Steger, Globalization, chap. 5Global East Asia so far.docx

Steger, Globalization, chap. 5
Global East Asia so far
Chap. 1 Globalization: a contested concept
Chap. 2 Globalization in history: is
globalization a new phenomenon?
Chap. 3 The economic dimension of
globalization
Chap. 4 The political dimension of
globalization
***Chap. 4 Recitation Wed. March 28***
Steger Chap. 5: The cultural
dimension of globalization
� Wed. April 4 Chap. 5 Recitation
� Chap. 5 Response paper due: Tues. April 3,
10:00 PM
Chap. 5 reading
March 29 Thurs. lecture: Social convergence and the
appeal of pop culture
� Reading: Nissim Kadosh Otmazgin, “Japanese Popular
Culture in East and Southeast Asia: Time for a
Regional Paradigm?” japanfocus.org (2008)

Electronic devices OFF
What is culture?
� An aspect of social life
What is culture?
� Concerned with the symbolic construction,
articulation, and dissemination of meaning
Major forms of symbolic expression
� Language
� Music
� Images
Culture: 3 meanings
1. Human culture: symbolic expression,
universal to all human societies (Steger)
2. Cultural sphere: symbolic expression in one
group of societies that separates it from
another group

� “Western culture,” “Asian culture” “Islamic
culture”
3. National culture: symbolic expression in one
society that separates it from other societies
� “Chinese culture,” “Japanese culture,”
“Korean culture”
Symbols of “Chinese Culture”
� Chinese cuisine
� Chinese writing system & calligraphy
� Great Wall of China
� Panda bears
China’s symbol of “soft power”
Stylized symbol
Manipulated symbol
Homo sapiens—modern humans
� Anatomically modern humans emerged
about 315,000 years ago

� Behavioral modernity arose about 40,000
years ago, with evidence of symbolic thought
� Language, figurative art, religion, music
� These behaviors are thought to have built
unity in the group and helped early homo
sapiens to survive
Vulture bone flute: 35,000 years old
Lascaux cave paintings 20,000 yrs.
Homo sapiens vs. Neanderthals
� Neanderthals died out less than 30,000 years
ago
� Hypothesis: they were eclipsed by the social
& cultural prowess of growing groups of
homo sapiens, made possible by symbolic
thought
Neanderthal symbolic thought
50,000 year old shell necklace (Spain)

Chapter 5: Steger’s 3 important
themes: Theme 1
1. The tension between sameness and
difference in the emerging global culture.
Theme 2
2. The crucial role of transnational media
corporations in disseminating popular
culture
� Global cultural f lows are generated and
directed by global media empires that rely
on powerful communication technologies
Theme 3
3. The globalization of languages
� Some languages are increasingly used in
international communication while others
disappear
Theme 3: Shifting global
patterns of language use
� The globalization of languages is a process

by which some languages are used more in
international communication while others
decline or disappear
Theme 3: Five key variables
1. Number of languages is shrinking
2. Migration and travel spreads languages
3. Foreign language learning disperses
languages beyond borders
4. Language use on Internet is sign of both
dominance and variety
5. Scientific publications impact intellectual
communities differently depending on
language of publication
Language extinction is parallel to
species extinction:
Globalization creates “environmental”
pressures that impact languages and life-
forms similarly
� Human cultural ecologies
� Earth natural ecologies
� Chapter 6: Ecological dimensions of
globalization.

Three Hypotheses
1. As a few languages achieve global dominance
(English, Chinese, Spanish), other languages will
decline and even disappear.
2. Even as global languages emerge, local languages will
survive.
3. The powerful Anglo-American culture industry will
make English (“Globish”) the dominant global
language of the 21st century.
� As of 1990, English used by only 350 million native
speakers, 400 million speakers of English as a second
language; but 80% of Internet content is in English.
Despacito’s breakthrough
� Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee in Spanish
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk 4.41
� With Justin Bieber in Spanish and English
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72UO0v5ESUo 3.49
� Despacito in six different languages
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEWpyfAiXFw 4.01
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJQP7kiw5Fk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72UO0v5ESUo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEWpyfAiXFw
Group discussion: Which do you
think is the most likely outcome?
Hypothesis 1: A few languages achieve global
dominance (English, Chinese, Spanish); other

languages will decline and even disappear.
Hypothesis 2: Global languages emerge; local
languages will survive.
Hypothesis 3: English becomes the dominant
global language of the 21st century.
Clickers ON
Q: Which do you think is the
most likely outcome?
A. Hypothesis 1: A few languages achieve global
dominance (English, Chinese, Spanish); other
languages will decline and even disappear.
B. Hypothesis 2: Global languages emerge; local
languages will survive.
C. Hypothesis 3: English becomes the dominant global
language of the 21st century.
Theme 1: Tension between
sameness/difference
Does globalization make people around the
world more alike or more different?
� Cultural rainbow (differences maintained)
� Cultural melting pot (leads to sameness)

