FINAL REVIEW -- MARCH
RACISM AND THE LAW
AS/SOSCI
3561 6.0A
{SYNOPSIS AND GENERAL OVERVIEW: THE FINAL SECTION OF THE
COURSE HAS BEEN DIVIDED INTO FIVE SUBJECT AREAS: (1) CRIME IN CONTEXT {THE
SOCIOLOGY CONCEPTION AND RELATIONSHIP OF DEVIANCE AND CRIME; CRIMINAL JUSTICE
MODELS; THE PROBLEMIZATION/CRIMINALIZATION OF BLACK YOUTH· (2) GENDER
JUSTICE {THE SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF GENDER RELATIONS AND FEMINIST
THEORIES; MARILYN WARING – “WHO IS COUNTING”} (3) ABORIGINAL PEOPLE IN
CANADA {ABORIGINAL WOMEN AND SELF-DETERMINATION – FILM: “KEEPERS OF THE
FIRE”; ABORIGINAL CHALLENGES TO THE STATE; ABORIGINAL PEOPLE AS A SOCIAL
PROBLEM; ABORIGINALITY AND SELF-GOVERNANCE} (4) MINORITIES AND THE MEDIA
{MEDIA AS A FORM OF HEGEMONIC DISCOURSE; MEDIA IN THE CONTEXT OF
MULTICULTURALISM; BELL HOOKS – “CULTURAL CRITICISM AND TRANSFORMATION” [ON
CRITICAL THINING AND TRANSGRESSION]}; (5) UNDERSTANDING GLOBALIZATION
{GLOBALIZATION AND GLOBALISM; CORPORATE GLOBAL MARKET MODEL – FACETS AND
CONSEQUENCE; INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN A GLOBAL ECONOMY; CONTRADICTIONS AND
TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE NEW WORLD ORDER [EX: TRANSNATIONAL CORPS: ENGINES
FOR INJUSTICE OR CATALYSTS FOR GROWTH? -- TRANSNATIONAL HYBRID IDENTITIES AND
BLOOD CULTS]; “HUMANITARIAN” GLOBALIZATION [FRAMEWORK FOR SPREADING WEALTH
AND BENEFITS MORE EQUITABLY]}.
I) THE
SOCIAL CONSTRUCTION OF CRIME AND THE CRIMINALTYPE: CRIME IN CONTEXT
WHEN SOCIOLOGISTS STUDY CRIME AND DEVIANCE, THEY
ATTEMPT TO ====> [1] LEARN WHAT TYPES OF BEHAVIOR ARE DEFINED AS DEVIANT,
[2] WHO DOES THE DEFINING, [3] HOW AND WHY PEOPLE BECOME DEVIANTS, [4] AND HOW
SOCIETY DEALS WITH DEVIANCE.
ALMOST EVERY HUMAN BEHAVIOR HAS BEEN DEFINED AS
DEVIANT AT SOME PLACE OR AT SOME TIME, AND AS NON-DEVIANT AT OTHER TIMES OR IN
OTHER PLACES == THESE DESIGNATIONS ARE "CULTURALLY RELATIVE" ==
DEVIANCE IS A STATUS CONFERRED BY SOCIETY, NOT A QUALITY INTRINSIC TO THE ACTS
THEMSELVES == DEVIANCE BECOMES "CRIMINAL" WHEN A BEHAVIOR IS
DESIGNATED AS DEVIANT AND CONSIDERED TO BE WORTHY OF LEGAL SANCTION (AS A
SOCIAL CONTROL).
IN A SOCIAL SCENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE, CRIME IS A CULTURALLY
RELATIVE PHENOMENON, MEANING IT IS PART OF A CULTURAL “DISCOURSE” THAT
PROVIDES CONCEPTUAL MODELS FOR PEOPLE AROUND WHICH THEY MAP THE WORLD {DIFFERENT
UNARTICULATED FRAMES OF REFERENCE AND UNACKNOWLEDGED SETS OF BELIEFS}. IN OUR
SOCIETY, CULTURE DISCOURSES ON CRIME ARE PRIMARILY DRIVEN BY POWER
AS A PRIMARY FRAME OF REFERENCE.
THE ISSUE OF CULTURE, POWER
AND SOCIAL CONTROL — FROM A POLITICAL-ECONOMIC POSITION, CONSTRUCTING
IMAGES OF CRIME AND CRIMINALITZATION IS A SOCIAL CONTROL STRATEGY THAT CREATES
THE ILLUSION THAT THE “DANGEROUS CLASS” IS PRIMARILY LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF
THE SOCIAL HIERARCHY. THIS ILLUSION MELDS POVERTY AND PUNISHMENT.
