Applying+Theory+--+Globalization

IJOC special issue on European Communication research
New issue of the International Journal of Communication features several pieces directly or indirectly dealing with globalization issues, from a variety of theoretical perspectives.

Driving through Tehran
Muslim cultures have received certain stigmas for the ways in which they treat women. From dress codes, education restrictions, forced marriages, and employment discrimination, Islamic women face a wide array of challenges such that feminism as we know it does not exist the same way in countries like Iran. This video highlights one exception to the many rules hindering women in Tehran. Sponsored by whydemocracy.net, this mini-documentary focuses on a female bus driver within the city. In watching this, I noted a few speaking points I wanted to discuss in class.

1) Waves of feminism come at different times in different cutlures 2) Institutional impact on feminism (religion, familial, judiciary, bureaucratic, etc.) 3) Performance

Amber Case: Cyborg Anthropologist
I did a Google search when I was reading Haraway's piece on cyborgs to learn more about what I was reading, and there were several hits about a well-known female "cyborg anthropologist". Amber Case is a 23-year-old graduate of Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon and she has her own tech consultancy. She is a self-claimed cyborg anthropologist, "the study of human and technology evolutions and interactions," and is known for her profession of the Second Self, a way to describe someone's online or external identity. In the video link, Case claims that we have a second brain online or in our pocket and no longer have to store things in our own brain or in someone else's. She also said that those who know how to do that or have the latest and greatest technologies will be better in business and have a leg up in life. What I thought was funny about the 2010 video interview was when Case talked about her "latest" research in mobile technologies and how mundane acts like eating lunch can be tweeted and how fascinating this is. Also, I did a google scholar search of her and found nothing, so it seems to me that there is a certain nostalgic characteristic about Case and her "bad-ass" personality as its framed in the below news articles. Case wrote her thesis research on "cell phones and their technosocial sites of engagement". In these below links, you can see that Case claims, "we are no longer just humans," and her research is based on studying the technologies that link us, but not necessarily in scholarly research.

(see links below for citations) media type="youtube" key="ZXOoEFqIOwI" height="315" width="560"

http://cyborganthropology.com/Amber_Case

http://cyborganthropology.com/Second_Self

http://www.fastcompany.com/article/amber-case-digital-philosopher

__**Feminist Theories**__
__**Beth- Video I mixed together**__ media type="youtube" key="txLr8ENM0fE" height="315" width="560"

**Feminism in China and India**
This poster talks about how in China the one child policy has caught a lot of fire, but in actuality it might be a good thing for women. Because it allows women to get out into the working world or it allows them to get an education. This is because women don't have as much responsibility in the home as they once did. It also talks about how in India women no longer have to be controlled by a man in order for her to be part of society. Women can go out in the working world and can be their own person now because of the Feminism movement in each country.

[|Feminism]

__**How you can understand feminism from a Chinese language aspect - Dongni**__ In this picture, I demonstrated that how women are represent in Chinese language. In the first line, the character “good” is made of character “woman” and “man”, which means, when you have both women and men present, the situation is good or that literally means good. Generally speaking, most Chinese characters are kind of hieroglyph which developed from imitation of concrete objects, especially when they are single characters. And some other characters are made of meaning, they are mostly compound characters. Like the case of “好 ”, it is made of meaning. However, in the second line, I showed that when you refer to “him” or “her”, you have different characters to represent the meaning, but when you refer to “them”, which is a collective noun (two characters combine together to serve the meaning), you have to use the word “him” to serve the first characters. In fact, if you refer to a group made of all men, you use “ 他们 ” and a group of women, you use “ 她们 ”, but the group made of both women and men, you use “ 他们 ”. Only with the case of women, can you use the “her” word.

**Let Their Voices Be Heard: Colleen**
In regards to my feminist theory post I went one step further and wanted to see the roles of women across international borders. This first article expresses the shift of women's roles in the global armed forces. [|Opening the Roles] One part of this article that stuck me most was this last point, and I would like you to reflect upon this quote, I had mixed emotions while reading this: //"Since the military is generally stereotyped as a man’s world, inaccessible positions have “boys’ club exclusivity”. This situation indirectly diminishes the courage of female soldiers in efforts to prove themselves capable and worthy of position by automatically ignoring their applications. Including women in the creation of security and peace is a way forward. This would serve both to improve society and provide greater protection to the majority of victims of violence: the women themselves."//

This last article offers some great statistics and facts across international borders that I thought were educating. [|International Military] One specific point that I would like to point out which leads into my Feminist Theory post states: //Most countries include women in their military, though their roles are largely confined to medical, administrative or logistical fields. There is a general disinclination to placing women in **combat roles** even in countries that make it mandatory for women to serve in the military alongside the men.// I highlight combat roles because of the article you can find posted in the Feminist Theory section where it discusses how women roles, in the United States, is moving forward to more equality.

