Globalization, Hegemony, and Popular Culture Lecture Notes PDF

GLOBALIZATI ON, HEGEMONY, AND POPULAR Study the following definitions and descriptions of the word: a. The term globalization refers to the emerging of international network, belonging to an economical and social system. b. After the Cold War, the term was used to describe the world...

GLOBALIZATI ON, HEGEMONY, AND POPULAR Study the following definitions and descriptions of the word: a. The term globalization refers to the emerging of international network, belonging to an economical and social system. b. After the Cold War, the term was used to describe the world becoming more interdependent in its economical and informational dimension. c. Roland Robertson, a professor of sociology at the University of Aberden, was the first person who defined it as “the understanding of the world and the increased perception of the world as a whole.”  d. Swedish journalist Thomas Larsson said that globalization is the process of the “shrinking of the world, the shortening of distances, and the closeness of things.” e. According to John Storey (2011), globalization refers to the establishment of a capitalist world economy, in which national borders are becoming less and less important as transnational corporations, existing everywhere and nowhere, do business in a global market. f. In 2000, the International Monetary Fund has identified four basic aspects of globalization: trade and transactions, capital movements and  Globalization as Cultural Americanization According to John Storey (2011), A central view of globalization, specifically in terms of globalization and popular culture, is to look at it as “the reduction of the world to an American ‘global village’: a global village in which everyone speaks English with an American accent, wears Levi jeans and Wrangler shirts, drinks Cola-Cola, eats at McDonalds, surfs the net on a computer overflowing with Microsoft software, listens to rock or country music, watches a mixture of MTV and CNN news broadcasts, Hollywood movies and reruns of Dallas, and then discusses the prophetically named World Series, while drinking a bottle of Budweiser or Miller and smoking Marlboro cigarettes. Arising problems with this model of globalization: a.It assumes that ‘economic success’ is the same as cultural imposition. It assumes that commodities are the same as culture. b.It depends on the claim that commodities have inherent values and singular meanings, which can be imposed on passive consumers. c.Cultural Americanization has limited concept of the foreign. What is foreign can equally be a question of class, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, generation, or any other marker of social difference. The imported foreign may also be used against the prevailing power relations of the local (i.e. h iphop culture). d.Globalization as cultural Americanization assumes that ⚫ Glocalization is the simultaneous occurrence of both universalizing and particularizing tendencies in contemporary social, political, and economic systems. ⚫ It is reflecting or characterizing both local and global considerations. ⚫ A glocal approach means presenting global knowledge within a local context that respects human rights. It encapsulates the concept, “think globally, act locally.” The Gramscian Theory of Hegemony Hegemony is defined as the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group. The concept of hegemony is used by Gramsci to refer to a condition in process in which a dominant class (in alliance with other classes or class fractions) does not merely rule Antonio Gramsci a society but leads it through the exercise of ‘intellectual and moral The Gramscian Theory of Hegemony An example of this view of hegemony is the involvement of the media in the discussion of some important local issues. Another example is the hegemony in colonialism. Hegemony is ‘organized’ by those whom Gramsci designates as ‘organic intellectuals’. According to Gramsci, intellectuals are distinguished by their social function.  Hegemony and Globalization Based on cultural studies in relation to hegemony: Popular culture is neither an ‘authentic’ subordinate culture, nor a culture imposed by the culture industries, but a ‘compromised equilibrium’ (Gramsci) between the two; a contradictory mix of forces from both ‘below’ and ‘above’; both ‘commercial’ and ‘authentic’; marked by ‘resistance’ and ‘incorporation’, involving both ‘structure’ and ‘agency.’ (Storey, 2011, p.171)  Hegemony and Globalization As Marx popularly put it: Men make their own history, but they do not make it just as they please; they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given, and transmitted from the past. (Storey, 2011, p. 172) READING THE POPULAR  Semiotics and the Process of Signification Semiotics is the study of signs and their meaning in society. A sign is something which can stand for something else. In other words, a sign is anything that can convey meaning. Roland Barthes, in his discussion in his work, Mythologies, identified different levels of signification in his semiological model that can be applied in reading popular culture. He took Ferdinand de Saussure’s schema of signifier/signified = sign and adds to it a second level of signification. He claims that it is at the level of secondary signification or connotation that myth is produced for consumption. Denotation is the dictionary meaning of a word while connotation is the meaning that arises from what people know based on their cultural practices. In other words, connotation is the other meaning that goes beyond or has a deeper sense than the denotative Fallacies in Interpretation According to the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a fallacy refers to (a) a false or mistaken idea or even (b) a plausible argument using false or invalid inference. In other words, a fallacy is a faulty reasoning. It is deceptive as it appears to be a valid argument but upon scrutiny, there is lack of evidence to support it. There are different ways in which a person commits a faulty claim. The following are just a few of these instances. 