Globalizers
� Globalizers argue that globalization makes
people more alike, or “homogenous” and
therefore leads to cultural sameness
Clickers ON
According to Steger’s discussion in
chapter 5, which group thinks
cultural sameness is undesirable?
A. Globalization skeptics
B. Optimistic globalizers
C. Pessimistic globalizers
Globalizers
� Globalizers argue that globalization makes
people more alike, or “homogenous”
� Pessimistic globalizers see cultural
homogenization as undesirable
� Optimistic globalizers see it as desirable
Optimistic globalizers
� Optimistic globalizers see cultural

homogenization as a good thing, leading to
expansion of democracy and free markets,
and key to achieving a global imaginary
Criticism of cultural imperialism
Global spread of American culture is a form of
cultural imperialism
� Power of Western/Global North “culture
industry” based on New York, Hollywood,
London, and Milan
� Cf. Despacito and Justin Bieber’s contribution
to its global success
Globalization is not a vertical hierarchy
global
local
Globalization is a horizontal relationship,
but there is a power asymmetry
global local
“McDonaldization” and sameness

Coined by George Ritzer, refers to principles
of fast-food that dominate more and more
sectors of global society
� Rational, efficient, predictable ways to serve
people’s needs
Can globalization create diversity?
Roland Robertson is a globalization sceptic
and rejects the idea that cultures become
homogenized in globalization
� Globalization leads to new forms of cultural
expression
Glocalization
Global and local cultural elements interact
and produce cultural hybridity
� This cultural hybridization is most visible in
fashion, music, dance, film, food, and
language
� Chap. 2 Allen & Sakamoto “Sushi reverses
course”
� Despacito; Rivers of Babylon line dance
Steger: Globalization has a
contradictory impact on culture

Globalization may lead to BOTH
� loss of traditional symbolic expression AND
� creation of new symbolic expressions
Steger: Three effects of cultural interaction
1. Sameness, homogenization
2. Hybridity, glocalization
3. New cultural expression
Pieterse: Three effects of cultural
interaction (2009)
1. Homogenization (=Steger: sameness)
2. Hybridization (=Steger: hybridity,
glocalization)
3. Polarization (⌿Steger: new cultural
expression)
Pieterse: Awareness of difference =
function of globalization
� “Growing awareness of cultural difference is
a function of globalization. Increasing cross-
cultural communication, mobility,
migration, trade, investment, tourism, all

generate awareness of cultural difference.”
Pieterse, p. 60
ID 305 Paper Assignment Checklist:
1. ________I have written an introduction and thesis for my
paper.
2. ________ I have read how to write an introduction and
formulate a thesis from the How-to guides posted in Blackboard
and/or consulted with the Limestone Online Writing Lab.
a. _______My introduction explains what my paper will address
(as stated in Steps 3 and 4).
b. ______My thesis states the purpose of my paper.
3. _______ I have summarized each of the FOUR editorials in
the first half of my paper.
4. _______ I have evaluated EACH editorial using the HCTSR
in the second half of my paper.
5. _______ I have assigned EACH editorial with an HCTSR
rating number and justified this rating.
6. _______ I have included at least TWO examples of how
EACH editorial author demonstrated critical thinking skills
and/or how each author demonstrated a lack of critical thinking
skills as part of my HCTSR rating justification.
7. _______ I have included parenthetical (also known as in-text)
citations of sources (which are the authors of the editorials and
the textbook authors) I mentioned in my paper and used the
correct MLA citation format.
8. _______ I have included a Works Cited list of sources I
mentioned in my paper and used the correct MLA citation

format.
9. _______ I have consulted with the Limestone Online Writing
Lab regarding writing and citing issues prior to my submission
of the paper (Optional, if needed).
Paper #1
You will read a part of a “Room for Debate” Editorial Series
from the New York Times for this
assignment. To start drafting your paper, follow these directions
step-by-step.
STEP 1: Click on the PDF file in Blackboard associated with
this assignment. Print out the pages.
Read all the articles carefully. Note that the locating
information is given to you for your works cited
page on top of the introduction page. (Note: You may find it
helpful to use the libguide {Noodlebib
tool housed in the libguide} to construct the works cited.)
STEP 2: Once you have finished reading these editorials, you
will need to write a multi-mode paper
(: meaning your paper will both summarize and analyze).
Your paper should begin with an introduction and a thesis
unifying the two objectives in step 3 and
step 4. Should you need help with thesis statements,
introductions and transitions, please
reference the English learning module in our course OR the
Writing Center. NOTE: Remember this
is a humanities paper. There are MAJOR differences in the style
of writing between APA and MLA.