Constantly looking Westward:
This is a stretch...Buuuuuuuut, this is a video where Sacha Baron Cohen walks the red carpet at the Academy Awards to pro mote his new movie, //The Dictator,// dressed in a parody of foreign leadership garb, and carrying an urn with Kim Jong Il. He then proceeds to tell Ryan Seacrest that Kim Jong Il is his friend and tennis partner, "who wanted nothing more than to walk the red carpet." Cohen then proceeded to spill Kim Jong Il's "ashes" (i.e. Bisquick) onto Seacrest's suit jacket and left the reporter speechless. Albeit obvious, this idea that an Asian dictator "wanting" to be a part of a Western culture is a stereotyped misrepresentation by Westerners. Moreover, as discussed by Said (1985), "Here, of course, is perhaps the most familiar of Orientalism's themes -- since the Orientals cannot represent themselves, they must therefore be represented by others who know more about Islam than Islam knows about itself," (p. 97). What Western countries know about dictators are their mug shots taken by military officials, their villainous stories, and the heroic capture of them. The film, //The Dictator//, is a Western comedic rendition of dictators in the Middle East and are misrepresented paradoxically based on what Westerners know about their culture. media type="youtube" key="mhAg0COnqds" height="315" width="560"

**Two Sides to Every Story: Colleen**
Although it is difficult to locate images and texts about the two sides to the attacks on Pearl Harbor it is clear that there is an American and Japanese view. As we talked about in class history of certain events can depend on the writer. In history class, to me it was that Japanese attacked the US 'unexpectedly' (yet this is still a controversy), and from a Japanese perspective they were trying to protect themselves from an attack by the US. So which side of the story do WE hear about? Well, in a sense we could have two--not saying that we know the Japanese perspective but how we learned about it from our high school history class...and the how cinema taught it as a tragic love story in this moment in history.

In this article it highlights briefly just how this museum was able to capture 'the other side' of the story, the side we did not know about, the Japanese side. The events leading up to the attacks and so forth. It was an interesting read because as I was going through it, I thought to myself, do I really want to know the Japanese side of the event? But a gentleman states my thoughts on that clearly by saying, "You always want to hear not just one side of the story but the other. If we went to Hiroshima, how would we feel, at their memorial? It's kind of a give and take thing [...] Yes, it happened and you have to acknowledge it.” [|Different Perspectives] This YouTube video also offers some insight to the [|Japanese Point of View on Pearl Harbor]

I also put together a slide show of pictures depicting the different ways the US (newspaper headlines/pictures/movie poster) and Japan (pictures/movie poster/plan of action) viewed this historic event that will live infamy. media type="custom" key="13825540"

Historiography via Facebook
Beth These two articles mention how Facebook timeline is tracking history globally- the first one is about spotify and how they have created a timeline of music from the last 1000 years. I think it's really cool! It creates an interactive history of music, genius! https://www.facebook.com/Spotify

The other article discusses how Global newspaper created a history of events on their timeline. Also interesting. I never imagined Facebook timeline being used in either of these ways but it makes sense, way cool! https://www.facebook.com/theglobeandmail

[|Facebook global timeline][|Facebook Music History] ==

**Google Trends - Dongni** [] I learn this tool in one of my undergraduate PR classes. Basically, it shows how many times a particular term was searched by using Google search tool. You can put in single term, multiple terms to get the report and compare. There are couple examples on the website to show you how to use this tool. From the report, you will get a basic sense of how a particular topic was discussed around the world on internet (through Google's lens). Moreover, you can track down the history of significant event and how they became hot topic among people. Enjoy searching!

