Identity and the Forces of Globalization
Chapter 2

• Glocal is an idea that sums up the idea that things that happen at a global level, such as international trade, affect things that happen at a local level, such as what you buy at a store.

 

• The globalizing world shapes your everyday life and your everyday life shapes the globalizing world.

• International trade is a major globalizing force.

 

• Transportation, communication technology and the media have all speeded up the pace at which the world’s people are becoming interconnected and interdependent.

• People trade with one another to obtain goods and services that are:

• Not available in their own area.
• Better quality or less expensive.
• Different from goods produced at home.

 

• Trade goods may be anything from:
• Natural resources
• Clothing
• Auto parts
• Agricultural parts
• Stocks and bonds

• Goods may be imported or exported.

 

• A Transnational Corporation (TNC) is a company that is based in one country while developing and manufacturing its products, or delivering its goods and services in more then one country.

• TNC’s play an important role in the globalization process, both for positive and negative reasons.

 

+ Provide jobs                                    - Jobs are low level
+ Train people                                               - Jobs require little skill
- Jobs provide few opportunities to advance
- Profits leave the country
- Known as “McJobs”

 

 

Transportation as a Globalizing force

• Transportation is essential for trade.
• Containers have been called the “building blocks” of the global village.
• 18 million containers are moving across the world’s seas and oceans everyday.
• Containers make it cheaper and faster to ship goods.
• Containers can be tracked electronically.
• Containers are hard to steal from.
• Containers have speeded up the globalizing process because it is cheaper and easier to transport goods from a factory in China then to produce the same goods locally.
• Passenger jets also make it easier to move people around the world.

 

Communication Technology

• Computers were large and expensive in the 1940’s only governments could operate them.  In the 1970’s size and cost were leading factors in allowing the public to purchase computers.

 

• In the 1990’s the internet (WWW) speeded up international communication.

Media as a Globalizing force

• People now go on-line to:

1)  Bank                                 2)  Shop
3)  Schooling                          4)  Research
5)  Game                                6)  Blog
7)  Talk to friends                  8)  Listen to music
9)  Watch videos

• Newspapers also publish online editions so that anyone anywhere can read them.

 

• Digital technology enhances globalization because the signals can be sent to a satellite and then bounced back to earth allowing everyone to view or listen to the same images as anyone else.

• Trend #1         Media concentration – A few large corporations are buying and controlling many different forms of media.

 

• Trend #2         Media Convergence – The usage of many types of technology at once.

• The negative aspects of these two trends encourage the news media to:

1. Reduce staff i.e. reporters.
2. Reduce the diversity of the viewpoints.
Chapter 3
Identity, the Media, and Communication Technology

• When cultures meet there is always an exchange.  The exchange is usually language.  66% of English words are borrowed from other languages.

            Examples:       Caravan                      – French/Persian
Alarm                         – French/Italian
Veranda                     – Hindi/Portuguese
Tea                             - Dutch/Chinese

• The speed this is occurring has been enhanced * by technology.

• The “t” to this is respect for other cultures may occur.  The “-“to this is some minority cultures might be assimilated* (taken over) by a dominant culture event eventually disappearing.
• Media can be forces that encourage cultural diversity* or forces that promote cultural homogenization
• TNC’s such as Sony, Time Warner, Viacom, News Corporation, and Bertelsmann control most TV networks in North America, Europe and Asia.  These companies also own/control 85% of the world music market.
• Disney/ESPN – are two companies that are setting up channels in foreign countries.  ESPN highlights different sports in different countries; they also hire local production and on-air talent (Why?)

            1) Cost
2) Identify with the host

• AL – Jazeera – An Arabic TV channel has applied to have a Canadian license in 2004.  The CRTC* (Canadian Radio and Television Commission) agreed to the license however it required the Cable/Satellite provider to monitor broadcasts and delete anything that broke Canadian Hate laws.  Should AL-Jazeera face such harsh requirements?  Are we missing out on their perspective?

 

• Technology can enable people to create a virtual world for themselves which leads to social isolation creating “High Tech Hermits.”  People are finding it hard to have simple conversions because of all the information available people are not watching the same events as before. At the same mp3 users who are strangers to each other share music in New York City. (Wired Magazine)

How is Identity Affected By Media Coverage of World Events?

• Everybody is watching the same event over and over again
• People can recall years later where and what they were doing years earlier when asked about the news.
• 9/11 People on planes phoned loved ones, people in the towers phoned loved ones, CNN was actually on site when the second plane crashed into the tower recording and showing live shots of what occurred.
• Many citizens from around the world who saw the footage of 9/11 responded with sympathy towards the USA.  Firefighters from Canada headed to New York to help out.  In other parts of the world (Palestine) people were seen applauding the attacks. A London Mosque (Muslim house of worship) actually held a one year celebration of 9/11.
• People of Middle Eastern heritage have been attacked and harassed as a backlash to 9/11
• In 2005 The UN asked western Nations to stop media from defamation campaigns against Muslims (Islamophobia) fear of Islam.
• In 2002 Maher Arar a Syrian Canadian deported to Syria to be tortured for one year before his return to Canada for no just reason.   Two headlines on the same story.   1) US Deports Respected Canadian to Syria  2) United States Deports Suspected terrorist to Syria     How are your feelings influenced by the headlines?
• Not all stories are told by Reporters while others are heavily covered. - - - - - - - - Dec 26, 2004 - Tsunami 150,000 missing, millions homeless in 11 countries.  People around the world offer financial support to help millions raised by aid groups.                                                                                
• 2004 – Darfar Sudan, 50,000 killied in Ethnic violence, 1.5 million homeless, $350,000 raised, well below expectations.
• Stories are sorted by Death Toll especially if causes can be determined, while tragedies that are ongoing and cannot be explained easily are ignored.