SOCIOLGICAL
THESIS: PREVAILING CRIMINAL JUSTICE (AND INJUSTICE) SYSTEM IS FASHIONED BY
POLITICAL DOMINATION AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC CONTROL
CRIMINAL JUSTICE MODELS: (A) “RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE” REFERS TO A TRADITIONAL CRIMINAL JUSTICE METHOD OF
RETRIBUTION OR FIXING BLAME AND ATTACHING PUNISHMENT, (B) “RESTORATIVE
JUSTICE” REFERS TO AN INFORMAL
MECHANISM FOR ADMINISTERING JUSTICE THROUGH REMEDIAL MEANS SUCH AS MEDIATION
AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION}}
[[EX: YOUTH
JUSTICE ACT == IT REPLACES A LONG-STANDING FOCUS ON PUNITIVE JUSTICE WITH A
FOCUS ON RESTORATIVE JUSTICE – PLACING A GREATER EMPHASIS ON REHABILITATION,
WHILE STILL HOLDING YOUTH ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS]].
[[EX:
DANGEROUS OFFENDER LEGISLATION =====>[“INCAPACITATION” VERSUS “REHABILITATION”] ---
INCAPACITATE: TO DEPRIVE OF CAPACITY OR POWER; RENDER UNABLE ---REHABILITATE:
TO HELP TO READAPT; RESTORE TO HEALTH
IN RECENT
DECADES, THE CONCEPT OF DANGEROUSNESS HAS NARROWED CONSIDERABLY TO ENCOMPASS AN
OFFENDER'S POTENTIAL TO COMMIT ACTS OF VIOLENCE OR THOSE OF A SEXUAL NATURE.
WHILE IT CAN BE SAID THAT
DANGEROUSNESS IS THE POTENTIAL OF AN INDIVIDUAL TO CAUSE FUTURE HARM TO OTHERS,
HOW A LEGISLATIVE BODY {SOCIETY/CULTURE} DEFINES ‘HARM' IS KEY TO THE
DEFINITION OF DANGEROUSNESS. {?} =====>
NEW LEGISLATION
IN CANADA:
[BILL C-55, AN ACT TO AMEND THE CRIMINAL CODE (HIGH RISK OFFENDERS), THE
CORRECTIONS AND CONDITIONAL RELEASE ACT, THE CRIMINAL RECORDS ACT, THE PRISONS
AND REFORMATORIES ACT AND THE DEPARTMENT OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL ACT, CAME
INTO FORCE ON AUGUST 1, 1997. THIS LEGISLATION WAS PART OF THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT'S SCHEME TO DEAL MORE SEVERELY WITH CANADA'S WORST CRIMINALS ==
I) THE NEW LAW
REPEALED A PROVISION REQUIRING THE TESTIMONY OF TWO PSYCHIATRISTS AT DANGEROUS
OFFENDER APPLICATION HEARINGS; NOW, ONLY ONE MENTAL HEALTH EXPERT MUST GIVE
EVIDENCE AS TO THE DANGEROUSNESS OF AN INDIVIDUAL.
II) THE ACT
ALSO CREATED A "LONG-TERM OFFENDER" DESIGNATION THAT TARGETS SEX
OFFENDERS AND ALLOWS FOR A PERIOD OF COMMUNITY SUPERVISION OF UP TO TEN YEARS
FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE LONG-TERM OFFENDER FROM CUSTODY (SOLICITOR GENERAL
OF CANADA, 1997).
III)
ADDITIONALLY, THE ACT INCREASED THE TIME THAT A DANGEROUS OFFENDER MUST SERVE
IN PRISON BEFORE HE IS ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE, NOW SEVEN YEARS INSTEAD OF THREE]].
TWO TYPES OF INCAPACITATIVE
MEASURES ARE USED TO DEAL WITH DANGEROUS OFFENDERS: {1} PREVENTIVE OR
INDETERMINATE CUSTODIAL SENTENCES AND {2} COMMUNITY NOTIFICATION.
