Your detailed and thorough post due by Wednesday@MIDNIGHT for full credit (A). Partial credit (C) can be earned by posting late, which is better than a ZERO.
Remember, weekly blogging is worth 1/3 of your entire semester grade.
Be sure to communicate with Dr. W as needed - rob.williams@madriver.com.
Read and blog COSMOPOLITANISM, Chapters 7-8.
2) EVIDENCE: Post and number THREE specific observations from EACH CHAPTER of our reading(s) that supports your thesis.
Use 2-3 sentences for each observation, and combine direct quotations from the text (AUTHOR's LAST NAME, 27), with IYOW analysis.
3) QUESTION: Include in your post a SINGLE SPECIFIC question you'd ask the class based on our readings.
Chapter 7
ReplyDeleteThesis: Contamination, as Kwame puts it, flies in the face of cultural purity which asserts that globalization is removing local homogeneity from cultures.
Evidence:
“The villagers will have radios; you will be able to find a bottle of Guinness or Coca-Cola. Then again, the language on the radio won’t be a world language, the soccer teams they know best will be Ghanaian, and what can you tell about someone’s soul from the fact that she drinks Coca-Cola? These villages are connected with more places than they were a couple of centuries ago. Their homogeneity, though, is still the local kind.” (pg. 102)
“And the preservers of cultures are busy trying to ensure that the Huli of Papua New Guinea or, for that matter, Sikhs in Toronto or Hmong in New Orleans keep their “authentic” ways. What makes a cultural expression authentic, though? Are we to stop the importation of baseball caps into Vietnam, so that the Zao will continue with their colorful red headdresses? Why not ask the Zao? Shouldn’t the choice be theirs?” (pg. 106)
“Cultural significance isn’t just something that corporate headquarters gets to decree. People wear Levi’s on every continent. In some places they are informal wear; in others they’re dressy. […] The point is that people in each place make their own uses even of the most famous global commodities.” (pg. 113)
Chapter 8
Thesis: Cultural property has many definitions, from patrimony to intellectual law, but this ignores the emotional connection to cultural objects and does not establish what to currently do with these objects.
Evidence:
“But what does it mean, exactly, for something to belong to a people? Much of Norway’s cultural patrimony was produced before the modern Norwegian state existed. […] The Greeks claim the Elgin marbles, which were made not by Greece – it wasn’t a state when they were made – but by Athens, when it was a city-state of a few thousand people. […] We don’t know whether Nok sculptures were commissioned by kings or commoners; we don’t know whether the people who made them and the people who paid for them thought of them as belonging to the kingdom, to a man, to a lineage, to the gods. One thing we know for sure, however, is that they didn’t make them for Nigeria.” (pg. 119)
“How would the concept of cultural patrimony apply to cultural objects whose current owners acquired them legally in the normal way? You live in Norway. You buy a painting from a young, unknown artist named Edvard Munch. Eventually, you leave it to your daughter. Time passes. Tastes change. The painting is now recognized as being the work of a major Norwegian artist, part of Norway’s cultural patrimony. If that means that it literally belongs to Norway, then presumably the Norwegian government, on behalf of the people of Norway, should take it from her. After all, on this way of thinking, it’s theirs.” (Pg. 125)
“The right way is to take not a national but a cosmopolitan perspective: to ask what system of international rules about objects of this sort will respect the many legitimate human interests at stake. The point of many sculptures and paintings, the reason they were made and bought, was that they should be looked at and lived with.” (pg. 127)
Question: Is this essentially “reverse cosmopolitanism”, reading about how our cultures are influencing others, how other cultures are reacting, and in turn is that changing us?
1) THESIS:
ReplyDeleteCh.7:
- The way homogeneity threatens globalization is equal to globalization threatening homogeneity.
Ch.8:
- Human connection is so important to understand our similarities.
2) EVIDENCE:
Ch.7:
- Appiah’s phrase “golden rule of cosmopolitanism” is the idea that every human being does everyday tasks. No task should be viewed as strange or unfamiliar. “I am human: nothing human is alien to me” (Appiah, 111).