How is Diversity Affected By the Dominance of American Media?

• Many people think Pop Culture (popular culture) = American culture.  American media corporations dictate what becomes popular around the world.  This leads to universalization of Pop Culture which allows TNCs to sell products anywhere in the world not just America.
• Sesame Street’s main goal in 1969 was respect for cultural diversity, as a result many American TV stations refused to show it.  Sesame Street is now shown in 120 countries either dubbed or completely redone which allows for hybridization which combines the elements of local culture with that of American culture.
• Most people see the invasion of TV from America as bad but Sesame Street is looked upon as something that is beneficial.
• Countries other than America also contribute to Pop-culture.                                           1)Anime/Manga from Japan                                                                                                 2) Korean government requires 40% of screen time to be Korean movies as a result many Korean movies are exported and either dubbed or redone.

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 4
Affirming Identity, Language, and Culture

How do people affirm and promote their language in a globalizing world?

• Languages are the most powerful tools we have to conserve our past knowledge, as well as transmitting it.
• Language binds together a community.
• In 2001 the % of Canadians who spoke English (Anglophones) was 59%.
• In 2001 the % of Canadians who spoke French (Francophone’s) was 23%.
• In 2001 both of these numbers were declining, while (Allophones) people who do not speak either language are rising to 18% of Canadians.

??        How is Globalization affecting these numbers          ??
??        Is this a trend?  Check page 90.                                 ??
??        What are the numbers today                                     ??

• Some people believe if everyone spoke a common language (Globish) there would be less conflict because there would be fewer differences.

??        What do you think, why?                                                      ??

• Some people believe globalization has led to some languages becoming endangered (Disappearing).
• There are 6000-7000 languages spoken in the world today.
• 96% of these languages are spoken by less then 4% of the population of the world.
• One language in the world disappears every 2 weeks.

??        What are all of the languages you know, list them   ??
??        What are the top 3 languages in the world                ??

• English is the language of business, scientific research, pop culture, as well as the Internet.

??        If you were a non-English speaker how might this affect you         ??

• 90% of the content of the internet is now in only 21 languages.  Some people believe translation tools will help but it is very difficult to translate something without losing its true meaning.
• In the 1950’s, 9% of people on Earth spoke English as their first language.
• By 2050 this number will fall to 5%.
• In 2006 Mandarin Chinese is the most spoken first language in the world.

??        Will this affect how things are done              ??
??        Who will control Pop-Culture in the future  ??

 

 

 

 

How do people affirm and promote their culture in a Globalizing world?

• Ukrainian people living in Alberta built a museum village to affirm their culture.
• Ethnic groups in Edmonton promote their culture by participating in Heritage Days (August long weekend)
• Several cultural groups have recreation halls where people who share the same ethnic come to celebrate their traditions and to promote their culture.
• Some first nations groups reclaim lost of stolen artifacts from foreign museums.  This is a slow process but is helping these cultures from disappearing completely.

??        Should museums return first nations artifacts to the original group which created them?  Page 97        ??

• During the 19th and 20th centuries many museums and anthropologists believed many aboriginal groups were going to be assimilated and die off, so they believed they were acting on behalf of the first nations to preserve the cultures.

??        If you had to contribute artifacts to a museum, what would you send to show your culture, why these things                ??

How do Governments Affirm and Promote Languages and Cultures in a Globalizing World?

• 1971, Canada becomes the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as an official government policy.
• Multiculturalism in a bilingual nation, this would allow for cultural freedoms, which should create National Unity, because people would have the willingness to share ideas, attitudes and assumptions.
• Governments pass laws to protect their language and culture
• Canada in 1969 passed the Official Languages Act which made English and French the two official languages of Canada.
• In 1982 Canada passed the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which helped strengthen minority English (Quebec) and minority French (rest of Canada) rights across the country
• Government of NWT  requires schools to teach 90 hours of Aboriginal languages every year.                                                                                                              ??       Will this help preserve Northern First Nations Languages from disappearing        ??
• Canada has passed cultural context laws to protect its artists.
• The CRTC has enforced quotas on Radio and TV to protect and preserve Canadian content.  80% of music played on the Radio and TV must be Canadian while 60% of programming on TV must be Canadian                                                        Other countries cultural preservation legislation:                                                    1) France- French  Films must be on screen 20/52 weeks                                         2) Australia- 55% of TV must be made in Australia                                              3) China- 20,000 English words must be translated into Chinese                         

4) Mexico- only subtitles for movies no dubbing allowed.

• NFB- National Film Board  a federal agency whose purpose is to produce and distribute films that tell Canadian stories.

How Do International Organizations Affirm and Promote Languages and Cultures in a Globalizing World?

• Two such organizations are the United Nations specifically UNESCO    United Nations _________ _________ _________ ________ which promotes cultural diversity
• 50 countries joined UNESCO program to protect masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage (carnivals, songs, stories, theater pieces, teachings, celebrations)

 

• La Francophone – 51 countries participated in competitions both cultural and athletic, Canada hosted the 4th such La Francophone games in 2001
• The Internet has been referred to by “A place of dreary uniformity” UN General Secretary Kofi Annan

The Assembly of First Nations and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

• Canada with 86 other countries voted at a UN conference to delay the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”
• Canada felt that the “Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples” was vague and ambiguous and subject to different and possibly competing interpretations.
• Canada also felt that the previous declaration may be in conflict with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• A Canadian group, the AFN (Assembly of First Nations) which represents 600 first nations groups supports the declaration