II) GENDER RELATIONS: FEMINIST THEORIES
MARGRET WARING: WHO IS
COUNTING
1. WOMEN'S
WORK AND THE GDP
{BECAUSE IT IS NOT EXCHANGED
FOR DOLLARS, WOMEN'S WORK IS NOT COUNTED --- AND NOT CONSIDERED PRODUCTIVE ====
NOT INCLUDED IN GDP, THEREFORE DON'T GET A SENSE OF THE OVERALL WEALTH WOMEN'S WORK
IS CREATING ==== IN END WHEN, WOMEN APPLY FOR PENSIONS THEY ARE SEEN AS A
BURDEN (INSULT TO INJURY)
2. TIME
CHARTS
{ALTERNATIVES --- TIME
CHARTS OF PRODUCTIVITY --- WHEN THE SUN WAS HERE, WHAT WERE YOU DOING? ===>
“TIME USE SURVEYS”}
3. ELEMENTS
OF VALUE AND EXCHANGE
ECONOMIST COUNT DISASTERS
LIKE EXXON VALDEZ BECAUSE IT CREATES WORK AND VALUE ---
4. PRODUCTIVITY
HOW CAN PRODUCTIVITY BE
RECALIBRATED? TIME USE SURVEYS? HOW DO WE MAKE WOMEN COUNT?
FEMINIST PERSPECTIVES ====> OFFER VARIOUS, SOMETIMES
COMPETING, “SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST” EXPLANATIONS FOR THE PERVASIVENESS OF
RELATIONSHIPS OF DOMINATION AND SUBORDINATION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
====> AND FOR A RANGE OF UNDERSTANDINGS ABOUT THE CHANGES REQUIRED TO
REDRESS EXPLOITATIVE AND OPPRESSIVE RELATIONSHIPS.
LIBERAL FEMINISTS
1) MAIN SOURCE OF GENDER
INEQUALITY IS THE "PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION" (LEARNING PROCESS BY
WHICH YOU ACQUIRE THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILL, AND MOTIVATIONS REQUIRED TO PARTICIPATE
IN SOCIAL LIFE).
2) THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT
SHAPED WOMEN’S LIVES WERE THE LAWS AND PREJUDICES (SHARED BY MEN AND WOMEN)
THAT EXCLUDED THEM FROM THE PUBLIC SPHERE AND FROM THE RIGHT TO EARN THEIR OWN
LIVING ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH MEN.
3) WOMEN STRUGGLED FOR THE
RIGHT TO HIGHER EDUCATION, ENTRANCE INTO THE PROFESSIONS, THE RIGHT TO OWN
PROPERTY AND HOLD PUBLIC OFFICE, AND FOR SUFFRAGE, THE RIGHT THAT CAME TO
SYMBOLIZE FULL CITIZENSHIP.
4) THE SOLUTION: –
EDUCATION = REMOVE INDIVIDUAL IGNORANCE. THEREFORE, THESE LAWS AND THE
PREJUDICES THAT UNDERWROTE THEM WOULD GRADUALLY BE REPLACED BY EXTENDING
EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY TO WOMEN.
SOCIALIST FEMINISM
1) OPPRESSIVE RELATIONS
BETWEEN THE SEXES ARE NOT SIMPLY DERIVATIVE OF CLASS.
---THE INTERCONNECTIONS
BETWEEN SEX OPPRESSION AND CLASS EXPLOITATION HAD TO BE ADDRESSED.
2) A. FOCUSED ON THE LABOUR
DONE BY WOMEN IN THE HOUSEHOLD—CALLED DOMESTIC LABOUR—HELPS TO SUSTAIN THE
CAPITALIST SYSTEM.
(A) REARING CHILDREN;
(B) SUSTAINING HUSBANDS.
RESULT: BOTH CAPITALISTS AND
INDIVIDUAL MEN BENEFIT FROM THE UNPAID AND PERSONAL SERVICE OF WOMEN IN THE
HOME.
3) SOME SOCIALIST FEMINISTS
ANALYZED THE INTERCONNECTIONS BETWEEN THE PUBLIC SPHERE OF CAPITALIST AND STATE
RELATIONS AND THE PRIVATE SPHERE OF THE FAMILY/ HOUSEHOLD.
(A) CAPITALISM DONE AT
FRACTION OF THE COST;
(B) THE APPEARANCE OF THE
DISTINCTION BETWEEN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SUSTAINS THE UNEQUAL RELATIONS BETWEEN
MEN AND WOMEN THROUGHOUT SOCIETY.
4) SOLUTION: OVERCOME
THE PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SPLIT ===> FAMILY WAGE; DENIAL OF EDUCATION; NO
SOCIAL SUPPORTS FOR CHILD CARE.
RADICAL FEMINIST
1) GENDER INEQUALITY IS
ROOTED IN THE MATERIAL CONDITIONS OF MEN AND WOMEN. THE BIOLOGICAL FAMILY IS AN
INHERENTLY UNEQUAL POWER DISTRIBUTION.