=__**Knowledge Theories**__= =Too Fat...Too Thin: A Global Effort Against the Ideal Female Body Image- Sarah=

Mass media, PhotoShop, and fashion industry status quo have become influencers in the way women are meant to look. These media structures then paves the way for eating disorders, depression and negative impacts to self esteem. While thinness seems to have strong value in mainstream female body image there are hints to global resistance to this existing social structure the represses women putting their bodies on constant watch. After the tragic death of 88 pound model, Ana Carolina Reston seen in the side photo ( http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2006/11/16/model-anorexia.html), the fashion industry has been under tight scrutiny. This was after the Spanish Fashion Week organizers put a BMI minimum (18.5) requirement on attending models. This trend then followed At the Milan ( http://articles.cnn.com/2006-09-13/world/spain.models_1_association-of-fashion-designers-skinny-models-pasarela-cibeles?_s=PM:WORLD) and London Fashion Weeks. Now, the resistance has taken form in a new more formal structure in Israel passing a law on BMI MINIMUM on fashion models shown in magazines alongside a required disclaimer for altered photos. The following is a link to a CNN video expelling the law in brief.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2012/03/27/chance-israel-underweight-models.cnn?iref=allsearch

**2 USC students killed in a car off campus - Dongni**
[] [] [|http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/usc-student-killed-apparent-carjacking-attempt-16115047#.T5b2wLNSRNJ] [] This is a very sad news and it has been the headline of several different news media lately. I want to point out here is that different news media portrayed the news from different angle, what is worth considering is that how these different media approached the news since the main characters were international students from China and they were killed. In fact, since all the media mentioned that the two were killed in a BMW car, a huge discussion on social media websites in China was devoted into whether or not these two students were from rich family since they were able to afford a "brand new" BMW. Looking at these articles and how people react to these information they were given, I think it would be worth thinking how media play the role in presenting information and manipulate the information they have.

**Foucault REDEFINED -** Michael
Many people read Foucault's Panopticon and think that this type of "prison" does not exist. But I am here now to tell you it does. The world is a prison in itself. No matter the country people are always being watched. Most countries have CCTV in stores, sidewalks and various other places. In England they have speed cameras everywhere that records if you go over the speed limit even 1 mph and gives you a ticket for doing so. In America we have cameras inside of stoplights that continually take pictures of cars while they are sitting at the stoplight. There is no such thing as privacy anymore. People are always being watched.

media type="youtube" key="vVTKHI5ovyc" height="315" width="420"

**Re-Americanize? Or breaking down structural ideologies of nationalism?**
Time Magazine contributor Eric Liu recently wrote an interesting [|op-ed]on "re-Americanizing Americans." He argues that we shouldn't vilify immigrants for being "un-American" simply because they aren't native to the country. In fact, he says that the debate between the right and left on immigration issues is moot when we can't identify ourselves according to what America should be. He writes: "What’s missing is a reckoning with the true content of our citizenship – with the exceptional nature of our inheritance and the skills needed to sustain it. That absence looms large as our communities become ever more fragmented and our politics more polarized."

While Liu makes a good point, from a poststructural perspective it's easy to pick apart his argument. What Liu is //intending// to do is reaffirm what it means to be American. We are supposed to live by certain creeds, character orientations, and cultural commitments. If we come to grips with what we should be based on what we //have// been, it's all so easy to just flip a switch and make Americans American again. But what Liu //really// does is destabilize the singular, innate, objective meaning of what it is to be American. We aren't what we were before. Our national identity has changed as our discourses around what it means to be American has changed along with our experiences. Long story short, of course it would be wonderful if we all took up creeds, character traits and cultural commitments that made this country great and unified under one giant umbrella term of "America."

**Nothing is fixed, predictable, classified...everything shifts: Colleen**
As understood by post structuralism in international relations theory "every understanding of international politics depends upon abstraction, representation and interpretation." The world does not present itself in categories and this is where post-structuralism interpretations dominates different possibilities. As presented by Foucault "a critique is not a matter of saying that things are not right as they are. It is a matter of pointing out on what kinds of assumptions, what kinds of familiar, unchallenged, unconsidered modes of thought the practices that we accept rest". Since the world does not present categories meaning is created through discourse where Foucault critiques how category and subject is produced. In light of the recent [|Humanitarian Crisis], the 2011 Japan Earthquake new media portrays disaster victims too weak to help themselves because of charity aid. Media identifies relations that confirms historical notions of representation of the strong and weak. These pictures from the Japan Earthquake from 2011 draws attention to questions of representation and structure of identity.