Review these differences before beginning your draft.
STEP 3: After the introduction, construct several body
paragraphs where you will summarize each
debater’s opinion. You will need to SUMMARIZE the debater’s
stance (pro-con) in light of the
question upon which the debate is centered. In order to
complete this step successfully, you will
need to refer to the “How to write a summary” handout found in
the English help learning module
to write your summary in the necessary manner. Take note on
the guideline regarding length—a
summary for this piece should be in the one to two short
paragraph range. Also note that
summaries do not include personal opinions or additional
information not found in the piece
being summarized.
STEP 4: Then, read the editorials again carefully, centering on
the reasons why the author is
either pro or con. You’ll see that the authors give different
reasons in the editorials. Using the
HCTSR (Holistic Critical Thinking Scoring Rubric in your
text), analyze and evaluate the critical
thinking evident in these editorials. ASSIGN EACH DEBATER
A NUMBER and justify it. What
critical thinking skills are apparent in their essays? Give me at
least TWO examples per debater.
Be sure to write about your reasons justifying in specific detail
why you gave the editorial the score
that you did. Point out words, thoughts, etc. that led you to your
evaluation. STEP 5: Bring your
paper to a conclusion. In your conclusion, give your personal
opinion of the issue, but your opinion
should not be in steps 3 or 4. The conclusion is the only place
your opinion should appear.

Otherwise, in the body of the paper, you are only evaluating
debates using the HCTSR criteria.
A NOTE ON DEVELOPMENT: You should think of the
concepts addressed in chapters one through
five to help lead you through this paper. Using the vocabulary
and terminology in those
chapters will help you produce a strong paper. I am looking for
evidence of mastery of
textbook terms, showing me you have read and understood the
reading from the text
through application in this paper. Students who use no material
from the textbook
should expect a much lower grade than students who correctly
use material in their
analysis. BACK YOUR OPINION UP with detailed
explanations. For instance, if you believed
that someone was particularly superficial or particularly strong,
tell me why by providing an
example with an in-text citation and a reference to one of the
textbook concepts.
Other notes:
Make sure your paper reads as a whole (- unified) and uses
transitions. If you are unsure about
style or anything contained here in the assignment, ask!

This paper should contain a Works Cited page in MLA style.
Again, seek help at the sources
mentioned should you need it.
APA or other citation styles are not acceptable for this course.
MLA style papers are always
double spaced with one-inch margins and 12-point Times New
Roman or Courier New font. All
quotations (anything that is word for word out of the articles
and paraphrased thoughts) should be
properly attributed with both in-text parenthetical citations and
a works cited page. Note that the
source link in the PDF of the articles has been provided for you
and that the source is not a print
source, but an electronic one.
A word about MLA style: Please note that if you choose not to
refresh your memory about
MLA or choose not to use the sources provided on our
classroom BB page or on the LC
Library webpage on how to do MLA sourcing and style, it will
bring your paper down at
least one full letter grade.
A paper answering all of the above questions in an acceptable
manner will produce a minimum of
three full-length double-spaced pages (excluding works cited,
which is not counted in the page
requirement).

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016
Poverty, Prosperity and the Minimum
Wage
INTRODUCTION
Protests by fast-food workers, like these in
North Carolina in 2013, spurred the drive of minimum wage
increases around the country.Chuck Burton/Associated
Press
Americans saw the largest annual rise in real income in almost
50 years with 3.5
million lifted out of poverty as the economy grew and jobs
increased.
Is this good economic news also evidence that the minimum
wage increases enacted
in cities and states have proved their benefits?
For your Works Cited Page, this was accessed on
6/20/2017 from:
https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2016/09/29/p
overty-prosperity-and-the-minimum-wage
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/business/economy/us-