LIKE MARXISM WHICH CONTENDS:
MONOGAMY WAS THE FIRES FORM OF THE FAMILY TO BE BASED NOT ON NATURAL CONDITIONS
BUT ON ECONOMIC CONDITIONS: THE EXCLUSIVE AIMS OF MONOGAMOUS MARRIAGE WERE TO
MAKE THE MAN SUPREME IN THE FAMILY AND TO PROPAGATE, AS THE FUTURE HEIRS TO HIS
WEALTH, CHILDREN INDISPUTABLY HIS OWN.
2) THE SOLE PURPOSE OF
MONOGAMOUS MARRIAGE IS TO SUBJUGATE THE FEMALE SEX TO THE MALE ===> THEY
LOCATE MEN’S POWER OVER WOMEN IN THEIR ABILITY TO CONTROL WOMEN SEXUALLY AND TO
DEVELOP THE INSTITUTIONS THAT ENSURE CONTINUING CONTROL.
WESTERN SOCIETIES ARE A FORM
OF PATRIARCHY -- RULE OF MEN, MEN ARE THE MAIN BENEFICIARIES OF THESE SOCIETIES
====> IN A WORLD OF UNEQUAL POWER RELATIONS BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN,
COMPULSORY HETEROSEXUALITY ENSURES NOT ONLY WOMEN’S SEXUAL DEPENDENCE UPON MEN
BUT ALSO THEIR ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE.
3) THE SOLUTION: THE
ELIMINATION OF MEN AND THE TRADITIONAL FAMILY FROM WOMEN'S LIVES --
"COMPULSORY HETEROSEXUALITY" IS THE KEY WAY WOMEN ARE SUBORDINATED
AND ENSLAVED IN THIS SOCIETY ===> WOMEN SHOULD BUILD THEIR OWN INSTITUTIONS
FROM HEALTH CLINICS AND WOMEN'S SHELTERS TO SMALL BUSINESSES, ART GALLERIES
ETC.
[[[FLERAS {NOT
EXAMINABLE}: PP.132 "SOCIAL PROBLEMS" == LIBERAL FEMINISM
(LEVELING THE PLATYING FIELD -- REMOVING DISCRIMINATORY BARRIERS) == MARXIST
FEMINISM (WORKERS (WOMEN AND MEN) OF THE WORLD UNITE -- RESTRUCTURE SOCIETY
TO ELIMINATE PRIVATE PROPERTY AT THE BASE OF EXPLOITATION) == RADICAL
FEMINISM (HEY, HO, PATRIARCHY HAS TO GO -- ELIMINATE PATRIARCHY AND THE
NUCLEAR FAMILY THAT SUPPORTS IT) == CULTURAL FEMINISM (CELEBRATE AND
POLITICIZE WOMEN AS DIFFERENT AND VALUABLE) == RAINBOW FEMINISM (COATS
OF MANY COLOURS -- WHITE FEMINIST AND FEMINIST OF COLOUR HAVE DIFFERENT AGENDAS
WHERE ADDITIONAL PRESSURES RELATED TO RACISM AND ETHNICITY ARE SUPERIMPOSED ON
AND INTERSECT GENDER AND CLASS, AMPLIFYING INEQUALITY) == CONSERVATIVE
FEMINISM (THE GOOD OLD DAYS -- ESPOUSES A VIEW OF EQUALITY THAT
ACKNOWLEDGES WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL, MATERNAL, DOMESTIC ROLES TO CURE THE
BREAKDOWN IN THE FABRIC OF SOCIETY)]].
III) ABORIGINAL PEOPLE IN CANADA
A STORY OF COLONIALIZATION,
CULTURAL GENOCIDE AND RESURRECTION THROUGH ORGANIZED RESISTANCE}}}
CONTEMPORARY CHARACTERISTICS
OF THE ABORIGINAL AND NON-ABORIGINAL RELATIONSHIP IN CANADA:
1) INEFFECTUAL GOVERNMENT
INTERFERENCE AND PATERNALISTIC HANDOUTS.
2) THROWING MONEY AT A
PROBLEM ====> EXPANDING LEGIONS OF EXPERTS IN HOPE OF FOSTERING ASSIMILATION
THROUGH SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
3) RHETORIC OF
SELF-GOVERNMENT AND A “NEW SOCIAL CONTRACT” ======> IN REALITY MOST
INITITATIVES SIMPLY REFORM/ TWEEK THE OLD ONE AND REFUSE TO RELINQUISH ANY
SUBSTANTIVE POWER.
