Globalization & Culture

By

Jan Nederveen Pieterse

Pieterse took the study of globalization & culture to another level. His thoughts made you think and reevaluate the way you think. This book challenges your views of the world and the culture you live in. For a man or woman who desires to study globalization and cultural differences, this is the book that will help to zone in on social issues and topics that may need to be looked at. It is authors like Pieterse that are showing sociologist new ways to view the world.

Reading this book for me was difficult due to terminology. I have learned about culture and global concerns through the other books for this class. It is with this book that every thing is taken to a deeper level. I would really recommend this book to those who are studying missions and making a career in that field. The book has many good points and it is quite helpful.

With this wealth of information, if I were a teacher and this was my field, I would use this book to teach from. Deeper is the call for the day and we ought to take many more topics andn issues deeper than just the surface. The author has done a great service to not only students but to other professors. This book really opens ones eye to how all cultures mesh together.

Inventing Popular Culture

by

John Storey

How do we or how have we invented popular culture? What topics and cultures are involved in this inventing process? How does this affect the culture of yesterday and today? Where does the inventing process begin? Who is involved?

The scope of this topic was shown in the preface of this text. "Culture is an active process" this statement says to me that culture is ever evolving. Culture always changes whether it wants to or not. It says that culture never changes in the same way but in many different ways for many different reasons. We must be concerned whether or not cultural change is meaningful and beneficial.

As stated in chapter one popular culture began to be invented in the 19th Century. During the inventing process the discovery of "folk culture" and "mass culture" established the traditionb of seeing ordinary people as a masses. Folk culture included folklores, folk songs, and those who sought to preserve the traditions. When looking a little deeper, the light sheds on how the fantasy of folk culture has "helped to heal wounds and safeguard the future by promoting a memory of a past which had little exits." Pg. 13

Looking at the mass culture, I understand that fear, urbanization, and urban-industrial working class are what fueled this culture. As many cultures endured segregation and oppression they were classified by other cultures because of methods of fear. those who sought to maintain social authority sought to classify the masses and thus keep the definition alive and kicking. This culture has been looked at as masses that manipulate and play the revolutionary role and others see it as being a threat to social privilege. This information has solidified mass culture as a dominant paradigm.

Througout the next chapters, Storey gives is cultural views that have helped to further define what inventing poplular culture is and what it will become in the future. Although there are many facets of cultural change we must be able to embrace it and honor it in all cultrures.

The Weight of the World: Social Suffering in Contemporary Society

by

Pierre Bourdieu et al.

"The View from the Media"

As I was reading the table of contents for this assignment the topic of the "Media" jumped out at me since this was the area that I was researching for our Wiki. The information that I found spoke volumes about what our Wiki says. Just as I spoke about how the media seeks to invoke FEAR and WORRY, the same was present in the reading. The Weight of the World, went into the depths of journalists and honed in on the story that took place in what seemed to be an ethnic neighboorhood. As we look a little further, I would like to show you how media all over shares the commonality of how the media shapes our minds about different topics and issues.

As this article opens up on page 46 the statement, "Undoubtedly, journalists do not make up the problems they talk about out of whole cloth." is a statement that tells me that when we see the news and read the paper that we do not get the whole story at times. There are underlying themes that we are not allowed to see that may give us what we really need to be concernend about. The media often times tells us how we should feel and at times they should allow us to decide. There seem to be times where the media acts on the spur of the moment when stories hit and may forget how the story will effect the parties involved if not told in the right way.

What we view as top hot stories are viewed as "Events" by the media. The View from the Media offers this on page 49, "an "Event" is never in the end anything but the result of the spontaneous or provoked mobilization of the media around something that they agree, for certain time, to consider as such." Whatever is happening at that time is what the media jumps on and they each tell the same story in many different ways. It is when urban areas attract media attention that things seem as if they are bad when infact there are bad apples who make it bad for the good people in a society. This view can change if the media portrayed it as such.

