Week 15 Quiz

Postmodernism, Post-structuralism, World Systems Theory, Globalization, McDonaldization, Glocalization, Grobalization

four stages of how a sign or representation relates to reality (Baudrillard)

precession of the simulacra

1. faithful copy

2. perversion of reality

3. pretends to be real

4. pure simulation

faithful copy (Baudrillard)

a sign that reflects basic reality (e.g., map of a city)

perversion of reality (Baudrillard)

the sign masks and twists reality (e.g., propaganda)

pretends to be real (Baudrillard)

the sign hides that there is no reality behind it (e.g., reality TV)

pure simulation (Baudrillard)

the sign has no connection reality at all; it is its own thing (e.g., Disneyland, social media personas)

hyperreality (Baudrillard)

simulation becomes more real than reality

Why does Baudrillard say that America has become a “dry emotionless desert?”

• desert of the real among and within simulations

• real experiences are emotionally flat; euphoric and intense but substantively meaningless with little emotional depth

• experiences are experiences of symbols

semiotics (def.)

the study of signs/symbols

signifier

the symbol which represents the object

signified

real object or process

relationship between signified and signifier

meaning comes from the way in which the signifier is attached to the signified

according to postmodernists, what breaks the stable link between signifiers and signifieds?

mass media distorts meaning systems

floating signifiers

signifier is no longer directly connected to the signified; context-dependent and fluid

hyper-signification

because new signifiers no longer have stable semiotic connections, they become floating signifers and can adopt a variety of meanings

what is the effect of power being unstable (Foucault)?

instability of power makes it more powerful

power is knowledge (Foucault)

power is embedded in knowledge; power is how we create knowledge

power is diffused (Foucault)

power is not held by one person or institution but spread through social practices

power becomes decentralized

modern power operates through knowledge, discipline, and surveillance, not just laws or force

what are the three types of control/power according to Foucault?

1. eye for an eye (equal consequence, public execution to teach a lesson)

2. panopticon (centralized authority/surveillance)

3. decentralized (social control is self control)

microphysics of power (Foucault)

the idea that power exists at the micro level and involves efforts to exercise it as well as efforts to contest its exercise

biopower (Foucault)

a form of power that focuses on managing our life by regulating populations to promote health, productivity, and social order

power over life itself

anatomo-politics of the body (Foucault)

disciplining individual bodies - making them more efficient, healthy, and productive

enmeshes us further into the system of control

bio-politics of the population (Foucault)

regulating large groups - birthrates, mortality, public health, housing

How is biopower exercised (Foucault)?

institutions, experts, statistics; science, medicine, bureaucracy

converted into biopolitics

biopolitics (Foucault)

the strategies and mechanisms of governance that arise from biopower - how governments use policies and data to regulate life, health, and bodies

For Foucault, where does freedom come from?

liberation from knowledge

According to Foucault, how do we escape from systems of power?

will to power & limit experiences

will to power (Foucault)

the expression of freedom and the ability of each individual to realize their own potential and creative capabilities

limit experiences (Foucault)

finding ways to use one’s body in ways that cannot be rationalized or control

ex. drugs, body modification, sexual experimentation, etc.

According to Foucault, why is the body the last “territory” that has not been completely colonized, rationalized, and controlled by systems of expert knowledge?

we can make decisions about how to use our own bodies; our experiences of our bodies are our own

world systems theory (Wallerstein)

a Marxist analysis that describes how bourgeoise nation-states have economic power and influence over the proletarian nation-states

types of world systems (Wallerstein)

1. world empires (colonial empires)

2. the modern capitalist world economy

characteristics of the modern capitalist world economy (Wallerstein)

1. contains multiple nation-states

2. competitions through trade and warfare

3. different nation-states have different levels of power

4. economic division of labor between nation-states on a global scale

5. usually one nation-state emerges as the dominant state

core countries (Wallerstein)

• dominant nation-states

• wide range of products, use advanced technology, enjoy relatively high wages

• play major roles in world trade

  • import raw materials from poorer countries

  • export manufactured goods and services

periphery countries (Wallerstein)