SO, WHEN WE TALK OF THE
“ABORIGINAL PROBLEM” IN CANADAWE NEED TO TALK IN A WIDER DISCOURSE THAT PUTS
THE BURDENS ON INSTITUTIONS SO THAT WHAT COMES UNDER THE MICROSCOPE ARE THE
POLITICS, THE CULTURE, AND THE ECONOMICS OF DOMINATION
{{{THE CONTEMPORARY POLITICS
OF “ABORIGIALITY” REVOLVES AROUND THE KEY ISSUE OF SELF-DETERMINATION
======> OR MORE ACCURATELY, ABORIGINAL MODELS OF SELF-DETERMINING AUTONOMY
=======> MEANS THE “DEVOLUTION” OF REPONSIBILITY AND FEDERAL JURISDICTION
OVER ABORIGINAL LANDS AND AFFAIRS, AND THE TRANSFERENCE OF RIGHTS AND
AUTHORITIES TO ABORIGINAL PEOPLE ====> IN SHORT, LAND, IDENTITY AND
POLITICAL VOICE}}}
STRATEGIES OF RESISTANCE
FOLLOWING THE SECOND WORLD
WAR, AND MORE PARTICULARLY IN THE 1960S -- WHILE THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL
STILL PREOCCUPIED INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN CANADA AN AROUND THE WORLD -- A PLATFORM
OF WIDER AND MORE PROACTIVE CONCERNS BEGAN TO TAKE SHAPE THROUGH:
1. VIOLENT CONFRONTATION OR
ARMED RESISTANCE.
2. “DECOLONIZATION” OF THE
MIND STRATEGIES
3. NURTURING AND SUSTAINING
CULTURAL SYSTEMS.
4. NEW AGENDA FOR INDIGENOUS
ACTIVITY THROUGH A FRAMEWORK FOR GLOBAL STRATEGIC ALLIANCES.
ABORIGINAL SELF-GOVERNMENT
TERMS OF ALL INHERENT
SELF-GOVERNMENT AGREEMENTS ARE SET OUT IN A 1995 FEDRAL POLICY DOCUMENT;
INHERENT SELF-GOVERNMENT IS BASED ON CONTINGENT RATHER THAN SOVEREIGN RIGHTS
--- THAT IS, ABORIGINAL SELF GOVERNMENTS MUST OPERATE WITHIN THE CANADIAN
FEDERAL SYSTEM, WORK IN HARMONY WITH OTHER GOVERNMENTS, BUT CONSISTENT WITH THE
CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOME, AND ENHANCE THE PARTICIPATION OF
ABORIGINAL PEOPLES IN CANADIAN SOCIETY
RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN
CANADA ENTAIL RETHINKING THE PLACE OF ABORIGINAL PEOPLES WITHIN THE
CONSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK – THE FOUR POLICY PILLARS ARE:
1) ACCELERATED LAND CLAIMS
SETTLEMENT,
2) IMPROVED SOCIOECONOMIC
STATUS ON RESERVES,
3) RECONSTRUCTION OF
ABORIGINAL-GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, AND
4) FULFILLMENT OF ABORIGINAL
CONCERNS (I.E., PRIVILEGING INDIGENOUS INTERESTS AND PRACTICES).
ABORIGINAL-PLUS STATUS
1.
THE
VERY THINGS THAT ABORIGINAL PEOPLE WANT ARE THE VERY THINGS WE HAVE (AND
SOMETIMES TAKE FOR GRANTED):
2.
PROTECTION
AND FREEDOM IN EXERCISING THEIR CULTURAL LIFESTYLES AND LANGUAGE;
3.
SELECT
ELEMENTS OF THEIR CULTURE CAN BE PRESERVED AND INTERPRETED WITHIN OUR
CONTEMPORARY FRAMEWORK;
4.
FREEDOM
FROM BUREAUCRATIC SUBJECTIVITY;
5.
ELIMINATION
OF DISCRIMINATION AND RACISM AGAINST THEM, SOCIALLY AND POLITICALLY, WHICH THEY
HAVE FACED FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS; AND
6.
ACCESS
TO POWER, RESOURCES, STATUS AND MEANINGFUL DECISION-MAKING CAPABILITIES.
THIS ABORIGINAL-PLUS STATUS
ENTITLES:
O THE RIGHT
TO CONTROL LAND AND RESOURCES;
O THE RIGHT
TO PROTECT AND PROMOTE LANGUAGE, CULTURE AND IDENTITY;
O THE RIGHT
TO CONDUCT THEIR AFFAIRS ON A NATION-TO-NATION BASIS; AND
O THE RIGHT
TO ESTABLISH INDIGENOUS MODELS OF SELF-GOVERNMENT.