Ok again I was playing around with Radian6 and I created a river of news feed that reports all the things said about Foucault. As we have talked about Foucault in several of our classes and he is widely cited, I decided it would be interesting to hear what other people are saying about him around the world. I figured there would be some tweets and Facebook statues about people studying Foucault and I was right- ha the river of news feed generated 158 pages of things people have said I highlighted a few of them in this document. I thought it was interesting to skim through it and see what others are saying!

=__Textual Theories__=

**How to make things worse? - Dongni**
Haha, this is even more confusing but in a funny way. Postmodernism Generator is available on iTunes. This is a computer program that allow you to generate an essay which is written in postmodernism way. Don't worry, it is completely grammatically correct and even contains a references list. How awesome is that?! Well actually, according to wikipedia (Postmodernism Generator), the postmodernism generator was written by Andrew Bulhak and hosted at [] right now.

This probably the most pomo way to experience pomo, enjoy!

**Hyperreality in Disney Film- Sarah**
Disney has been know to recreate historical accounts through film and narrative meant for a young age group. In //Mulan// (1998) Disney depicts a young Chinese maiden in a selfless voyage to save her father from military duty by interpreting a man. This scenario takes place during the Han Dynasty, which was of great war. //Mulan,// the film, was created to depict the legend of Hua Mulan which has multiple interpretations of a young female impersonating a male soldier. In true Disney spirit the film told a glorified and empowering story of a young female overcoming obstacles with the help of a few trusty men. This story, shows that a well known legend in one country can then be overshadowed by interpretation in another. The song lyrics in the following video shows Western ideas of Chinese coldness and masculine dominance.

Let's get down to business To defeat the Huns Did they send me daughters When I asked for sons ? You're the saddest bunch I ever met But you can bet Before we're through Mister, I'll make a man out of you

Tranquil as a forest But on fire within Once you find your center you are sure to win You're a spineless, pale pathetic lot And you haven't got a clue Somehow I'll make a man out of you

I'm never gonna catch my breath Say good-bye to those who knew me Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym This guy's got 'em scared to death Hope he doesn't see right through me Now I really wish that I knew how to swim

( Be a ma n) We must be swift as the coursing river ( Be a man ) With all the force of a great typhoon ( Be a man ) With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

Time is racing toward us till the Huns arrive Heed my every order and you might survive You're unsuited for the rage of war So pack up, go home you're through How could I make a man out of you?

(Be a man) We must be swift as the coursing river (Be a man) With all the force of a great typhoon (Be a man) With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

(Be a man) We must be swift as the Coursing river (Be a man) With all the force of a great typhoon (Be a man) With all the strength of a raging fire Mysterious as the dark side of the moon

[]

**Someone may finally be able to "cross" Chuck Norris and get away with it**
Slovakia is currently holding a public vote to name a new bridge that will pass over the Morava River into Austria. The new pedestrian/cycling bridge - barring a dramatic turnaround in the voting - will likely be named after US action star Chuck Norris. According to an [|article appearing in //The Guardian//], "the actor's work has become a popular source of kitschy fun among Slovaks and a mainstay for local jokes about macho strength and invincibility." I think this is an interesting example of intertextuality and globalization. Surely, writers and creators of Walker Texas Ranger never would have imagined - or intended - for the Slovaks to name a bridge after the man who is the reason that Waldo is hiding (had to include it). Regardless, this particular audience interpreted the various texts of Chuck Norris movies and TV shows as somehow more important than an empress or neighboring village. The humor they find in naming the bridge after Norris is indicative of a global audience's ability to generate its own meaning around what it already knows about "macho strength and invincibility."

**Globalized Semiotic Toilets: Colleen**
[|Signs Around the World] While living in Germany and having the many opportunities to travel around Europe one sign that conveyed the same message, despite its various representations was the toilet. In my family it was always a laughing matter because well the toilet was the easiest universal sign to understand. Even though I do not have pictures of all of our toilet stops this website clearly underlines Saussure's terms sign, signifier, and signified represented in toilet signs all around the world. The universal sign and signified (concept), place where one goes to the restroom.