1. Emotional Fallacy It is the use of emotions to win an argument but actually has no factual evidence. Also, this fallacy pertains to the use of emotions as “interpretation” of the text or its merit. 2. Intentional Fallacy This is particularly applicable when one is reading a written text (e.g. book). This fallacy emphasizes the purpose of the author as the message of the text. Whenever readers read, the intention of the author in writing the piece should not be treated as the source of its meaning. Also, the author’s life story must not be used in making claims about the Originally, the term is used in literature as proposed by the Russian Formalists specifically Viktor Shklovsky in his Art as Technique. Defamiliarization, in its original sense, refers to the use of language in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different. In popular culture, defamiliarization refers to how the capitalist society presents goods and services to the consumers in a seemingly new or different way but, in reality, there is hardly any newness in it (e.g. a powdered juice product that has been in the market for quite some time will have a “new face” or will have a new packaging design but still contains the same product). PHILIPPI NE POPULAR Literature: Its Description and Politics “Literature is the highest form of expression of human thoughts and emotions in words of truth and beauty.” Fallacies in Interpretation According to the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, a fallacy refers to (a) a false or mistaken idea or even (b) a plausible argument using false or invalid inference. In other words, a fallacy is a faulty reasoning. It is deceptive as it appears to be a valid argument but upon scrutiny, there is lack of evidence to support it. Originally, the term is used in literature as proposed by the Russian Formalists specifically Viktor Shklovsky in his Art as Technique. Defamiliarization, in its original sense, refers to the use of language in such a way that ordinary and familiar objects are made to look different. In popular culture, defamiliarization refers to how the capitalist society presents goods and services to the consumers in a seemingly new or different way but, in reality, there is hardly any newness in it (e.g. a powdered juice product that has been in the market for quite some time will have a “new face” or will have a new packaging design but still contains the same product). Literature has always been an integral part of the lives of the people. It comes in different forms—written or oral. Our ancestors have practiced the oral traditions ever since time immemorial. Across various cultures, there are myths, legends, songs, folktales, riddles, etc. that flourished and are still relevant today. On the other hand, with the invention of printing, writing was developed and writers all over the world have published their short stories, novels, plays, and poetry among others. However, in terms of defining the art, it is difficult to identify one particular definition that will encompass all characteristics of literature. Hence, no actual definition can be made. Instead, only descriptions of literature can be determined as descriptions include the form and content of literature. One particular  “Literature is the highest form of expression of human thoughts and emotions in words of truth and beauty.” As observed, there are different key phrases in the abovementioned description—‘highest form of expression’, and ‘in words of truth and beauty’. The expression of human experiences in literature is said to be in the highest form because writers write with careful thought and the words and descriptions they use are in the most aesthetic manner. This is done through the utilization of the Figures of Speech that aid in expressing mundane experiences into figurative or metaphorical ones. The keywords truth and beauty, on the other hand, refers to how these experiences are reflective of the realities of life, good or bad, but still provides readers the pleasure of reading.  Literature literature Also called the canon or canonical Also called the popular or the non- literature (meaning, they have stood canonical literature (meaning, they are well-liked by the many or the majority the test of time and they are still being of the population) studied in the academe because of their socio-political relevance and value judgment) Deemed as the “classic” or regarded as Uses the type of language and touches “the best” that have been written on themes that are easily understood by the masses Somehow has an intellectually elitist Does not necessarily follow the form and content (meaning, only those traditional form of prose or poetry who have higher education may appreciate them and that they do not have the same the popular appeal to the masses as literature) Examples of the classics are: Examples of popular literature today “Florante at Laura” by Francisco are: “Ligo na U, Lapit na Me” and other Baltazar “Noli Me Tangere” and “El books by Eros Atalia Filibusterismo” by Jose Rizal “Banaag at Sikat” by Lope K. Santos “Alamat ng Gubat” and other books by “Mga Ibong Mandaragit” by Amado V. Bob Ong Hernandez Comic book series by Manix Abrera or Carlo J. Caparas Wattpad Romancestories novels (Pocket books)