LEVELS
OF ABORIGINAL SELF-GOVERNANCE
STATEHOOD
*ABSOLUTE
(DE JURE) SOVEREIGNTY
*INTERNAL
+ EXTERNAL JURISDICTION
*COMPLETE
INDEPENDENCE WITH NO EXTERNAL INTERFERENCE
NATIONHOOD
*DE
FACTO SOVEREIGNTY
*SELF-DETERMINING
CONTROL OVER MULTIPLE YET INTERLINKED JURISDICTIONS WITHIN A FRAMEWORK OF
SHARED SOVEREIGNTY
*NATIONS
WITHIN/PROVINCE-LIKE
COMMUNITY/MUNICIPALITY-BASED
*CONDITIONAL
SOVEREIGNTY
*COMMUNITY-BASED
AUTONOMY
*INTERNAL
JURISDICTIONS, LIMITED ONLY BY INTERACTION WITH SIMILAR BODIES AND HIGHER
POLITICAL AUTHORITIES
INSTITUTIONAL
*NOMINAL
SOVEREIGNTY
*DECISION-MAKING
POWER THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL ACCOMMODATION
*PARALLEL
INSTITUTIONS
IV) MINORITIES AND THE MEDIA
FLERAS ARGUES THAT MEDIA ARE
PROBLEMATIC (SOCIAL PROBLEM) IN THEIR OWN RIGHT.
THERE IS A DOUBLE-EDGED
NATURE OF MEDIA RELATIONS TO SOCIETY AND SOCIETY-BUILDING – IT INFORMS AND
IT IS COMPLICIT IN THE INFORMATION [IT IS COMPLICIT IN GENERATING
INFORMATION (A VIEW OF THE WORLD); IT HAS AN “ASSUMPTIVE REALITY”
THIS COMPLICITY MAKES IT DOUBLY
IMPERATIVE TO EXPLORE HOW MEDIA CONTRIBUTE TO THE WAY IN WHICH INEQUITIES IN
SOCIETY ARE CREATED, EXPRESSED, MAINTAINED, CHALLENGED, AND TRANSFORMED.
MASS MEDIA IS A FORM OF —
UNPRECEDENTED — “HEGEMONIC” DISCOURSE
{{{{{FIRST, DISCOURSES ARE
ALWAYS TIME-BOUND, SPACE-BOUND, CULTURE-BOUND, BOUND BY MULTIPLICITIES OF POWER
RELATIONS THAT INFORM DAILY LIFE. //SECOND, THERE IS NO “PURE” REALITY OUTSIDE
OF WHAT IS REPRESENTED IN DISCOURSE}}}}
EX: CULTURAL HEGEMONY,
PARTICULARLY AS IT REFERS TO THE SUPREMACY OF A GROUP WHICH MANIFESTS ITSELF IN
TWO WAYS: AS DOMINATION AND INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL LEADERSHIP (GRAMSCI, 1971;
GIROUX, 1981).
1) MEDIA ACTS TO REINFORCE POWER OF WHITE
SOCIETY – DOMINATION AND INTELLECTUAL AND MORAL LEADERSHIP
2) SOCIAL SCIENTISTS BELIEVE WITH THE
CHANGING FORMS OF DOMINATION THAT HAVE DEVELOPED IN ADVANCED INDUSTRIAL
SOCIETIES. WITH THE RISE OF MODERN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, SOCIAL CONTROL HAS
BEEN EXERCISED LESS THROUGH THE USE OF PHYSICAL DETERRENTS AND INCREASINGLY
THROUGH THE DISTRIBUTION OF AN ELABORATE SYSTEM OF NORMS AND IMPERATIVES.
THOUGHT CONTROL ON A MASS —
INDEED “GLOBAL” — SCALE LEADS TO A SUBTLE AND ACCOMPLISHED SOCIAL CONTROL
HERETOFORE NON-EXISTENT. =====>
MEDIA IN THE CONTEXT OF
MULTICULTURALISM
1) MASS MEDIA IN A MULTICULTURAL CONTEXT –
THERE ARE DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE RHETORIC AND THE REALITY OF CANADIAN MULTICULTURALISM
AND ITS DIVERSITY COMMITMENTS AT INSTITUTIONAL LEVELS.
2) FAILURE BY MAJOR INSTITUTIONS TO
INCORPORATE DIVERSITY INTO THE ORGANIZATIONAL “MAINSTREAM”.
3) MEDIA HAS BEEN SINGLED OUT AS VISIBLY
NEGLIGENT IN RESPONDING POSITIVELY TO CANADA’S EVOLVING DIVERSITY.