- No one culture is completely unique, “Cultural purity is an oxymoron” (Appiah, 113). Everything is based off of everything else in the world. Appiah talks about how you can find similarities in each culture. In order for a culture to be considered “pure”, it would have to be completely uninfluenced by any other cultures. The world is becoming globalized every single day and cultures are moving farther away from cultural purity.
- Appiah argues against those who criticize globalization for producing homogeneity and getting rid of cultural differences. He claims that globalization is also a threat to homogeneity because it creates new forms of differences. People are afraid of change; new. “So why do people in these places sometimes feel that their identity is threatened? Because the world, their world, is changing, and some of them don’t like it” (Appiah, 102). The unknown and new is unsettling to people. They are afraid of failure so they seclude themselves into an echo chamber of familiarity.
- “Cosmopolitanism was invented by contaminators whose migrations were solitary. And the migrations that have contaminated the larger world were not all modern” (Appiah, 112).
Ch.8:
- “These things were made by creatures like me, through the exercise of skill and imagination. I do not have those skills, and my imagination spins different dreams. Nevertheless, that potential is also in me” (Appiah, 135). I actually love this quote. We are all the same creatures, human beings. It is just a sense of what drives our passions the most. Differences are what makes this world so special.
- “Each of us has an interest in being able, should we chose, to live with art; and that interest is not limited to the art of our own “people” (Appiah, 127). Just because art comes from a different culture does not make it any different than any other “art”. All culture’s art is equivalent, no matter where in the world it lands.
- Why does it matter where art is preserved. “It’s a contribution to the cultural heritage of the world” (Appiah, 121). At is supposed to be looked at. As long as it gets its credit where it needs then who cares.
3) QUESTION:
- Why are people so afraid of change and how could we potentially challenge ourselves more to step out of our comfort zones more?
Thesis)
ReplyDeleteChapter 7: Cultural contamination proves that one doesn't need a homogenous society/culture in order to function.
Chapter 8: The theft of cultural property can negatively impact the global community as a whole
Evidence)
Chapter 7:
“ The capital of Asante is accessible to you, whoever you are emotionally, intellectually, and, of course, physically. It is integrated into the global markets. None of this makes it Western, or American, or British. It is still Kumasi... There are people there from all the regions, speaking all the scores of languages of Ghana as well. “ (Appiah, 101, 102). This capital city still manages to function and remain connected to the global community despite the fact that the culture located within it is not homogeneous.
“ In the era of globalization in Asante as in New Jersey people make pockets of homogeneity. Are all these pockets of homogeneity less distinctive than they were a century ago? Well, yes, but mostly in good ways. More of them have access to clean drinking water. More of them have schools..” (Appiah, 103). Even during the period of globalization individuals formed groups of homogeneity within a greater culture. An example of this would be “Little China” in New York City, this pocket of homogeneity still functions with the rest of the culture.
“No doubt, there can be an easy and spurious utopianism of “mixture”, as there is of “purity”. And yet the larger human truth is on the side of Terence’s contamination. We do not need, have never needed, settled community, a homogeneous system of values, in order to have a home.” (Appiah, 113).
Chapter 8:
“For an object from an archaeological site, after all, value comes often as much from the knowledge to be gleaned by knowing where it came out of the ground, what else was around it, how it lay in the earth…” (Appiah, 122). If an object from one of these sites were stolen than it is possible that some knowledge about our ancestors will be lost. Also in order to ensure that individuals become acquainted with one another, one must expose them to different cultures. Meaning without these cultural items connections between individuals would be harder to form.
“The point of many sculptures and paintings, the reason they were made and bought, was that they should be looked at and lived with. Each of us has an interest in being able, should we choose to live with art; ..” (Appiah, 127). The purpose of these works of art are to promote interactions between individuals and without these pieces not only would we lose connections with our ancestors but connections between each other.
“ But equally important is the human connection. My people human beings made the Great Wall of China, the Chrysler Building, the Sistine Chapel: these things were made by creatures like me, through the exercise of skill and imagination...that potential is also in me” (Appaih, 135).
