Cultural Appropriation and Loss of Cultural Identity: Cultural Ideologies - Research Paper Example

 Hair is a significant aspect of ones appearance and a part of the body that, unless intentionally obscured or lost, is always on display. Hair and the way in which it is worn plays a central and dynamic role within history, religion and politics and since the 20th century has been increasingly influenced by a paparazzi celebrity culture and the globalisation of the fashion industry. “Whilst hair and headwear can be personal signifiers in some cultures, they can also be symbolic of wider processes of social identity” (Maynard, 2004, p.102). I would also be examining whether religious and societal significance in ancient cultures has been lost over time due to westernised self-expression and with the creation of cultural intersects occurring more often. In this study, the paper will focus on the appropriation of hairstyling in the context of globalization. In the first section of the paper, the issue of globalization will be examined in detail; touching on the pros and cons of globalization and the effects it has on the different aspects of life especially social and cultural. Hairstyling falls both in the social and cultural aspects of life. Therefore, globalization will have an impact on the hairstyles worn currently. In the next section of the paper, the importance and notions of hair will be explored in relation to ethnic and cultural identity. There has been a significant change in the way people move out their activities or represent themselves in the society as a result of globalization. The sources of ethnic and cultural identity vary in the present society, and this change has come with many variations that have impacted greatly on fashion sense and hence hairstyles. MAIN BODY In this study, I will focus on the appropriation of hairstyling as impacted by globalisation. The significance and notions of hair in relation to ethnic and cultural identity will also be explored. “Globalisation makes the world a single place” (Tomlinson, 1999, p.30.). This means that there are no variations in people’s cultures, social, and economic life. In modern day multi cultural society, people use different symbols, idols, and embodiments as a form of representation. In the past times, people from different cultures used certain symbols to identify themselves, and symbols as well as embodiments were prominent in all aspects. For instance, people would use hairstyles to identify themselves as citizens of a culture or society. This was evident in Chinese, African, Indian, Native American and other cultures of the world. Hairstyles and hair adornments were used as a status symbol within cultures. Moreover they distinguished people of a given culture from other people. However, with the advent of globalization, similar hairstyles are adopted all over the world. Hence they cannot be used as a criterion to distinguish individuals of a particular culture. The symbols in use to describe people of a given area are social movements, signs, and migrations. This in itself will signal the extinction of cultures of people and their identity because things like social movements are in demand globally. Globalization refers to the name for the process of rising connectivity and interdependence of the world’s businesses and markets. This approach has been on the rise in the last two decades as technological evolution makes it easier for individuals to communicate, travel, and do business internationally. Globalization is a matter of the Diaspora and, in this context, Diaspora is diffusion of individuals, culture, or language that was formerly concentrated in one place. The two main driving forces behind globalization are the increase in Internet and advances, in telecommunications infrastructure. This has led to the association of the economies, as there is an increase of opportunities as well as increased competition. Globalization has led to the birth of two sides of the world- the pro-globalization and the anti-globalization. These two sides have their reasons for supporting and not supporting globalization in the world. Examples of pro-globalization supporters are the World Economic Forum and The World Trade Organization, which argue that globalization has increased opportunities for everyone in the world. Major anti-globalization organizations include Greenpeace group and Friends of the Earth group, which argue that globalization has robbed small groups of people in terms of resources, and they are currently incapable of functioning under the increased competition in the markets . Pros – Appadurai and disjunctive flows Globalization is a serious issue in the world because of its negative and positive influence on the economies and the people. Since the onset of globalization, there has been an increase in the freedom of movement in the world. Freedom of movement is a fundamental liberty all over the globe. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), all people are warranted to the recognition of certain inalienable rights and inherent dignity, which are the basis of the foundations of justice and democracy in the world ( UN General Assembly, 1948, p. 26.). In the definition of freedom of movement, everyone has the right to change and reside within the boundaries of each State. In addition to this, everyone can leave any country including his native and return to his original country. This freedom of movement has more meaning from the increase of globalization as people move from one region to the other without any restrictions. Another notable advantage of globalization is mass media. There is growth in this sector because of globalization following great advances in telecommunication. There are different ways in which people can get information regarding activities of the world. The mass media has grown from just TV and radio as a source of information to other technological advances like the Internet and telephones. The mass media greatly influences fashion sense and hairstyles. The fad on celebrities is spreading to other countries and just like the populace in America, other world citizens are beginning to ape the fashion style and hairstyles of celebrities. These technological advances are as a result of globalization, as people need to communicate globally. There is the dissemination of information as an advantage of globalization. The idea that technology, both low and high, both informational and mechanical, now move at high speeds across different kinds of previously strict boundaries (Appadurai p.297). In this context distribution, of knowledge relates to the way in which people of different regions inter mingle and in the process share out knowledge. Globalization is a people issue, and because of this, it brings different minds together in its plans and activities. The carrying out of business in economies sees the sharing of knowledge as people will want to understand what the other people have to give. People are free to seek knowledge from other nations and introduce foreign activities in the countries. Globalization has ensured that there is ease of trade in the world. In the past