**Globalization- The Beautiful Game**
C.L.R. James argues that sports (Cricket in particular) are an art form in itself. The one thing that he says that I disagree with is that cricket is the most popular game in the world. Now I believe that it is popular but I believe that soccer is the most popular game in the world with over 100 countries playing and the World Cup being the most popular championship in all of sports. Soccer is the global sport of choice to many people and for some people it is the only way to escape their life in countries like Brazil, and other South American countries.

http://www.fifa.com/

**Deconstructing Globalization: Lauren**
This blog seeks to deconstruct the idea of globalization as Americanization, and hails globalization as a potential remedy for nationalism. The author continues to state that the "us versus them" mentality traditionally perpetuated through nationalism has no place in globalization. Rather than perpetuating groupthink and/or western hegemony this blogger is optimistic that globalization will deconstruct traditional nationalism and replace the ruins with a more tolerant global culture.

http://dotfuturemanifesto.blogspot.com/2008/05/deconstructing-globalization.html

=__Democratic Theories__=

**Democratic Theory in Pamplona (Basque Country)**
While wandering the streets of Pamplona, Spain during the San Fermin Festival, my brother and I came across interesting graffiti on the city walls (seen below). Amongst a sea of celebration and blissful chaos, the city walls shed light to the long-standing violent government debate.

In short, Pamplona is the capital of the Chartered Community of Navarre**.** This ares is associated with Basque Nationalism, which is a political movement for independence from the Basque Country. The movement works toward autonomy and self-governance highlighting plural and participatory government toward greater good. Therefore we see "Freedom Basque Country" spelled out on the city walls.



**Street art and Banksy - A global perspective on the Frankfurt School**
Street art has become a global phenomenon. As you watch this video, after our discussion on the Frankfurt school and critical theory, focus on what Adorno and Horkheimer consider the "culture industry" and how [|Banksy] acts as a critic of that institution. media type="youtube" key="8e0IJSOq0xg" height="315" width="420"

**Humanism Today - Michael**
I came across an entire publication dedicated to Humanism, and even more so I found they have a volume of it talking only about Humanism and Globalization today. It gives you the authors and the names of the articles, but not the articles themselves. The introduction was the notes on what happened during the 1997 colloquium on Humanism.

[|Humanism Today]

Globalization and Democracy
I found this Powerpoint on slide world, and I thought it gave a good overview of Democracy. It touches on Democracy all over the world. It also demonstrates the need for new democratic forms and procedures. This powerpoint lays the challenges out pretty easily, it was a good summary. -Elizabeth

**Adorno and Horkheimer's Amusement and Pleasure: Lauren**


Adorno and Horkheimer argue that amusement always reveals the influence of business, and pleasure occurs in not thinking about anything or a feeling of helplessness. When we think of amusements, a natural association is amusement parks. The amusement park is a case study in the negative outlook of Adorno and Horkheimer on the culture industry. Parks such as Disneyland (above), and any amusement parks worldwide, are first and foremost a business. Above all, the park seeks to turn a profit while simultaneously allowing patrons to think about nothing, or "escape" from the daily grind. In fact, this lack of thought leads to helplessness during a day at the park. When visiting an amusement park patrons are helpless to feed themselves, and therefore must utilize food services, patrons rely upon a map in order to navigate the area, and are at the mercy of ride operators in order to secure their own safety. A day at the amusement park is a day in which the pleasure of not thinking is manifest through typical patrons. This helplessness has big business getting in line for a consumer's patronage and seeing green.

**Human Rights Organizations- Colleen**
Continuing on the discussion of humanism, I ran across these organizations dedicated to Human Rights around the world. Human Rights Watch is dedicated to protecting human rights. [|Human Rights Watch] takes an international approach to human rights and focuses on giving voice to the oppressed. Another human rights organization that I found extremely interesting and well worth taking a look at and reading the book (Half The Sky). This website brings light to the amount of oppressing that is present in our world today. [|Half The Sky] is an organization strives to spread the word about female oppression in developing countries.

Human Rights - China & Michael Jackson - Dongni
Just ran across a wiki page of human rights in China. [|http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_the_People's_Republic_of_China]

Another article I found which is more humorous is the one compare China's human right record with Michael Jacks. [] In this article, China and Michael Jackson, according to a Chinese official, China suffered from the Western double-standards in Africa. Is it true that these two are comparable? Although Michael Jackson died and after that only the love of his music remain. But China may still need to work on its public image for its own people, or for the Western society?

