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Chapter 20 | William D. Coleman (continued) What is important here is not only that these technologies have assisted greatly in expanding the global extensiveness of human relations, their regularity and the speed at which they take place, but also that they impose ways of thinking. As Fernand Harvey stresses in his chapter, the culture of the “written,” culture de l’écrit, is being supplemented if not replaced by a cyberculture based on multimedia images. As many have observed as well, we must add to this mix, the development of increasing numbers of trans-national corporations interested in the global sale and production of culture. The complex interconnectedness of globalization when coupled with the onset of cyberculture makes possible the deep structuring of commodification into the cultural life of the developed world (Tomlinson, 1999: 87). This development can bring with it a distinct narrowing and convergence of cultural experience. With these background points established, let me now turn to the questions raised about the relationship between globalization and the construction of identity. 2. implications for identity What do we mean when we speak of identity? Identity refers to an ongoing social and cultural practice of defining the self (Castells, 1997; Chambers, 1994). The construction of an identity involves a charting of continuity through the chaotic, mixed events of one’s life and this process of continuity-making is a kind of self-narration. People forge a continuous narrative link across their various interactions and experiences with others, seeking to produce an image of themselves that is consistent, and which, in turn, affects how they engage with others. Globalization is likely to affect this practice in several ways. It offers new opportunities for imagining social relationships (Appadurai, 1996). It also can disrupt identities, challenging the continuity individuals have constructed, thus forcing adaptive behaviour. By introducing turbulence into the usual processes of identity formation, it can affect society so profoundly that it alters the way in which individuals and communities define themselves. Preliminary evidence suggests that globalization gives rise to identities that are less solid, less definite, and less continuous. Identities can be adopted and discarded more easily than in the past. Identity is formed on the move. For some persons, particularly the young, the identities adopted should not be too tight. They are chosen on the basis of “keeping the game short” and of avoiding long-term commitments. Finally, for reasons that I note below, the potential for conflicting identities may be increasing. Iain Chambers (1994) observes that these changes in identity formation reflect changing sources of identity. He writes (1994: 19): “Our sense of belonging, our language and the myths we carry in us remain, but no longer as “origins” or signs of “authenticity” capable of guaranteeing the sense of our lives. They now linger on as traces, voices, memories and murmurs that are mixed in with other histories, episodes, encounters.” Fernand Harvey makes a similar point in his chapter: the traditional mediators for the transmission of culture and I would include identity — the family, school, civic associations, museums, public libraries — have been brought into question as new mediators — the mass media, advertising, transnational or diaspora communities with global links, the internet — have been added. Certainly, then these sorts of changes have implications for the handing down of culture, a central question of this volume. If identities are less solid, less definite and less continuous, the capacity of individuals and communities to transmit them across generations may decline. Similarly, these new sources of identity — whether the mass media, transnational communities, or advertising — are themselves fluid and constantly changing. Journalism tends to be short-term in historical focus, often with little evidence of historical memory. Advertising lives on change, on convincing consumers to replace something they have with something new. Some aspects of culture — clothing, food, music — are less fixed today, changing ever more quickly following the logic of the global market economy. For small societies, where the affirmation of a collective identity has been crucial to their survival in the past, these types of changes may be important, even disturbing. |
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