[THEREFORE] MANY SOCIOLOGIST
ARGUE THAT MEDIA CANNOT BE ANALYZED IN THE CONTEXT OF MULTICULTURALISM BECAUSE
MORE OFTEN THAN NOT MULTICULTURALISM IS HOSTAGE TO THE MASS MEDIA CONTEXT.
bell hooks: CULTURAL
CRITICISM AND TRANSFORMATION
THESIS: TRANSGRESSION
(TRANSGRESSIVE ACTS) DOES NOT MAKE YOU RADICAL --- BUT RATHER --- WHAT YOU ARE
TRANSGRESSING IN THE SERVICE OF….
ANALYTIC
CONTEXTS:
1) WHITE
SUPREMACY (ASIDE: IN OUR CLASS WE HAVE USED THE TERM “CULTURAL HEGEMONY”)
2) CAPITALIST
3) PATRIARCHY
THE
WORLD CULTURE OF IDEAS INTERPLAYS WITH (MINORITY) SENSIBILITIES ====>
“POPULAR CULTURE” [MEDIA, MOVIES, HOLLYWOOD] CAN BE A LINK BETWEEN THE TWO
EX: MINORITIES/WOMEN
LIVE OUT LIVES OF “STEREOTYPICAL DELUSION” [SEXIST AND RACIST AND CAPITALIST
FANTASIES/ FALLACY]
POPULAR
CULTURE REFLECTS VALUES AND VALUE CONTRADITIONS ====> WE LIVE WITH
CONTRADITIONS BECAUSE OF THE VALUES THAT POP CULTURE PROJECTS (DISTORTED
CONSCIOUSNESS) =====>
EX: “THE
BLACK PRESIDENT” ON THE SERIES “24” IS AN IDEOLOGICAL DISCOURSE
ON THE VALUE OF WESTERN DEMOCRACY THAT IS CONTRADICTED BY SOCIAL REALITY OF
EVERYDAY LIFE
IT IS
IMPERATIVE IN THIS CONTEXT THAT WE DEVELOP OUR “CRITICAL THINKING”
====> CRITICAL THINKING IS MORE THAN JUST A TOOL FOR SURVIVAL/ JOB, IT IS A
PROACTIVE SENSE OF AGENCY [THE ABILITY TO SEE SELF IN CONTEXT ---
INSTITUTIONAL, STRUCTURAL DIMENSION FOR IDENITY AND POLITICS].
V) UNDERSTANDING GLOBALIZATION
THE DERIVATION OF THE TERM “GLOBALIZATION”
IMPLIES THAT IT INVOLVES WORLDWIDE PROCESSES THAT ARE RELATIVELY NOVEL AND
STILL UNFOLDING. THESE MULTIDIMENSIONAL PROCESSES ARE BEING EXPERIENCED
UNEVENLY THROUGHOUT THE WORLD AND IN DIFFERENT SECTORS OF SOCIAL LIFE.
GLOBALIZATION IS A COMPLEX
SET OF HUMAN FORCES INVOLVING THE PRODUCTION, DISTRIBUTION/ TRANSMISSION, AND
CONSUMPTION OF TECHNICAL, ECONOMIC, POLITICAL, AND SOCIOCULTURAL
GOODS AND SERVICES WHICH ARE ADMINISTRATIVELY AND TECHNOLOGICALLY INTEGRATED ON
A WORLDWIDE BASIS
FLERAS ======>
1) ECONOMIC PHENOMENON: HIGH
VOLUMES OF INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE AND INVESTMENT.
2) POLITICAL PHENOMENON:
DIMINISHING STATE SOVEREIGNTY BECAUSE OF INTERNATIONAL CORPORATIONS AND
REGULATORY BODIES.
3) CULTURAL PHENOMENON:
POTENTIAL HOMOGENIZE CULTURES BECAUSE OF MARKET FORCES THAT DISRUPT LOCAL
CONVENTIONS.
4) SOCIAL PHENOMENON:
DISRUPTION OF COMMUNITY PATTERNS – E.G. URBANIZATION (DISPLACEMENT OF
TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AND LIFESTYLES) AND GLOBAL MIGRATION.
5) COMMUNICATIVE PHENOMENON:
NEW AND RAPID INFORMATION NETWORKS.
CONTRADICTIONS OF
GLOBALIZATION
SOME RESEARCHERS EQUATE
“GLOBALIZATION” TO AN EXERCISE IN “SOFT HEGEMONY,” THAT IS
A TOOL BY RICH SOCIETIES TO GAIN DISPORPORTIONATE ADVANTAGE (CHAN AND SCARRITT,
2002).