times, there was difficulty of doing trade with other regions because of some notable obstacles. For example, there was no standard medium of exchange. Thanks to globalization, trade is an international affair and the traders do not have to go to the foreign countries. Advances in technologies have made it easy for trade to take place in different regions of the world as people can easily transport goods and communicate information. Nowadays people get all the information on the Internet and do their businesses on the Internet too! Lastly, globalization has seen the rise of cultural diversity in the world. As people inter-relate in their businesses there are high chances of cultural transfer from one region to another. People will move from their original states to other regions in search of business and knowledge and the process they will not leave behind their cultures. For instance, an African will go to China on a business deal, and this will not mean that he or she leaves his culture behind. In the process of business, the individual will pick some Chinese cultural aspects and so will the Chinese. Cultural differences are increasingly being recoded through the worldwide replacement of local products with mass-produced goods, which usually originate, in the West (Howes, p. 3). In the end, there will be cultural diversity in the globe as a result of globalization. Cons – Root, Klein Globalization has notable disadvantages that have an impact on the various aspects of the world and people. The first disadvantage of globalization is cultural imperialism, which refers to the burden of foreign viewpoint on other people. In other words, it is the civilization on a people of a given state. This is more in relation to ‘westernization’ and most people feel that it has unduly been imposed on people from other parts of the world. Consequently, it has also contributed to the erosion of different world cultures. The west propagates civilization and in most cases, it means abdication of ones culture and adoption of westernization. “Traditional hair practices, for instance, can come under threat when immigrants begin to integrate in a new culture” (Maynard, 2004, p.103). Cultural appropriation and loss of cultural identity is another significant downside of globalization. This comes about when people embrace cultural ideologies from other nations and forget about their own in the name of globalization. Globalization lies in at the centre of modern culture and cultural practices are the subject of globalization. In relation to the cultures of different people, dress is another organization. In several cultures, dress is vastly more than simply a way of bodily protection. “Dress is another type of regime. In all cultures, dress is vastly more than simply a means of bodily protection: it is, manifestly, a means of symbolic display, a way of giving eternal form to narratives of self-identity” (Giddens, 1991, p.132). Dress is a consumer product that affects the entire globe as it dissolves the culture of different people. For instance, the culture of women dressing in trousers in Africa is a new thing that came with westernization, and its effects can be seen in the women empowerment as they can chose a dress code that suits them best. In recent times, there are varied concerns with the moral and social ramifications of the spread of consumer culture. “Ethnic dress in the late twentieth century cannot be analysed without acknowledging he phenomenon of world fashion, for ethnic dress and world fashion are inter-related” (Eicher, 1995, p.296). It is evident that in modern society, people are taught to define their identity by the commodities they possess and follow instructions, so they can purchase more goods. The goods consumers buy, tell a lot about them from their personality to tastes and preferences. In addition, the people of the current society have orders from unknown people on what to do in order to acquire more commodities. “It is all too obvious that in contemporary society people are taught to define themselves by the goods they possess and to follow orders so they can acquire more goods” (Roots, p.30). SUBCULTURE With the emergence of teenage culture after World War II, combined with the arrival of leisure time, disposable income, technological progression and media attention brought the emergence of subcultures. Working class youth were among the most prosperous consumers and were a highly profitable target for the emerging consumer industries. Consumer industries set a wide range of opportunities for the formation of subcultures in regards to what the market was offering and this was in terms of the commodities available to consumers. For example, a certain hairstyles would be on demand for a certain group of persons who will in turn form a subculture that makes use of the hairstyles. In this context, the paramount issue is how a way of life comes to be aesthetic zed by individuals who have no venture in that community and in particular by those who implement the authority over the culture being rendered out of the ordinary. “Exoticism in its commodified form appears as a sophisiticated appreciation of other cultures or as an asethiticised nostalgia for a different place or time” (Root, p. 30). A perfect example of subculture is the Hindu who believes that their hair is carried from their past life. This explains their long hair trait and ensures that their culture of long hair is carried on in their subsequent lives. CONCLUSION In the modern world it is evident that globalisation has its impacts on the lives of people. The lives of people in this case means the social and cultural contexts which vary from region to region and from community to community. There are various ways in which we represent the cultures of different people and hair and dress code is one of this methods. Through these two we can see the effects of globalization on the cultures of people which have either changed positively or negatively. The choices of the hairstyles and dressing in the modern society can best indicate the effects of globalization. References Appadurai, A. (1990) Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural Economy Barker, C. (2000). Cultural Studies: Theory and Practice. London: Sage Publications. Byrd, A. &Tharps, L. (2001). Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. New York: St Martin’s Press. Charles, A. and DeAnfrasio, R. (1970). The History of Hair: An Illustrated Review of Hair Fashions for Men throughout the Ages. New York: Bonanza Books. Cooper, W.(1971). Hair: Sex Society, Symbolism. London: Aldus Books. Eicher, J. (1995). Dress and Ethnicity: Change Across Space and Time. Oxford: Berg Giddens, A. (2002). Runaway World: How Globalization is Reshaping Our Lives‬. London: Profile Books. Maynard, M.(2004). Dress and Globalization, Manchester: Manchester University Press. Sieber, R. and Herreman, F.(2000). Hair in African Art and Culture. New York: The Museum for African Art. Root, D.(1998). Cannibal Culture: Art, Appropriation, and the Commodification of Difference. Oxford: Westview Press Tomlinson, J. (1999). Globalization and Culture. Cambridge: Polity Press. Read More