• the exploited nation-states

• narrow ranges of products, less advanced technology, lower wages

• provide raw materials and labor power for world economy

• secondary role in world trade

• depend on core countries for purchasing their exports, supplying imports, and providing capital

semi-periphery (Wallerstein)

• in the process of moving between the two extremes

• retain dependent relationships with core countries, but have peripheral countries dependent on them

external areas (Wallerstein)

areas not yet incorporated into the capitalist world economy

globalization

• transplanetary process

• fluid, multidirectional flows of people, objects, places, and information

• creates both structures and barriers to expedite these flows

globalism (Beck)

a narrow economic perspective that sees globalization as the spread of capitalism and neoliberal ideology

globality (Beck)

the social condition resulting from globalization, where national borders become less significant due to interconnectedness; shaped by multiple forces beyond just economics

features of globality (Beck)

1. expanded geographical reach

2. sustained influence

3. higher interconnectedness

indicators of globality (Beck)

• cross-border interactions

• growing global awareness

• rise in transnational agreements and institutions

• culture, labor, and identity are less rooted in specific geographic locations

second modernity (Beck)

the traditional ideas of nation-states as “containers” of society is no longer relevant

• borders are porous, societies shaped by global forces

• leads to transnational cooperation and global governance

What does Bauman mean when he says globalization is a “space war” driven by mobility?

• people in powerful core countries are the winners because they can travel, move freely, adapt to different global environments

• people in nondominant countries are losers because they are immobilized by poverty, borders, and lack of opportunity

winners live in —, while losers live in — (Bauman)

time (adapting and shaping world); space (confined to limited areas and opportunities)

What is the difference between tourists and vagabonds, according to Bauman?

• tourists move by choice, seeking pleasure, adventure or opportunity

• vagabonds move by necessity, fleeing crisis, conflict, or lack of resources

transnationalism

focuses specifically on cross-border connections between people and groups, as opposed to broader global interactions

McDonaldization (Ritzer)

the process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant (rationality) are coming to dominate more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world (cultural imperialism)

key principles of McDonaldization (Ritzer)

1. efficiency

2. calculability

3. predictability

4. control

5. irrationality of rationality

principle of efficiency (Ritzer)

focus is on the fastest, most streamlined way to achieve goals

principle of calculability (Ritzer)

emphasis on quantity over quality

principle of predictability (Ritzer)

uniformity across locations, times, and interactions

principle of control (Ritzer)

replacement and regulation of humans with technology

irrationality of rationality

despite aiming for efficiency, outcomes often include dehumanization, dissatisfaction, and poor experiences for workers and consumers

What is the global impact of McDonaldization (Ritzer)?

global cultural homogenization

grobalization (Ritzer)

the imperialistic ambitions of nations, corporations, organizations, etc. and their desire to impose themselves on geographic areas

key points of grobalization (Ritzer)

• proliferation of nothing

• increase of power, influence, and profit

• driven by capitalism, Americanization, and McDonaldization, which damages local cultures

• forced cultural imperialism

glocalization (Robertson)

the interpenetration of the global and the local, resulting in unique outcomes in different geographic areas

• adapting products and ideas to fit local culture

• attempts to balance global reach and adapt to other cultures

key points of glocalization (Robertson)

• recognizing global diversity

• local people and groups seen as important and creative

• social processes are relational

  • people either accept or reject global culture; companies react accordingly

• commodities and the media are not coercive; they offer material to be used in individual and group creation globally

empire (Negri & Hardt)

new global form of sovereignty as a decentralized network of power that manages and controls the world

elements of empire (Negri & Hardt)

• decentered

• the exertion of power around the world based on new forms of power

  • constitution of order, norms, ethical truths, common notion of what is right

• empire can intervene in the name of what is “right” to deal with what it considers humanitarian problems

• guarantee accords, treaties, political/economic arrangements

• impose peace without consent of parties

How does empire work (Negri & Hardt)?

1. incorporates everything and everyone

2. celebrates differences but marginalizes them politically and legally

3. hierarchizes differences

How is empire opposed (Negri & Hardt)?

the multitude, the collection of people throughout the world that sustains empire in various ways (through labor, consumption, political participation, cultural engagement, multiculturalism)

What is the relationship between Empire and biopower?

empire relies on the biopower of the multitude to sustain itself