The way stories are portrayed is how we come up with prejudices and opinions that we should not have. Once we get the news we must use our own investigative tools and get the real story. If there ever was a time where we could have trusted the media, then our mindsets may have a chance to be renewed and restored. The times we are in really calls for honest literary investigating from all journalists. They should seek to tell the complete truth about all stories.

As I reflect on Africa the same journalistic approaches that are used here have trickled over to this continent. We now must ask how they used to report news before we went over there. We now have to go into Africa to get the real story. How do we really know how serious the plight is in Africa. It is our responsiblity to seek God in how we are to give information. It should be honest and untainted.

Global Trade, Global Markets...."How is the African Media affected by it?"

"Widely available technology means that a book published by a small company in Britain can be ordered in bookshops around the world." Pg. 149 this statement opens up to how the media market in Africa has changed over the years. Many who sought to begin early radio stations to play the beginnings of reggae and the homeland music in the beginning did not have to worry about trade to enhance the sound that was to be produced. It was later on in their history where trade and politics allowed the airwave technology to be enhanced in Africa. I am not sure what they began to trade for quality production, but I am sure that airtime may have been traded in order for quality production.

Reading further in chapter three, I see that during the period of the emergence of global markets that, Africa had major opportunities to grow and enhance their media just as the US has done and is doing globally. With their resources and ideas of how to enhance their printing press, radio and TV, Africa can help themselves and other media companies in the nation. This section 3.4.2 opened the door to how free the market is and was after the second World War. It may just be a hope that Africa falls in line with the trade networks and be able to spread God's message that is in secular arenas and Gospel arenas.

This chapter does not specifically deal with the media trade market, but it has signs that may have been used in this area of trade. It is the conclusion of chapter 4 on page 187 that helps me to understand how the media in Africa has grown so much thanks to the US. It is with this growth that in many cases, Africa is more advanced than the US.

As I move on and try to understand connections, I have to take into account the financial markets internationally. Understanding trade and how it works then looking at how things are financed it is a wonder that everything in these lasts chapters comes together. We see that money is what really governs everything that happens and does not happen. The most prevalent trade that we see is actually with the broadcasting companies from the US as they seek to broadcast western Christian services and music videos and magazines in Africa. International money markets are what help to make it possible for the media to exist at all.

This week as I asked some our classmates if they had done the reading, I found that most did not know how to connect the information to their particular issue. I just want to encourage everyone to pray and ask God to open your eyes to the relative issues for your topic that lie within the reading. I pray that what I have found is what coincides with Issues in Africa.

1) As I read section 1.1 I realized that the media in Africa actually has evolved from a small empire to a Modern International entity. The statement, "The existence of the otherwise isolated Americas and Austrailia from Eurasia-Africa would have surprised those in each of these spheres, " shows me that there was a portion of Africa that was isolated from the good portions of what the media was supposed to be because someone did not want them to be aware of what was really going on or how God could change their lives if they could hear His word.

2) I am not sure how much power the military in Africa had on the mass media but I could imagine that what is described in section 1.1.1 has played a part in how they are fed the rules of politics and how diplomatic issues affect them.

3) As in section 1.1.4 Changing forms of political globalization, The political forum in Africa has changed and we have seen that in the form of Nelson Madela being elected President. We can see that the media has been changed in a sense that pertinent information is now being brought forward.

4) As we look at the UN system, I see that due to the charter that this may have led to the evolution of the media in Africa. This was a bright light but also allowed the US to capitalize on how they could influence the African Media.

5) It is very important that we take a look at the History of the political system when it comes to freedom of speech. If they have infact adopted our "Freedom of Speech" law then that maybe the cause for the rise in secular vs. religous stations.

6) Chapter 2 expounded upon organized violence. African Media must be careful in how they present news because often times it can spark reactions that may not be intentional.