census-household-income-poverty-wealth-2015.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/26/business/economy/million
s-in-us-climb-out-of-poverty-at-long-last.html
http://nelp.org/content/uploads/City-Minimum-Wage-Laws-
Recent-Trends-Economic-Evidence.pdf
http://www.raisetheminimumwage.com/media-center/entry/14-
cities-states-approved-15-minimum-wage-in-2015/
Don’t Ignore the Costs of Minimum
Wage Increases When Celebrating
the Benefits
Michael R. Strain is the director of economic policy studies at
the American Enterprise Institute.
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 29, 2016, 3:22 AM
Given the good news in the Census Bureau’s annual report on
poverty and income, can we conclude
that minimum wage increases have proven their benefits? To
consider, let’s take a step back and
recall that an underlying reality of minimum wage increases is a
familiar one in economics: tradeoffs.
Some workers get a raise, at the cost of there being fewer jobs
for
low-wage workers. Most of the higher earnings go to families
not in
poverty.
Raising the minimum wage increases the earnings of some
workers. That’s the benefit. The cost to
businesses of that increase must be absorbed somehow.

Advocates of minimum wage increases
plausibly argue that reduced turnover, higher productivity,
lower profits and the like absorb much of
the increase. I have no trouble believing that this happens in
many cases.
My reading of the economics literature also suggests that
businesses absorb some of the costs of a
higher wage bill by employing fewer workers and charging
higher prices for the goods and service
they produce.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the
effects of increasing the federal minimum
wage from its current $7.25 per hour to $10.10 per hour would
generate $31 billion in extra earnings
for 16.5 million workers. “However,” according to the C.B.O.,
“those earnings would not go only to
low-income families, because many low-wage workers are not
members of low-income families. Just
19 percent of the $31 billion would accrue to families with
earnings below the poverty threshold,
whereas 29 percent would accrue to families earning more than
three times the poverty threshold.”
And a cost of a $10.10 minimum wage, again according to
C.B.O., is 500,000 fewer jobs.
The tradeoff, in sum: Some workers get a raise, and the cost of
that raise is fewer jobs for low-wage
workers. It’s also important to note that the vast majority of the
increase in earnings would go to
families that are not in poverty.
Beyond the question of whether this tradeoff is good or bad is
the question of whether there are
better policy alternatives to minimum wage increases.
One of the most significant issues facing the United States is

declining workforce participation among
men. At a time when men are not finding their place in the labor
market, shouldn’t we be finding ways
to make it easier for firms to hire workers, and not instituting
policies that will make it costlier?
Unlike minimum wage increases, earnings subsidies like the
Earned Income Tax Credit (E.I.T.C.)
make sure the dollars we redistribute find their way to the
working poor by explicitly targeting low-
income households. And expanding the E.I.T.C. would increase
employment.
Have minimum wage increases proved their benefits? Sure, in
the sense that there are benefits
associated with minimum wage increases. But we need to look
at costs as well — and there are real
https://www.aei.org/scholar/michael-r-strain/
http://census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2016/cb16-158.html
http://ftp.iza.org/dp2570.pdf
https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/113th-congress-2013-
2014/reports/44995-MinimumWage.pdf
http://conservativereform.com/wp-
content/uploads/2016/07/CRN_Employment_FINAL.pdf
https://www.amazon.com/Men-Without-Work-Americas-
Invisible/dp/1599474697/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/365999/more-minimum-
wage-michael-r-strain
costs. We need to look at the broader canvas on which we will
paint a minimum wage increase. And
we need to ask whether there are better policies to help reduce
poverty and increase household
income. There are.
Oh, and by the way, eight states saw their minimum wages

increase between 2011 and 2012, for an
average increase of 4 percent, and the headline from that year’s
Census report is that neither median
income nor the poverty rate budged. Median income and poverty
were flat for 2013 and 2014 as well,
even though 2013 saw 10 minimum wage increases and 2014
saw 18 minimum wage increases. In
2015, 24 states had a minimum wage increase, averaging 6.6
percent — similar to 2014.
It would be an error to overstate the success or the failure of
minimum wage increases in any of these
years.
https://www.dol.gov/whd/state/stateminwagehis.htm
http://census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2013/

demo/p60-245.pdf
http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications
/2014/demo/p60-249.pdf
http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications
/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf
Effects of Minimum Wage Increases
Extend Beyond the Law’s Reach
Maurice A. Jones, Virginia's former secretary of commerce and
trade, is the president and chief
executive officer of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, a
nonprofit financial institution that
supports urban and rural development in the United States.
It’s too early to show empirically, but in my field we’re
convinced that minimum wage increases will
reveal their value over time as workers’ incomes rise.
What we do know now is that higher wages in the retail sector
have already been a boon to the
economy and to low-skilled workers, who make up most of low-
income America.
Many companies have raised wages in reaction. But more must
be
done to help struggling workers maintain and extend their gains.
This is particularly critical as manufacturing jobs evaporate and
more workers turn to employment
in retail and service industries. Some of the gains we’re starting
to see come thanks to higher

