Cultural Studies: Transnationality, Globalization, and Postcoloniality
INTRODUCTION
As Hanna Musiol says in A Cultural Studies: A Practical Introduction culture is practically shaped and shared by citizen in a nation-states which looks more or less homogenous, as she concludes that it is a national culture. In a loose understanding culture is defined within country's border with a little outside influence.
For example, Korea, Japan, and China in many
respects are different because it is undeniable that culture back then might be
formed by geographical site. There is an inseparable interaction between human
culture and their environment because environment nowadays still does affect to
cultural practices in communities and later they turn to shape and reshape
physical environment nearby.
Nevertheless Hanna points out
that culture as a national trait become more or less an eighties or
old-fashioned way of thinking. Korea, Japan, and China from historical issue
somehow shares the same origin letter used for written communication with so
called Hànzì, although afterward
they will pronounce it Kanji in Japan
and Hanja in Korea. She stresses out
that many cultural nationalists ignore or reject about transnational dimension
in culture practice and production and diversity of culture within one country.
In other words, instead of sticking to each country’s unique ethnic and
cultural character to one another, they in fact will share many cultural traits
with their neighbor as this phenomenon is popularly known as transnationality.
It is said that national culture can be influenced by the spread of
globalization that has roots in colonial history and the era afterwards.
Transnationality, globalization, and postcoloniality are interconnected and
this discussion is all about. Hanna concerns on those three as they seemly
contribute to produce a culture and they have their own approach to cultural
studies.
DISCUSSION
As
said before in the introduction that transnationality and
globalization and postcoloniality are interconnected phenomena and processes.
According to Thomas Faist article: From
Heterogeneties to Social (In)equalities, in the Debating
Multiculturalism in the Nordic Welfare States; transnationality means that some agents are characterized
by relatively dense and continuous cross-border transactions. It is not a new phenomenon that recent local culture have long
been influenced and shaped by other cultures, the process increased by
transnational movement of people through the migration, cultural products
proliferation, and commodities distribution. As Noreene
Janus said in the article Cloning the
Consumer Culture that
“transnational culture is a direct outcome of the internationalization of
production and accumulation promoted through standardized development models
and cultural forms”. That means that we can see American television program
from our TV cable without need to go to America, since television
has been going through a process of
transnationalization. People can purchase international clothing brand
through e-Bay, Supermarket, or Mall, even they can consume Sushi the
original food from Japan at restaurant in Indonesia.
The internationality that shapes
people behavior and social culture takes the role on the increasing consumption
of products and services from outside their origin country, this consumptive
behavior is the main point of globalization. Globalization may lead to
transnational phenomenon. The distribution of
products and services globally to increasingly various local markets requires
international brands to localize their products.
So, international companies builds transnational needs and to sell them. Globalization strategies include the cross-border acquisition of brands
to develop transnational brand portfolios divided into global and regional
lines. The developments of communication (radio and TV)
and social networking (Facebook and Twitter) technologies, in early of the
twentieth century have improved communication over large distances, across
national and physical borders. Globalization provokes complex interconnections across the
world. People move across borders, capital travels across cities and nations,
media exchanges are interlinked across the globe, cultures have acquired a
mobility that brings about new “civilization of clashes” and struggles between
people.
It is said that in cultural studies is that most of the global frameworks
that regulate the flow of capital, goods, technology, and information also have
roots in colonial history. In practice, the colonial systems concern in
exploitation of economy and oppression of culture. If colonialism and
globalization impose ideology of civilization, postcolonial studies more on the
effects suffered by colonized people instead of the end of colonialism. Ryan and Musiol, referring to cultural studies, say
that postcolonial study constitutes another ways of knowing how cultural
exclusion lingers an effect on culture worldwide. For instance in US they
describe how African Americans still endure difficulties to get acknowledged as
their cultural products—writing, music, and visual art were not recognized as
national culture in US in the beginning of twentieth century. In addition Ryan
and Musiol give an example how oppression of African women still happens—by French
middle-class people, reflected in French movie.
As response to the experience of colonization transnational cultural studies
focuses on the way media form national cultures. Many national cultures have
been in a state of nationalistic in their cultural policies. This was done by
regulating the media and limiting foreign content and foreign private company
access. Because of globalization a new media such as satellite television has
come with its content promotes something new that is different from the local
national culture. And this what Ryan and Musiol say about the culture of “modernity”.
Many people around the globe share the same sense of what a “modern” lifestyle
is happening then.
CONCLUSION
Globalization that is caused by
postcoloniality has created complex culture across the world. First of all, as Ryan and Musiol said that colonial idea refers to the
global frameworks which dominate capitalism power, technology, and information that
flow around the world. Postcolonialism as the impact of the colonial power is
connected to the rise of modernity. The impact of dominant power and oppression
of culture, politic, and economic in the colonial era results in the
globalization. The main globalization strategy, cross-border market acquisition,
effects in the global market that increasingly flow to the social-culture of
people in many countries. The globalization’s structure shapes the transnationality
phenomenon—through the technology, information, and commodity that goes around
and build the culture of “modernity”. People move across borders, products
distribution across cities and nations, media exchanges are linked around the
world. Since, cultures have acquired a
mobility that brings about new “civilization of clashes” (Appadurai, 2006,
p.16). As the conclusion, transnationality,
globalization, and postcoloniality are interconnected and linked in important
ways.
SOURCES
Janus,
Noreene. Cloning the Consumer Culture. n.d., accessed from http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/cloning-consumer-culture (June
9, 2014)
Peter,
Kivisto and Osten Wahlbeck, editor. Debating
Multiculturalism in the Nordic Welfare States. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. 2013
Ryan, Michael, Brett Ingram, and Hanna
Musiol. Cultural Studies, A Practical
Introduction. Singapore: Toppan Best-set Premedia Limited. 2010
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