Another topic to explore is human rights and Nobel Peace Prize. How trustworthy is the Nobel Peace Prize? Anyone really care about it? []

= = =__Social Theory__=

__**Google Employees vs. Apple Employees**__

__**Midlands Communism - Michael**__
The website is about Marxism and Lenin's view of Globalization, but it brings up an important point. When the financial crisis occurred in the government was quick to step in and help the rich. By helping the rich the government made sure that they companies did not go out of business and the wealthy could continue to make money. The companies would also not lose their interests outside of the country like their branches in the EU or in Asia. These countries would be effected by the downfall of such major corporations that they U.S. felt it had to step in and continue to make sure the rich stayed on top of the totem pole.

__**[|Midlands Communism]**__

__**The World Social Movement**__
The World Social Movement is an organization composed of workers on a global scale and their affiliate leaders of organization. WSM strongly believes that capitalism is an inadequate, and while may be considered progressive to some, does not meet the needs of the majority. The majority then is the global aggregate of working class (proletariat). Understanding that todays economy is global, dealing with International Trade Agreements and currency exchange, WSM is a collaborative effort to bring to light Marxist ideals and superstructure.

For U.S. domestic affiliation go to http://wspus.org/. -Sarah

**Occupy worldwide: Social activism and class warfare extend beyond borders - Brandon**
The occupy movement can be seen as an example of the dualism Marxism creates between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat; the haves and have nots; oppressor and oppressed. The underlying premise behind the occupy movement highlights the disparity between the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor. The movement embodies the revolutionary rhetoric in Marxist ideology, and has sparked protests in over 1,000 cities and over 80 countries worldwide. Below is a compilation of images from around the world involving the occupy movement. media type="custom" key="12262168" height="89" align="left"

**The inevitable uprising of the laborer in China: Lauren**
Working conditions in Chinese factories for high profile companies, such as Apple and HP are atrocious compared to US standards. In this New York Times editorial, we see the echo of the conditions described by Marx in his time. This editorial argues that too much of the country's prosperity has been absorbed by companies' profits and too little has gone to workers. Marxist undertones are abound and Marxist ideals are thinly veiled in this article. Source: New York Times (7/5/2010).


 * http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/opinion/06tue2.html**

**Human cost vs. iPad - Dongni**
This article was published in the New York Times on Jan. 25, 2012. It talked about human cost in Apple's product, it pointed out that in order to get a contract and become the supplier with Apple, some of the companies need to push their employees to work faster and longer so that they can make things cheaper or more efficiently. It was reported that Apple offers only the slimmest of profits to its suppliers, which leaves no room for the companies to ensure employee welfare and provide safety working environment. Source: New York Times (2012 January 25). []

Above: People waiting in line outside an Apple store in Beijing for the launch of the iPhone4S on Jan. 13, 2012.

**Apple by the Numbers - Dongni**
Fun fact or ironic? Apple has become the most influential and most successful company in the world over the last decade. So, you may wonder, how big is this "Apple"? Source: The Wall Street Journal (Jan. 25, 2012) []



**Social Movements and Globalization** [|Another Glogster]- Communist countries around the globe- Elizabeth

.[|Globalization book reviews]- I found this while searching around and I liked it. The author mentions many books that talk about globalization and social movements/theories. This would be a good resource to look back at and find the actual books she briefly reviews.

"...Worlds-systems theory, challenged Marxism’s emphasis on class conflicts within single societies, drawing attention to the transnational nature of capital and labor flows and the implication thereof for economic and political processes at the societal level, as well as for the reproduction of global inequalities. Back in the mainstream, theories gained prominence in the 1980’s than new developments began to challenge some of their basic assumptions. These new developments included forms of governance and forms of activism at the global level." Val Moghadam 2000. -Elizabeth

**Development of Communism- Colleen**
This is a great piece to complement Elizabeth's link on Communist countries around the globe. It gives a timeline of when and what countries were communist, also showing the appropriate durations. [|Development of Communism]

**Multi-National Corporations- Colleen**
[|Expanding Business] carries more harm than benefits. This article briefly explains and shows the multi-national corporations that have expanded all across the globe, many for cheap labor. "These invading companies exploit developing countries by keeping the high poverty level at a stance by paying laborers very little."

So this is what it feels like to be China? In Sweden and some other European countries the US is cheap labor for them! This is kind of interesting and disturbing at the same time. [|Ikea] This article explains that Sweden is manufacturing back to the US because some states do not have unions. The rich cannot keep getting richer without cheap labor, right?!