minimum wages for people who don’t yet have the training to
advance in a job.
The national conversation about low wages, in and of itself, has
brought about a shift in the economic
zeitgeist, too: Even in states that aren’t rolling out minimum
wage hikes, some giant employers, like
Target and Walmart, have anted up (both increased their
minimum wages by 10 percent — about a
dollar an hour — in the past year).
Nevertheless, for many low-income families, a job alone is not
enough. When employed people
cannot meet their basic expenses (which sadly often include
payments to predatory lenders), they
can’t build assets, either. And assets are a cornerstone of
financial stability, in addition to steady,
living wage jobs.
Supporting the 43 million Americans who still live in poverty
on a path toward financial well-being
requires tackling all the facets of financial life — including, but
not limited to, salary.
To climb into the middle class, low-income workers need other
supports, too: Employment services
that include skills training, financial coaching (to build positive
credit and balance the household
budget), and access to government income assistance can all
help people increase their monthly net
income and build assets.
That means more dollars going toward homes, college,
retirement savings and into local businesses
— the kinds of spending that fuel our economy and the
wellbeing of families and the places where

they live.
So while higher minimum wage jobs are imperative to living
with dignity and for a healthy economy,
and we are seeing their good effects, they are part of a broader,
more complex picture. We can’t wait
http://www.lisc.org/about-us/lisc-leadership/leadership-
bios/#mjones
http://www.lisc.org/
for $15-an-hour wages to take hold in every state of our union
to see what happens. Low-income
people need much greater access to financial empowerment
strategies that work today.
Benefits of Minimum-Wage Increases

Seem Too Good to Be True, But
They’re Not
Heather Boushey is the executive director and chief economist
at the Washington Center for Equitable
Growth, and the author of “Finding Time: The Economics of
Work-Life Conflicts."
Some ideas sound too good to be true. Some argue that one of
those ideas is: If you want higher
incomes and less poverty, then you pay workers higher wages.
This logic is leading policymakers
around the country to increase their local minimum wage. The
last increase to the federal minimum
wage was when it rose to $7.25 in 2009, which also coincides
with the end of the Great Recession in
June of 2009. Since 2009, 28 states and the District of Columbia
as well as 43 cities and localities
have raised their minimum wage.
The evidence isn't conclusive, but we have to seriously consider
that
raising the minimum wage has done more good than harm.
Advocates for increasing the minimum wage argue that it will
improve people’s earnings and make it
easier for them to support their families. Some even point to the
very good economic news earlier
this month — U.S. Census Bureau data show that for 2015,
median household income rose 5.2 percent,
up to around $56,500, the largest single-year increase since
record-keeping began in 1967. Incomes
rose across the board: For young people and in households

headed by middle-aged adults and older
people, and for African-American families, white families,
Latino families and Asian American
families. We also learned that 3.5 million Americans rose above
the poverty line last year.
Given that so many places have raised their minimum wage, this
is proof at the very least that
policies to increase the minimum wage happened alongside real
income gains at the national level.
An economist’s caution, however, is that correlation is not
causation, meaning that just because the
two things happened along a time line that makes sense, it
doesn’t mean that one caused the other.
There continues to be debate over whether policies such as
raising the minimum wage actually raise
incomes because higher wages may be offset by employers
using less employee time, so that incomes
don’t actually rise in the end. While the weight of the empirical
evidence points to the conclusion that
there have been little or no employment effects from minimum
wage increases around the nation,
some argue that it hampers employment for some groups or that
the “Fight for $15” is a step too far.
What the recent upticks in income and decline in poverty tell us
is that we have to seriously consider
that raising the minimum wage has done more good than harm.
When we combine the income data
with the fact that we continue to be amid the longest job-
creating recovery since the end of World
War II — when the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics first began
tabulating this data — it’s hard to
argue that improving the lives of workers is a bad thing.

http://equitablegrowth.org/person/heather-boushey/
http://equitablegrowth.org/
http://equitablegrowth.org/
http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674660168
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/14/business/economy/us-
census-household-income-poverty-wealth-2015.html?smid=tw-
nytimesbusiness&smtyp=cur
http://www.upjohn.org/publications/upjohn-institute-press/what-
does-minimum-wage-do
The Tighter Job Market, Along With
Minimum Wage Rises, Pushed Wages Up
Arindrajit Dube is an associate professor of economics at the
University of Massachusetts, and a
visiting associate professor at Boston University's Questrom
School of Business. He is on
Twitter, @arindube.
First and foremost, the drop in the rate of poverty from 14.7 to
13.4 between 2014 and 2015 reflects a
strengthening U.S. labor market, as workers are finding jobs.
The ease of finding a job is key for
escaping poverty.
At the same time, it also helps to have a better paying job.
While not all low-wage workers live in low-
income families, there is a clear relationship between the two —
a relationship that has strengthened
during the past few decades. Therefore, the wage growth that we
have seen at the bottom has also
been an important factor behind the reduction in poverty.