Question:
What would be some ways to incentivize individuals opposed to the notion of globalization to accept globalization?
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ReplyDeleteChapter Seven
ReplyDeleteThesis: Pockets of homogeneity still exist but continue to be outshined by the progress of globalization and are becoming less distinct as time continues.
The ways in which homogeneity creates “pockets” are often at local levels in which these locations are often more remote. Appiah explains even though the uniqueness of each location is disappearing, this is because they are being introduced to positive aspects of civilization such as schooling, medicine, and access to clean drinking water.
Individuals often think this idea that groups are becoming less distinct is an attack on their individualism and the identity they hold within their specific culture/society. Appiah brings attention to cocoa and its chocolate that makes its way around the world. If the economy were to change and the price of cocoa drastically fall, then farmers of cocoa would need to farm a new crop or change their lifestyle completely. People often also fear the relationships/companionship of their community drastically changing as globalization occurs. Although the change isn’t inherently negative, people still fear it.
“We do not need, have never needed, settled community, a homogeneous system of values, in order to have a home. Cultural purity is an oxymoron.” We don’t need a single world community where everyone believes the same thing and practices the same lifestyle/culture. The differences between societies and cultures is something to be praised and enriches the world.
Chapter Eight
Thesis: Cultural property not only holds immense meaning to those of that particular society, but damages the connections and ways in which that piece could affect and start discussion among other cultures.
“Many of the poorest countries in the world simply do not have the resources to enforce the regulations they make. Mali can declare it illegal to dig up and export the wonderful sculpture of Djenné-Jeno. But it can’t enforce the law. And it certainly can’t afford to fund thousands of archaeological digs.” I honestly never thought about this issue existing and found it interesting as well as extremely tragic. Not only has Mali lost an extremely important and culturally significant pieces of art, but we as Americans don’t have the opportunity to learn about this culture from these sculptures.
Appiah brings into question “what does it mean exactly, for something to belong to a people?” which is an interesting concept, ownership over culture. Societies often claim a piece of culture as their own that they may not have even remotely aided in developing. Examples of this are the Greeks claiming the Elgin marbles, and Nigerians claiming Nok sculptures.
“We can respond to art that is not ours; indeed, we can fully respond to “our” art only if we move beyond thinking of it as ours and start to respond to it as art. But equally important is the human connection. My people—human beings—made the Great Wall of China, the Chrysler Building, the Sistine Chapel: these things were made by creatures like me, through the exercise of skill and imagination.” I like the importance of human connection above all else here and understanding that the immense skill, determination, and imagination it takes should be realized and discussed. Rather than applying it to a single culture, there would be a global discussion involving everyone, and creating a connection between people using this as a medium.
Question: Is this system of little to no proclamation over cultural property a sensible one or is there a way in which cultures can have these important discussion while also holding this art in respect to a specific country/nation/culture?
1) THESIS:
ReplyDeleteChapter 7: Cultural diversity is necessary and becoming the norm within every culture, because it is almost necessary for cultural progression.
Chapter 8: Cultural patrimony is the idea that specific pieces of art, which reflect their nation, need to be protected.
2) EVIDENCE:
Chapter 7:
Homogeneity is the idea of a pure and singular culture, that hasn’t been affected by others. Kwame explains that, while it may seem like something to preserve, globalization and “contamination” of these cultures is needed in order for everyone to advance. There are “pockets of homogeneity” need this impact of “human variety” in order to see other ideas that may positively impact their society, but they should be free to choose what they adopt. (Appiah, 103-104).
With this, the freedom of choice should be emphasized by cosmopolitans. Colonization and forcing people to adopt certain ways of life is not productive. “If we want to preserve a wide range of human conditions,” explains Appiah, “there is no place for the enforcement of diversity by trapping people within a kind of difference they long to escape” (105).
Another point that Appiah made that I like is the idea of people adopting values and practices from another culture and making it their own. He explains, “the point is that people in each place make their own uses of even the most famous global commodities” (113).