**Bordo's assertion manifest in Australian Navy rape case: Lauren**
In the Bordo piece an assertion was made that men's arousal is constructed as the female's fault. In the current gender structure women are supposed manipulators with their bodies who "lead men on" by playing upon the man's sexual appetite through flirtation, minimal clothing and the like. In a rape case near Melbourne, Australia an accused Navy sailor claimed the woman he raped "led him on" by talking suggestively to him, and pushing herself upon him. This belief of women as instigators against men who are powerless to their suggestive words and actions is not merely in Western cultures, but also a prominent theme in Eastern cultures, and is commonly believed to be the main reason women are covered head to toe in the Middle East. Rather than the sailor taking the blame, he is throwing fault onto the woman. According to Bordo, this leads to unease over femaleness which includes a shame over the female body and self-loathing.

http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/accused-navy-rapist-says-victim-led-him-on/story-e6frfku0-1226108525961

**Orientalism in Aladdin: Lauren**
A major work in postcolonial studies includes Edward Said's //Orientalism//. In this work Said brought light to Western constructions of the orient as alien and inferior to Western cultures. The Disney movie Aladdin perpetuates such stereotypes of the strange, less developed Middle East in its early 90s film Aladdin. The lyrics perpetuate and directly state ideas including barbarism, survival of the fittest, and bestiality. Unfortunately, globalization has done little to improve such perceptions of the Middle East, and despite the increasing reliance on Middle Eastern countries many continue to assert these stereotypes. Below are the lyrics to "Arabian Nights" in the opening credits:

Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place Where the caravan camels roam Where it's flat and immense And the heat is intense It's barbaric, but hey, it's home When the wind's from the east And the sun's from the west And the sand in the glass is right Come on down Stop on by Hop a carpet and fly To another Arabian night

Arabian nights Like Arabian days More often than not Are hotter than hot In a lot of good ways

Arabian nights 'Neath Arabian moons A fool off his guard Could fall and fall hard Out there on the dunes

media type="youtube" key="eEGlJP4X4vc" width="425" height="350"

**Hijab as a Feminist Statement: Lauren**
Although the Hijab is known as a statement of repression in Western societies, an increasing number of women have stood by the head scarf as a statement of their right to choose, which is a basic tenant of feminism. The Hijab is worn in Islamic adherents as a reflection of the belief that Allah (God) wants both men and women to be modest. Women who practice Islam are continuing to wear their Hijab as a testament of their religious convictions rather than as a social pressure imposed by men in their lives. Given the globalized society, or as some say the Americanized society, I admire these women's stand to keep the Hijab on their own terms rather than the pressures of others to keep it on or take it off.

http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=43297

Semiotics of Shoes on a Global Level
Elizabeth- media type="youtube" key="W7YhgIqtCVk" height="315" width="560" I made this short video about shoes. In the first part of the video you will see a book. I recently was given this book and it had a bunch of different shoes from around the world on the cover. This made me think about how shoes (signs) are a signifier that help us create meaning about a persons style. Shoes as a sign can help us create meaning through our many different cultural codes. There's a saying that the first thing you notice about a person is their shoes. I don't know if this is true or not but shoes can say a lot about a person. I complied some shoes from around the world. Sorry the music is a little obnoxious but it was the first thing I thought of.

**Oops...Probably should have thought about this one Vogue**
There is debate over whether //feminism// is dead and argument that equality exists. Is this claim really looking at the world perspective?

Sure, there are debates over female productive rights, marriage, domestic violence, queer theory,sexual freedom…the list goes on. These political debates are not necessarily productive globally, because not every culture or groups of people are the same.

While I am usually an advocate for Vogue Magazine and the various editorials surrounding powerful women, I have recently found myself at a crossroads. Vogue has covered some powerful women in politics like Nikki Haley (South Carolina). These stories show how powerful women can be beautiful and fashionable without compromising intelligence. // // It pains me to admit that this publication, which I used to respect and would become anxious to read, compromised integrity to gain access to Asma al-Assad,the first lady of Syria. Vogue has erased any online reporting of this piece, which depicted her as “a rose in the desert”. It is hard to argue her taste in clothing and her astounding beauty, but that is just fluff around what seems to be a cold and shameless female. Luckily, I am super detective and found the text for all of you to read and know as an artifact. Here is the article.As you read I hope you can consider the voice of Syrian women. //

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