Christy
The authors write that "Representations of space in the social sciences are remarkably dependent on images of break, rupture, and disjunction." Where did we see instances of this in the way people envisioned "space" in our McDonald's readings last week?
Gavin
Anthropologists around the world have always defined space to be socially constructed. What is your interpretation of space? Did it change after reading this article?
Stacey
I have a very simple question that may be hard to answer... If localization and migration are occuring all the time then what culture has ultimate power or the most power? Initially you would say the culture who is spread throughout the world or the most well known but can't you say that the cultures whose traditions and customs are hard to come by are really the one's in control? Because the are the ones who are choosing to conform. They have the languages that people are trying to study and keep alive.
Alex V.
How does the construction of distinct places reinforce what Gupta and Ferguson call "a global system of domination"? (pg. 47)
Alex P.
Throughout history, geographical places have "often served as symbolic anchors of community," especially for dispersed people. Consider the quote expressed by a young white reggae fan in the ethnically mixed neighborhood of Balsall Heath in Birmingham: "there's no such thing as "England" any more...I was brought up with blacks, Pakistanis, Africans, Asian, everything, you name it...who do I belong to? I'm just a broad person. The earth is mine." Although this man seems to have accepted the wave of cosmopolitanism that has overtaken England, most people continue to mull over the connection between identity and place. Why are people so preoccupied in grounding their identities to specific geographical locations? Considering the rapidly increasing pace of transnationalism today, do you think future generations will exhibit this same need to define themselves by where they live?
Amanda P.
"More and more of us live in what Edward Said has called "a generalized condition of homelessness" (37). What effects do deterriatorialized identities have on Americans/America? Does one need a cultural identity to feel "at home?"
Hannah
Gupta and Ferguson pose an important question on page 34..."what is the "culture" of farm workers who spend half a year in Mexico and half in the United States" which made me wonder what people consider their culture to be if they are in this situation, or have dial citizenship or parents of two stark nationalities, to put a label on cultures seems easy at first but when these questions are posed it seems that it is far more intricate than one definite cultural identifier.
Amanda Bisson
On page 42, the authors quote that "the problem for anthropologists is to use our encounter with 'them', 'there,' to construct a critique of 'our own society', 'here'." What does this mean? In comparing two societies, it seems like a researcher needs to identify the "we" that consists of that society, according to the authors. How is this done, does this mean we label groups of people?
Phillip
is it possible for different cultural groups to inhabit the same space no matter how different they are?
Stephanie
In discussing the important role that space plays on the culture of various societies, the author notes that we are currently moving towards a more transnational sphere that "has rendered any strictly bounded sense of community or locality obsolete." While there are many positives that are mentioned in tearing down these disconnected local cultures and creating a society that is more interconnected, what will this mean for a world that has always cherished its strong sense of community and culture built upon historical identities. Do you believe this will in fact result in a population lacking identity and a strong sense of culture?
Lizzy
As members of the Lafayette community, are we forced to fit into some "culture" (going to the Lehigh/Lafayette football game)? Are we still able to have smaller "subculture" groups?
L.B.
Gupta and Ferguson state that "anthropologists have always known that the experience of space is always socially constructed." Throughout history, would you say this has always been necessarily true? For example, what would be the case for people who freely left their homeland and experienced hardship in their new space before experiencing prosperity/rest?
Ian
In the context of Gupta and Ferguson's argument can the words'foreigners' and aliens' even exist? In terms of a globalizing world are there any spaces left that are reserved for a single culture or are we really supposed to believe all space has to be 're-imagined'?
LaKeisha
Why do people feel like they have to lose their culture when they move into a new area? Do they lose their culture so they can fit in?
Alex V.
How does the "genba" function as a place where Condry can see culture as performed, thus enabling him to move away from the problematic treatment of culture in a "bounded, geographic locale" (pg 18)?
w
Amanda B.
on page 11, Condry says "By the time of B-Boy Park 2001, it was clear that neither the term localization nor the phrase global homogenization (becoming more like everywhere else) could characterize that range of stylistic approaches within the scene". The quote clearly supports Condry's positive attitude toward Hip Hop Japan and the benefits it has brought to the culture. Do you think that this quote is true? The aspects of hiphop Japan that he introduced parallel nightlife in America, meaning that some global homogenization has happened.