Chapter 8:
Cultural patrimony is how important pieces of art reflect a nation or culture. “Since significance is something produced through conventions, which are never individual and rarely universal,” explains Appiah, “interpreting culture in this sense requires some knowledge of its social and historical context” (118).
Appiah also explores how many works of art that reflect a specific nation’s culture were produced before that nation even began. For example, Norway’s deep history of Viking art was not produced with the idea that it is inherently made for Norway. Appiah says, “a great deal of what people wish to protect as ‘cultural patrimony’ was made before the modern system of nations came into being” (119).
While intellectual property is sometimes defended in the same way as art when it comes to cultural patrimony, this so-called “intellectual property” in stories, songs, and other cultural elements are necessary for certain groups’ livelihood. Invoking protections of intellectual property “involves partition, making countless mine-and-thine distinctions” (Appiah, 129).
3) QUESTION: What is some art that is protected and represents the US in the way that Appiah describes cultural patrimony in Chapter 8?
Thesis:
ReplyDeleteChapter 7): Cultural diversity is often a thing people are afraid of, but often times it causes a culture to grow.
Evidence
1).There are pockets of homogeneity, cultures that have not been "contaminated" by outside cultures. However, many cosmopolitans think that this is a negative due to "human variety mattering" because it gives the people new options within their lives. (104)
2). People feel like there identity can be threatened when change is possibly going to occur. Appiah puts it as, "the world, their world is changing, and some of them dont like it". Often times they would want their family to stay back to help with farming, but with the grow of outside culture, the younger generation do not feel as if they need to stay. (103)
3. The people who think that there culture needs to remain pure just doesnt make sense either. "Cultural purity is an oxymoron", chances are the the life you live in already is cosmoplitan in some way by literature or art. (113)
Chapter 8
Thesis: Cultural property is important to the identity and their nation as a whole.
Evidence:
1) Cultural patrimony refers to products of ones culture. However, the significance is never concrete and is provided through "conventions" (118)
2) Cultural pieces can tell us about the culture better than we can usually find out from something such as writing. IN places such as archaeological digs, "knowledge comes from where it came out of the ground". From its location and what it was around, you can get a story from it. (122)
3). Unfortunatley, people try to steal these pieces of art, and end up ruining the story that they can tell. Places such as UNESCO have made a set of laws that "cultural property be regarded as the property of its culture", which if you steal a piece, you steal from the culture (118)
Question: If a type of art is inspired from outside cultures, should it still be protected as an important part of one culutre or multiple cultures.
ReplyDeleteChapter 7: People have avoided the idea that homogeneity produced by globalization is just as a threat as globalization is to homogeneity, although the process of it being less distinct is in works.
"When people talk about homogeneity produced by globalization, what they are talking about is this: the villagers will have radios; you will be able to get a discussion going about the World Cup in soccer, Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, and hip-hop; and you will probably be able to find a bottle of Guinness or Coca-Cola (as well as Star or Club, Ghana's own delicious lagers.) Then again, the language on the radio won't be a world language, the soccer teams they know best will be Ghanaian, and what can you tell about someone's soul from the fact that she drinks Coca-Cola?" (102)
" So why do people in these places sometimes feel that their identity is threatened? Because of the world, their world, is changing, and some of them don't like it. The pull of the global economy-witness those cocoa trees whose chocolate is eaten around the world-created some of the life they now live." (103)
"...The point is that people in each place make their own uses even of the most famous global commodities." (113)
Chapter 8: Similarities of the human connection is an important aspect of culture.
"Since significance is something produced through conventions, which are never individual and rarely universal, interpreting culture in this sense requires some knowledge of its social and historical context." (118)
"Here "culture" is whatever people make and invest with significance through the exercise of their human creativity." (118)
"A UN body circulates a Draft Declaration on the rights on Indigenous Peoples (1994) affirming their right 'to maintain, protect and develop the past, present and future manifestations of their cultures,' including 'artifacts, designs, ceremonies, technologies and visual and performing arts and literature, as well as the right to the restitution of cultural, intellectual, religious and spiritual property taken without their free and informed consent or in violation of their laws, traditions and customs.'" (128)
Chapter 7
ReplyDeleteThesis:
Globalization has been the spread of this ‘contamination’ Appiah talks about between cultures which allows cultures/communities to be more diverse and grow.