The average minimum wage rose 3 percent, so
its role in cutting poverty was probably modest, but corporate
wage
policies also helped.
What’s behind the pay growth? A tight labor market certainly
helps when it comes to raising wages,
but so do institutional forces. Over the past few years, a slew of
major companies
including Walmart, Target and McDonald’s have begun
instituting voluntary minimum wage standards
that specifically raise pay at the very bottom. Such pay policies
are a new and important development
in the American corporate landscape.
Public policy has also played a role, especially in some parts of
the country. Today, 29 states and more
than two dozen cities have their own minimum wages. The
recent increases signal a growing success
of the Fight for Fifteen movement, which has its origin in fast-
food organizing and the push for a
wage mandate in Seattle.
To be sure, the impact of minimum wages on employment and
incomes remains a controversial
topic. However, in my view, the weight of the evidence as
summarized by meta-analysis, as well as
results from careful studies that create reliable control groups
suggest that typical minimum wage
increases tend to have limited employment effects, while raising
pay and earnings at the bottom and
reducing worker turnover.
My own research, and my survey of past studies, also suggests
that higher minimum wages raise
family incomes for the bottom quartile of the family income

distribution, and has a moderate-sized
poverty reducing effect. For example, a 10 percent increase in
the minimum wage can be expected to
reduce poverty by around 2 percent.
Given the recent minimum wage increases in states like
California, Massachusetts and New York,
some portion of the reduction in poverty can probably be
attributed to changes in the minimum
wage. But the change in the (population weighted) average
statutory minimum wage across the U.S.
between 2014 and 2015 was around 3 percent; so it probably did
not play a very big role in reducing
poverty at the national level during that time, even though it
likely did so in some parts of the
country. Once some of the recent increases kick in, we are more
likely to see a more sizable impact of
the policy.
https://arindube.com/
https://twitter.com/arindube
https://t.co/vbDfMFzvkF
http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/21/news/companies/walmart-
bonuses/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-target-wages-exclusive-
idUSKCN0XF2L4
http://www.benefitspro.com/2016/06/14/mcdonalds-has-the-
answer-to-employee-retention
https://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm
http://www.ncsl.org/research/labor-and-employment/state-
minimum-wage-chart.aspx
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2705499
http://escholarship.org/uc/item/86w5m90m
http://cdn.equitablegrowth.org/wp-
content/uploads/2016/08/16134519/081716-Credible-designs-
for-minwage-studies.pdf
http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/685449?jour

nalCode=jole
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15038936/Dube_Minimum
WagesFamilyIncomes.pdf
https://arindube.com/2014/01/14/separating-signal-from-noise-
a-review-of-12-major-studies-on-minimum-wages-and-poverty/
Is there a sweet spot when it comes to the minimum wage? Yes,
though I don’t believe we have a
clear sense of where that is — yet. The recent experimentation
at the state and city level will
hopefully help provide better guidance for an evidence-based
approach to minimum wage setting.
Nissim Kadosh Otmazgin
Steger chap. 5: The cultural
dimension of globalization
� Wed. April 4 Recitation
� Chap. 5 Response paper due: Tues. April 3
10:00 PM
Chap 5 reading
March 28 Thurs. lecture: Social convergence and the
appeal of pop culture

� Reading: Nissim Kadosh Otmazgin, “Japanese Popular
Culture in East and Southeast Asia: Time for a
Regional Paradigm?” japanfocus.org (2008)
Steger Chap 5: What is culture?
An aspect of social life concerned with the
symbolic construction, articulation, and
dissemination of meaning
Culture: 3 meanings
1. Human culture: symbolic expression,
universal to all human societies (Steger)
2. Cultural sphere: symbolic expression in one
group of societies that separates it from
another group
� “Western culture,” “Asian culture” “Islamic
culture”
3. National culture: symbolic expression in one
society that separates it from other societies
� “Chinese culture,” “Japanese culture,”
“Korean culture”
Homo sapiens—modern humans

