Globalization does not just involve the exchange of goods and movement of people, but also brings us in close contact with other cultures and ideas. Ideascapes (culture and society) cover imaginaries and ideologies that shape our perceptions, beliefs, and identities. Here we look at the way ideas spread across the world, how they are regulated and censored, how they are contested, and whose norms and stories matter?
CLASS ACTIVITY: To better understand the complexities of cultural globalization, you can explore the discussion exercise we have used in our Middlebury College course IGST 101 “Introduction to International and Global Studies” in Spring 2025. (You are free to reproduce or modify it with attribution)
_________________________
Discussion Exercise: Visualizing Cultural Globalization and its Contradictions
Several maps in the atlas examine flows of people and ideas that transcend traditional borders. Yet, many of these flows are highly complex and often contradictory: the global imprints on the local, but in turn is localized; networks privilege some and exclude others; time and space converge and diverge; a few places rise to prominence, others decline; some identities are fluid or hybrid, others become exclusivist. The contradictory nature of cultural globalization is also discussed in an article in The New York Times (9/30/2017). It explains that Bollywood movies are a big hit in China, despite the pervasiveness of strong anti-Indian stereotypes in Chinese media and society (please read: “China Fears India May be Edging It Out in Culture Battle”)
How can we visualize such complex and contradictory spaces and flows of cultural globalization and how can we make sense of them? Maps offer one possible solution, but they clearly also fall short, so we will engage with alternative visualizations in our discussion. Please help us get a better understanding of the spaces of cultural globalization by completing the following assignment.
First, find or create a visualization that expresses contradictions in cultural globalization. Such contradictions can be expressed as images or stories that you will present to the class. There are two ways to complete this task: you can either search for a visualization online or you can let your creativity flow and create your own art, photography, video, graffiti, cartoons, slam poetry or produce your own performance to be shared in discussion … the possibilities are endless. Surprise us.
Second, briefly discuss your visualization in a concise (250-word max.) write-up. Keep in mind that we are talking about “ideascapes” here, that is, how ideas about the world are expressed or how culture and art are exchanged and contested. Refer to concepts from readings or lectures to help you analyze different dimensions of your ideascape, such as Arjun Appadurai’s flows, different spaces (Euclidian, perceived or networked), and consider the importance of scale, time, and the environment.
You may collaborate with up to two other students on this assignment or you can work alone. Have fun and surprise us. Please submit a JPEG or PDF of your visualization (or a description if it cannot be reproduced) as well as a PDF of the write-up.