Evidence:
Our world is evolving and changing everyday and so are cultures “and the identity of a society can survive through these changes” (107). These changes may bring new ideas and people to a society, that gives it more diversity, that will allow it to grow.
I really enjoyed this quote Appiah stated that “cultural purity is an oxymoron” (113), even though in a single individual's lifetime their cultural may seem ‘pure’, they may not even notice the small changes that may occur throughout the years.
“We do not need, have never needed, settled community, a homogeneous system of values, in order to have a home” (113). We don’t need to all be the same in order to have a home, a home may not even be a place but a community of people.
Chapter 8
Thesis: Cultural property is important to its nation state but it also allows for human connections around the globe.
Evidence:
“Painful irony that one reason we’ve lost information about cultural antiques is the very regulation intended to preserve it” (123). Many cultural properties have a story behind it, a deeper meaning, and if we don’t share these antiques we may not hear the stories, or be able to pass these stories down.
Most of the time art is shared through shows, museums, and auctions within a nation state and “If it is good to share art in these ways with others, the cosmopolitan asks, why should the sharing cease at national borders” (127). Although we share art within the big culture to which we belong, wouldn’t it be beneficial to share the arts with the whole globe at times.
“The connection people feel to cultural objects that are symbolically theirs, because they were produced from within a world of meaning created by their ancestors” (135). Hearing stories about a cultural object can allow individuals more insight into what their history was like.
Thesis
ReplyDeleteChapter 7: Being culturally diverse in a community is extremely important inorder to improve and make progress in society, because of this it is becoming the new norm.
Chapter 8:Property is particularly important in grauds to culture.
Evidence
Chapter 7:
“So why do people in these places sometimes feel that their identity is threatened? Because the world, their world, is changing, and some of them don’t like it” (Pg 103, Appiah). Our world as we know it is changing and becoming more diverse, some of us have a hard time coming to terms with this because they feel threatened and feel like who they are will be forgotten.
“Once, perhaps, you could have commanded your nephews and nieces to stay. Now they have the right to leave; in any case, you may not make enough to feed and clothe
and educate them all” (Pg 104, Appiah). Places in the world are becoming more diverse because there is more freedom and accessibility to travel and more.
“‘They have no real choice,’ the cultural preservationists may say. ‘We have dumped cheap Western clothes into their markets; and they can no longer afford the silk they used to wear’” (Pg 106,Appiah). some people believe that change is being made to society’s not by choice of the people but by the large corporations making what we used to be able to afford nearly impossible to afford today.
Chapter 8:
“Modern thefts have not, of course, been limited to the pillaging of archaeological sites. Hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art has been stolen from the museums of Nigeria alone, almost always with the complicity of insiders” (Pg 117, Appiah). Objects are very important to cultures and when one culture has something of great value most likely someone else wants it as well, people will do crazy things to get what they want.
“Plainly, special problems are posed by objects, like Viking treasure and Nok art, where there is, as the lawyers might say, no continuity of title. If we don’t know who last owned a thing, we need a rule as to what should happen to it now”(Pg 122, Appiah). It is hard to decipher whose artifacts are whos if it was never documented, but it is also important to each culture who believes the artifact is theres to get it back so it is important to fairly assess the best place for the artifact to go.
“Notice what happens when we shift from tangible artifacts to intellectual property. It’s no longer just a particular object but any reproducible image of it that must be regulated by those whose patrimony it is. We find ourselves obliged, in theory, to repatriate ideas and experiences”( Pg 129, Appiah). It is very common for people to get defensive is a story is told the way they think is wrong. Stories are very important to cultures and are very valued.
Questions:
How can we get the older generation to become more accepted about becoming divers?