� Homo sapiens are capable of symbolic
thought
� Words, objects, visual forms are invested
with meaning
Ex: China’s symbol of “soft power”
Stylized symbol
Manipulated symbol
Japan’s symbol of soft power
kawaii “cute”
Hello Kitty toast
Manipulated symbol: Goodbye Kitty

Manipulated symbol: USA
Steger’s 3 important themes
1. The tension between sameness and difference in the
emerging global culture
2. The crucial role of transnational media
corporations in disseminating popular culture
3. The globalization of languages: some languages are
increasingly used in international communication
while others may disappear
Downside of Media Corporations
� TV & Internet dominate social life; civic bonds
weaken
� Pop culture takes over; news and educational
programs have been transformed into
entertainment shows
� Cultural globalization includes weakening of
professional autonomy of journalism
� No more objectivity in news; business and politics
shapes the news for their own interests

Electronic devices OFF
Nissim Kadosh Otmazgin
Japanese Popular Culture in East and
Southeast Asia: Time for a Regional
Paradigm? (2008)
Population map—major cities
Japanese pop culture (2008)
� Anime films and TV cartoons
� Miyazaki Hayao, Doraemon, Astro Boy, Sailor
Moon, Lupin, Ampan Man, and Poke’mon
� Manga
� Singer-actors (‘talent’/ ‘idol’)
� TV dramas
� 1992 (Love Generation); 1997 (Long Vacation)
� gambaru message (“do your best in adversity”)
Clickers ON

Which form of Japanese pop
culture are you most familiar with?
A. Japanese anime films and TV cartoons
B. Japanese manga comic books
C. Japanese pop singer-actors (‘talent’/‘idol')
D. Japanese TV dramas
E. Not familiar with any of them
Doraemon episode: ��
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWhUtlg
MMUA
Culturally specific: “Flowing noodles”
Universal: “Boy wants to impress girl”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWhUtlgMMUA
Explaining the appeal of
Japanese popular culture
Hypothesis 1: “Asian fragrance”
� Japanese popular culture appeals to local
consumers in East and Southeast Asia
because of its Cultural Proximity.
� Therefore, cultural conf luence is geo-
cultural and not simply transnational.

Problem with “Asian fragrance”
hypothesis:
àIt does not explain the uneven appeal of
Japanese popular culture in the region.
[Also, does not explain appeal outside Asia.]
Explaining the appeal of
Japanese popular culture
Hypothesis 2: “Faceless”
consumers in East and Southeast Asia
because it is non-national and no longer
recognized as particularly “Japanese”.
� Therefore, it is highly transferable and can
be easily indigenized into local pop culture
without a trace. Ex. Gambaru message
Problem with “Faceless”
hypothesis:
àIt does not explain the actual local
awareness of Japanese origin of animation,
film, music.
Explaining the appeal of Japanese
popular culture

Hypothesis 3: “Hybrid Product” (Iwabuchi)
consumers in East and Southeast Asia because it
exports the Japanese experience of
indigenized Western culture to the rest of Asia.
� Therefore, Asian people encounter a mediated
West in Japanese popular culture.
Japan plays role of mediator
In East Asia, Japan was the first to modernize
beginning in the late 19th century
� In South Korea, Japanese popular culture
“projects modernity”
� People watching Japanese dramas in Taiwan
feel “ambivalent ‘anxiety and desire’ for
modernity”
Problem with “Hybrid Product”
hypothesis:
àEast Asia is treated as a passive player in a
universal globalizing process.
� Rest of East Asia = receiver of mediated
“global” culture
� Japan = indigenizer/mediator to “global”
culture

� West (U.S.) = giver of “global” culture
Otmazgin: Globalization ≠
Americanization
� Some equate globalization with
Americanization, but the Asian experience
complicates this picture, because Japanese
and other Asian cultural forms are being
circulated in and beyond Asia.
Otmazgin’s thesis of Regional Paradigm
It’s a mistake to see Japanese popular culture
as part of a universal global process; rather,
inter-regional relations shape the
circulation and consumption of cultural
products.
Regional paradigm
The regional paradigm challenges the idea
that globalization is a process of universal
homogenization on a U.S. model
(“Americanization”).
� Steger: Chap. 5 critique of “cultural
imperialism”

Global/Local Nexus modified to reflect
Regional axis as part of Globalization
Global
Regional
Loc
al
(wi
thi
n r
egi
on)
Real reasons for appeal of J Pop
Otmazgin makes 4 important observations:
1. Emergence of urban middle class
� Social convergence
2. Media platforms
3. Major metropolises “World Cities”
�Nodes where culture and consumerism meet
4. Metropolises dominate cultural f lows, not
nation-states

