Chapters 3 & 6 PART I I

Globalizing the Body Politics &

Jamming Media and Popular Culture

GLOBAL CIRCULATION OF IMAGES &

COMMODITIES

U.S. POPULAR CULTURE & POWER

CLAIM 1: US Americans are in a unique position in relation to popular culture– Products of U.S. popular culture are widely circulated internationally.– US Americans are rarely exposed to popular culture from outside the US.

CLAIM 2: It is particularly difficult for non-English-language pop culture to be widely distributed.

– Popular culture plays a big role in understanding relations around the globe, and we rely on popular culture to understand world issues and events.

– Important to be aware of the interrelatedness of ethnicity, culture, nationalism in the context of economics, technology, and capitalism.

Power, Hegemony & Pop Culture

U.S. Maintains Control Over Production, Ads, Distribution Of Pop Culture

Examples: Infrastructure, knowledge, capital

HEGEMONY Domination through consent

Examples: Allure, pleasure, enjoyment, the “cool” of U.S. pop culture; status marker

MUCH OF THE INTERNATIONALLY

CIRCULATED POPULAR CULTURE IS

U.S. POPULAR CULTURE.

Hollywood continuously seeks overseas markets

Makes more money outside of the U.S. than from domestic box office receipts.

Widely available U.S. media include television & newspapers, social networks

Some governments are concerned

about the amount of popular culture coming into their

countries.

Why might some governments be

concerned about the high level of

popular culture entering their

countries??

Domination through the spread

of cultural products.

* * * In te r re la t ionsh ips among economics ,

na t iona l i sm, and cu l tu re . * * *

CULTURAL IMPERIALISM

"the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationship, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination.”

Dictionary of Human Geography defines Imperialism as:

Emerged 1960s After WWII Economic expansion of core capitalist societies. (i.e.

United States) Decolonization processes occurring worldwide (Cuba,

Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Uganda) Intense concentrations of multinational capital

REALIZATION: An instrumental power in communication

& information Both played a role in the expansion of

the capitalist world system This power has a cultural effect on Third

World nations

CULTURAL IMPERIALISM

Resulted in debates on

Domination Dependency Control

Within economic and political terms

Media, Popular Culture and Intercultural Communication

How is intercultural communication impacted by

stereotypical representations?

How can you challenge/change these representations?

How is identity affected by the media and popular culture?

Do you usually have a dominant, negotiated or oppositional

reading of media texts?

How are cultural identities impacted by global circulation of

media and popular culture?

Resisting and Recreating Media & Popular Culture

Increased Awareness & Informed Action

• Alternative or independent media

• Refuse to consume products that dehumanize groups of people

Creative Production

• Citizen media or participatory media

• Culture jamming

Popular culture plays a POWERFUL role in how we think about and

understand OTHER groups as well as one’s OWN group representation.

WHAT IS RACE?

The Myth of “Race” as BiologicalEvolutionary biologist Joseph L. Graves (2005) states, “The traditional concept of race as a

biological concept is a myth,” (p. xxv)

More genetic diversity within “races” than across No biological basis in the categorization of people based on physical

characteristics. No biological basis in the association of physical, mental, emotional or

attitudinal qualities

HOW DOES RACE FUNCTION?

Functions by using physical differences to categorize people into hierarchical groups

Race is socially constructed within

historical, political and economic contexts.

Resulted in social inequities that continue

to impact us today in the context of globalization

Attributes value-laden qualities to these categories based on physical differences.

EXAMPLES:Industrious

Smart Athletic

Lazy Violent

Inventing Race & Constructing the “Other”

Race is a social construct with tremendous consequences both

historically and todayTHE HISTORICAL

CONSTRUCTION OF “RACE”

THE STORIES WE TELL ABOUT “RACE”

HISTORICAL ROOTS OF RACISM AND WHITE

PRIVILEGE

WHITE SUPREMACY A historically based, institutionally perpetuated system of exploitation and oppression that establishes and maintains wealth, privilege and power of white race

HISTORICAL EXAMPLES: “Racial whitening” in Latin America “One-Drop Rule” in North America Four-tiered racial system in South Africa

Race in the Context of Globalization

Does “race” mean the same thing today as it did 60, 100, 200 years ago?

How have the Civil Rights movement and anti-colonial movements impacted our understanding of race?

What does it mean when we say we live in a oRace-less society? oA color-blind society? oA post-race society?

Are these accurate? What are the consequences of these ideologies?

How has race been re-signified in the context of globalization?

FROM “RACE” TO “CULTURE”

Racial naturalism: Biological hierarchy

Racial historicism: Cultural hierarchy

WHITENESS

A location of structural advantage.

A standpoint.A set of core values,

practices and norms in which White ways of

thinking, knowing, being and doing are normalized.

Re-signifying Race in the Global Context

FROM “RACE” TO “CLASS”

All about the color of money (not race)

Assimilation and allegiance to whiteness

CONSEQUENCES:

– Masks systemic racism historically and today

– Hides existing wealth disparities that are race based

– Elevates unquestioned norms of whiteness

– Obscures processes of assimilation to whiteness

INTERSECTIONALITY