problems arise when trying to understand what is meant by foreign (and to who) and also when trying to examine and define the purity, originality and indigenousness of one’s culture that needs to be defended. Cultural imperialism tends to assume that the most countries from the global South had indigenous, pure and authentic cultures before the Western influence came along via transnational corporations. One could argue that this view tends to be a romanticized perspective of the Third World which disregards the complex relations between countries and their former colonial powers while also ignoring the fact that most cultures are hybrids. There is a problem with the inaccurate presumption that the phenomenon of cultural mixing is recent, when actually all cultures have, to certain extent, absorbed elements from another cultures through history. Therefore, the complexity of intercultural flows must be acknowledged, along with the ambivalence of their meaning when being brought into new
While seeking westernization of all parts of society and culture, Japanese brought back the “Western st...
Cultural globalization involves the “spread of culture beyond the region or state from which it originated.” (Davies 1). To understand what cultural globalization is, one must understand what falls under the category of culture, which includes religion, language,
Pop culture in the 1950s and 1960s began to spread and infest the nation from front to back through radio shows, books and magazines, television programs, and even motion pictures. Whether it is culture in terms of political affairs, clothing or the latest musical sensations, the United States has always played the dominant role when it came to who knows what is best, first. Some cases of Americanizati...
This paper will explore what it is about anime that makes it so appealing to even a Western audience, creating an international fan base. Although manga can be traced to American origins, the comics that the Americans brought over have been intensely modified to create essentially a new form of media. Manga and anime have become a significant component of Japanese culture, and often times they integrate Japanese culture and society. Yet, regardless of its Japanese origin, anime is still viewed on the other side of the planet. The question then becomes what is it that makes it so appealing to a foreign audience? This paper will rely heavily on Susan Napier’s book, From Impressionism to Anime: Japan as Fantasy and Fan Cult in the Mind of the
Globalisation is a phenomenon that has led to abundant connections between cultures and people, which has in turn stimulated the reception and the export of all types of artistic and cultural features. It was commonly believed that these cultural flows were simply a form of imperialism and domination by the Western world over the non-West. Nevertheless, as Chris Barker states in Cultural Studies, “Globalization is not constituted by a monolithic one-way flow from 'the west to the rest'” (163). In many cases, the West becomes the target of this flux of exchange, and it is influenced by the ideas and perceptions that are imported from other parts of the world. Some
In this essay I will give a detailed explanation of what sociologists mean by the term ‘globalisation’ and how they have tried to explain it.
Although from an outside perspective many cases of globalisation may simply seem to increase cultural homogeneity, one culture can alter different parts of a global culture and incorporate them into their own and create cultural heterogeneity. In simpler terms, homogenisation and heterogenisation are both features of modern globalisation. Evidence for the contended statements above will be provided through the evaluation of case studies regarding global companies such as Starbucks and Disneyland Parks adapting to the local cultures of the areas to which they have spread to within the Asia-Pacific region. Not only global brands highlight the interconnectedness of homogenised and heterogenised cultures, but the glocalisation of traditional rites
In 2010, Andrew C. McKevitt wrote an article, “’You Are Not Alone!’”: Anime and the Globalizing of America”, about how Japanese animation, most commonly known as anime, helped globalize America. McKevitt has a PhD. from Temple University and is now working as an assistant professor a Louisiana Tech University in U.S. History. History of Foreign Relations, and Modern Europe. McKevitt is highly qualified to write an article about how American globalization was effected by anime and if he was not qualified then he would not have been published by The Society for History of American Foreign Relations. McKevitt’s article is an eye opener to how a small group of individuals’ wishes can be met on such a global scale.
Globalization contain a series of processes that work worldwide to promote change in the world in which nations and people are increasingly interlinked and mutually dependent. Promoting globalization are transitionally, as we maintain our ties with home example, we do call, texting, emailing, visiting, even sending money out ways to keep ties with home.
Thoughts of Japanese culture typically includes reference of the traditional words such as Kabuki, sumo, samurai, or ninja according to Amelia Newcomb, author of “Japan cracking U.S. pop culture hegemony”. This is not true anymore, in fact, without realizing it, Japanese culture has seeped in under the door an invaded the American culture. Roland Kelts, author of the book Japanamerica, wrote about such ideals:
Storey, John. Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. Fourth Edition. Athens: University of Georgia Press. 2006. Print.
Global culture can be described as a type of hybridization as different societies adopt the ideals of others, making what is global more local (Storey, 2005). What is global can be seen in our fashion sense, our cuisine and what we watch on television (Storey, 2005). For many countries, it is a type of Americanisation, the imposing of western ideals onto native or indigenous cultures, making the western ideals the new local. Storey says “what is exported always finds itself in the context of what already exists” (2003, p.112).