Observation 1
Chinese, Malaysian, and Indonesian urban
middle classes can aspire to the same cultural
access as their counterparts in Seoul,
Singapore, and Bangkok
� Erases boundaries between East and
Southeast Asia
Observation 1
Asian markets & communities are
converging
� RAISES ISSUE OF
SAMENESS/DIFFERENCE
Observation 2
Companies have created platforms from
which urban communities access popular
culture regionally.
� Related to Steger’s discussion of MEDIA
EMPIRES and the INFOTAINMENT
TELESECTOR in Chap. 5
Observation 3
Major metropolises are the central nodes
where culture and consumerism meet,

leading to new regional consciousness.
� Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hong
Kong, Singapore, Taipei, Seoul, Bangkok,
Jakarta, Tokyo
� Related to Steger’s point in Chap. 5 that
media platforms impact global imaginary
Observation 4
Metropolises are more important than
nation-states for understanding cultural
f lows
� Related to Steger’s discussion of the
challenges to the NATION-STATE in
Chap. 4
Clickers ON
What strategy does Rupert
Murdoch’s Star TV use as Asia’s
biggest media platform, to reach
300 million homes China to India?
A. Star TV focuses on presenting U.S. media content to
interested consumers in the region
B. Star TV favors localizing content and broadcasting in

local Asian languages
C. Star TV presents sports content, which is very
popular in the region
Which statement do you think
Otmazgin would agree with about
the younger generation in East Asia
A. Wartime history makes them less receptive to
Japanese pop culture
B. Wartime history makes them more receptive to
Japanese pop culture
C. Wartime history has little impact on their receptivity
to Japanese pop culture
Pop Culture & Historical Memory
War-time history has limited impact on
acceptance of Japanese popular culture in
Asia among the younger generation.
Global-Regional-Local-Urban Nexus
“Millions of youth in Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai, and
Jakarta covet the latest fashions from Tokyo, read
Japanese comic books (translated or in the original), and
watch Japanese animation series.

� However, they also listen to American pop music,
watch Chinese dramas on television or DVD, and go
with friends to watch the latest Korean movie.”
� Steger-MEDIA EMPIRES CREATE GLOBAL CITIZENS
(optimistic globalizers)
Korean Wave: Girls Generation
SNSD Girls Generation: Gee
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpoKx48WmEM
(3.35)
� Girl’s Generation �� (Shojo jidai)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpoKx48WmEM
Globalization & Culture (2009)
Jan Nederveen Pieterse identifies three major
paradigms to describe globalization’s impact
on culture:
1. Pieterse: Homogenization (=Steger:
sameness)
2. Pieterse: Hybridization (=Steger:
hybridity)
3. Pietrese: Polarization (⌿Steger: new)

Pieterse: Awareness of difference =
function of globalization
� “Growing awareness of cultural difference is
a function of globalization. Increasing cross-
cultural communication, mobility,
migration, trade, investment, tourism, all
generate awareness of cultural difference.”
Pieterse, p. 60
Positive results of Korea Wave
� 36% jump in Japanese tourism to ROK 2003-2004
� Popularity of Korean food in Japan
� Hanryu magazines
� More men featured in magazines for female audience
� “Koreascapes” f lourished—Shin-Okubo, Tokyo
� Resident Koreans “Zainichi” ��
Negative reaction to Korea Wave
(Pieterse: polarization)
� Anti-Korean Wave movement in bookstores
� Ken-hanryu ��
� Harassment of Koreans in Japan
� Increased friction over territorial claims
� Dokdo �� Takeshima

SNSD Showa Generation: Gee
� https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlNExm8z5c
(2.03)
� Showa Generation ��
−��
� Gee—Male Edition �� Showa jidai
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrlNExm8z5c
Moranbong Band (North Korea)
Maronbang: Let’s Study
� https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0zMFu-Ziz4
(1.18)
� Go study, for our motherland
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0zMFu-Ziz4
China restricts foreign TV shows
2012 restrictions on cable and satellite
� Banned foreign dramas during prime-time
� Stations may only give 25% of their airtime to non-
Chinese dramas
� The rules were aimed at giving the domestic television
industry an advantage over Asian competition,

Steger, Globalization, chap. 5Global East Asia so far.docx

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

Similar to Steger, Globalization, chap. 5Global East Asia so far.docx

Similar to Steger, Globalization, chap. 5Global East Asia so far.docx (20)

More from whitneyleman54422

More from whitneyleman54422 (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Steger, Globalization, chap. 5Global East Asia so far.docx