Shannon
Condry emphasizes the difference between a "top-down" approach of globalization and the model in which multiple actors within a setting generate their own cultural movement. Would you consider one of these methods more authentic and appropriate? Or, do they both eventually embody the same balance between local and global?
Natalie
Why do you think hip hop has translated as an African American object rather than an American one, whereas McDonalds is interpreted as American rather than a middle class phenomena? Do you think this translation has an effect on how hip hop is interpreted in Japan?
Amanda P.
It seems clear that Japanese Hip Hop has, like McDonalds, become localized. “It is important to recognize that in one sense Japanese hip hop is, in fact, imitation (35).” Is there a sense of more readily claiming or taking pride in one American imitation over another? How does the history of Hip Hop in American relate to our question last class about the true origin of concepts and can Americans really claim Hip Hop as "ours"?
Christy
Do you find the act of young Japanese hip-hop enthusiasts darkening their skin to be alarming or do you agree with them that it is their way of honoring black culture? This would not be acceptable in America. What is different about the understanding of race in Japan that makes it doable in Japan?
L.B.
When describing the scene at B-Boy park, Condry states that "above all it was the Japanese lyrics that marked the event as Japanese" (9). Does a specific language necessarily imply culture? Can some languages and dialects imply different things?
Lizzy
It is interesting to see the Japanese bringing in English words instead of using Japanese words (hard core= haa ko). Why did they decide to do this? Is this showing a move towards globalization or localization?
Joshua
Are Japanese rappers just trying to impersonate the black rappers they see on the internet and t.v.?
Zach Fritz
The ongoing battle between underground rap and maintstream media in Japan seems to be a cultural problem also faced in America. To what extent do you think the main stream hip-hop that Condry discusses is feuled by American corporations? Also, does this example of hip-hop describe a situation like McDonalds where Japan has gotten wrong what American hip-hop is, but have made it their for their own causes?
Tiffany
On page 27 the author says “Japanese rappers are expected to respect the African American roots of the music while also producing something uniquely authentic and original.” Do you think that this is really possible? Do you think that through this musical art form that artist can be true to their heritage while also representing the hip-hop culture?
Shannon
At what point does hip-hop in Japan become a movement that is their own? Is there a distinct point in which one can distinguish the two genres of hip-hop as different?
James
Do you agree with the idea that studying hip-hop rather than other forms of Japanese pop culture is the best way to look into Japaneseness?
LaKeisha
If the media plays a major role in globalization, why did major corporations dismiss it as a transient fad?
Stacey
On page 2, Condry says, "This shows that globalization is not driven solely by powerful media companies, but travels through alternative paths as well." I found that this is extremely interesting because I only think of big corporations such as McDonald's as a means of globalization. I was just curious... what other types of fads that didn't come from a big businesses, are now globalized?
Stephanie
The first chapter of Hip Hop Japan really looks into the line between what is referred to as “cross- cultural influence and cross-cultural theft.” It is noted that Japanese rappers are expected to provide authentic music, while paying homage to the African American roots of such music. Based on what we are able to gain about Japanese culture from this chapter in the book, do you believe this is a possible balance that can be reached, and if so, how should rappers in Japan attempt to reach this balance?
Alex P.
Yvonne Bynoe, the founder of Urban Think Tank, states that the "technical aspects" of rap music can be learned by foreigners, but "the central part of hip-hop culture is the storytelling and the information that it imparts about a specific group of people...black people in America...Blackness became a fad to be consumed, without the obligation of learning about or understanding Black people." (P. 32) Is it necessary to fully understand an art form such as hip-hop, in order for a person to enjoy it? Can't hip-hop mean different things to different people? After all, hip-hop doesn't mean the same thing to ALL Americans, does it?
Julie
Condry uses the picture of Dabo's album cover on page 27 as an example of what some people see as Japanese hip hop artists disrespecting "the African American roots of the music...missing the deeper significance of hip hop." However, when I showed the picture to some of my friends, both black and white, they said they didn't find it offensive because that's just what the Japanese see of American hip hop. Do you find the picture offensive? Why or why not?
Phillip
besides hip hop what are some of the other "alternative paths" that drive globalization?