7) Over the years there has been military rule and they may have played a vital part in the portions of news that bring forth despair and fear for its' citizens. This is expounded upon in section 2.3.2

8) Section 2.4.5 shows me that the media can also be seen as a form of military arm. The media infact feeds the nation what it wants the people to believe. This violence is a form of brain washing.

9) As I look at just the title of section 2.8 "Contemporary Military Globalization and its Political Consequences," I focus moreso on the Political Consequences. When there are people in power they affect everything. It seems that since the media is divided that political figures might just control certain portions of the media. It is a blessing that the political figures allow godly broadcast into the continent.

10) Finally, reflecting on these chapters has shown me how Politics and Military play a major role in how the media is ran. There should be room for good things to be viewed and known about. I just wonder where they will place God in the years to come.

Speaking of building communions and communities. I decided to look at the community that provides the music that we hear from Africa and the dances that go along with them. Within this link, http://people.africadatabase.org/en/n/cat/245/ there is a list of music producers and coreographers that have helped to keep African music either what it was intended to be or much like the western culture. So, keeping with the theme I wanted to look at the lyricist that provide the secular words that are songs over the beats that are produced. Searching for this, I found this link to be helpful, http://www.radiopalmwine.com/artist_section/bands/45/about.php this link shows us a profile of a rap artist that is compared to the likes of Jay-Z. As I continue my search I have come across a link that shows us how the Western way of worshipping God has changed Africa. You can see what we offer them at http://www.godnetwork.com/Africa/Schedule.asp. After reflecting on the group discussion about community and how we really need to experience Africa to see what needs to be changed and what is okay, I have realized that we see situations from the outside and see how WE want to change things but, we never SEE how good things maybe for Africa. We see in this link that churches have come together to work on solutions to the issues of HIV/AIDS, Poverty, and Youth. You can see here http://www.warc.ch/update/up134/12.html what there efforts are. As I move on to look at other churches since they have web pages I am looking to see how Christ in this portion of Media is making an impact. Here lies a church in Uganda that is not willing to conform but to spread the gospel in their church and online. http://www.ugandachurches.org/. It seems that what we as Westerners are presenting to Africans in the area of church media ministry has been excepted and formed to how their culture worships God. I found that the one thing that African churches have kept from us and maybe improved upon is creating church websites. Here are a few that have been provided, http://www.active-ss.com/christian_churches_searchengin/christian_churches_africa.htm. As I go back and look at broadcast I can't help but wonder where African music is anymore. It seems that African music has much become like ours. http://www.yfm.co.za/ this site is a radio station for Youth. it reminds me of www.100.3thebeat.com. Just to see how much we have influecned this culture I would like for you to look at some Christian sites from the US and let me know what you think. http://www.klove.com/, http://www.rejoice.org/, and http://www.praise1065.com/.

Thursday @ 12noon was an experience for me. I have had friends of the Jewish faith but I never knew the plight of their situation. As I sat and listened to the presentation, "A New Prospective of Jesus and the Jews," I was wondering how this tied into our class and what we were doing. I listened as the first speaker spoke about the location of major Jewish Communities and that fact that the word of God was being ecplained to them in such a way that is not fair. I sat and scrunched my face when it was explained that, some Jews want a relationship with God without going through Jesus and then some know Jesus and not God.

I was perturbed because it raised a question of "How are Jews and Christians different?" I take that we are the Gentiles spoken of in the Old Testament. I am confused at this very moment of the differences. Do Jews have the same rights as Christians or are there major differences and rules for Jews and Gentiles (Christians)?

When I look at the issues that are within Africa, I see that there too is an underlying issue that would answer the questions that we seek in the area of "Corruption" I believe that attending this session will help us to identify better what the needs are and what areas we should focus on and then, see how God would have us to move or how He is going to make a change.

This was a very wonderful and enlightning experience and I wish we could have gone to the three O' Clock session because I feel it would have given us more insight to the underlying issue.