OTHERS ARE LESS SANGUINE: IN
A STRONGLY WORDED CRITQUE, WILLIAM ROBINSON (1996) COUCHES GLOBALIZATION IN
APOCALYPTIC TERMS — AS A PLANETARY STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE COSMOPOLITAN
RICH AND THE PAROCHIAL POOR FROM WHICH THERE IS NO ESCAPE. THE
IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL WORLDS IS COMPARABLE
TO PREDATORY SCALE TO THE RAVAGES OF 19TH CENTURY COLONIALISM. IN THAT
CORPORATE GLOBALIZATION IS SIMPLY AN EXTENSION OF A COLONIALISM AND
CAPITALISM WITH ITS COMMITMENT TO EXPLOIT CHEAP LABOUR UNDER
INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES AND TRANSNATIONAL CORPORATIONS, IT’S
BUSINESS AS USUAL (NAGRA, 2003) ... (FLERAS, 2005: 366)
I SAY ======> THIS PLANETARY
STRUGGLE BETWEEN THE COSMOPOLITAN RICH AND THE PAROCHIAL POOR FROM
WHICH THERE IS NO ESCAPE BREAKS DOWN ALONG CULTURAL AND RACIAL LINES
EUPHEMIZED IN THE GEO-POLITICAL TERMINOLOGY OF — “THE NORTH-SOUTH BIFRUCATION”
=====> “GLOBAL APARTHEID” [FILM: “NEW WORLD BORDER]
“GLOBALIZATION” HAS AIDED IN
THE RECONFIGURATION (RE-COLONIALIZATION?) OF THE WORLD POLITICALLY AND
ECONOMICALLY INTO THE “GLOBAL NORTH” AND THE “GLOBAL SOUTH”---- EX: IMMIGRATION
FLOWS// MARXIAN RESERVED ARMY OF INDENTURED WORKERS FROM THE SOUTH OFTEN
“WITHOUT PAPERS” AND EXPLOITED {NEO-COLONIALIST COMMITMENT TO EXPLOIT CHEAP
LABOUR} — “THE BOAT PEOPLE” ======> EX: TERRORISM AND SCOURGE (EVER BROWN
BODY — BODY OF COLOUR ---- IS A POTENTIAL TERRORIST — EX: "FLYING WHILE
BROWN" MEANS YOUR ARE SUBJECT TO GLOBAL RACIAL PROFILING)}}}
THE CHALLENGE OF INCLUSION
SOCIAL
FACT: TO DATE, GLOBALIZATION IS
AN EXCLUSIONARY FORCE, DENYING ACTIVE PARTICIPATION TO PARTICULAR RACIALIZED
REGIONS, CULTURES, AND CLASSES. IN TURN, THIS IS CAUSING BACKLASH. FOR MANY
NATIONS, CULTURES, INSTITUTIONS, ORGANIZATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS IN THE WORLD, MODERN
GLOBALISM CONSTITUTES AN ELITEST, NORTHERN-BASED, WESTERN-FOCUSED,
TECHNOLOGICALLY SUPPORTED FORM OF ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL IMPERIALISM.
IN ORDER TO TURN THIS
VICIOUS CIRCLE INTO A VIRTUOUS CIRCLE, THE PRESIDENT OF THE WORLD BANK
(WOLFENSON, 997:6) HAS ISSUED A CHALLENGE OF INCLUSION “TO REDUCE ...
DISPARITIES ACROSS AND WITHIN COUNTRIES, TO BRING MORE PEOPLE INTO THE ECONOMIC
MAINSTREAM, [AND] TO PROMOTE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO BENEFITS OF DEVELOPMENT
REGARDLESS OF NATIONALITY, RACE, OR GENDER”
IN SOME SENSE, THE CHALLENGE
OF INCLUSION IS TO CHANGE THE INERTIA OF GLOBALIZATION FROM AN IMPOSITION “FROM
ABOVE” BY GREEDY CORPORATE INTERESTS TO A “BOTTOMS-UP”
FOCUSED GLOBALIZATION THAT PUTS PEOPLE AHEAD OF PROFITS (STAR AND ADAMS, 2003)
[AS R. ALAN HEDLEY PUT IT IN
— “UNDERSTANDING GLOBALIZATION”] WHETHER THIS CHALLENGE BECOMES REALITY REMAINS
TO BE SEEN; HOWEVER, UNTIL IT DOES, THE WORLD AS A WHOLE CANNOT TRULY BE
CHARACTERIZED AS GLOBALIZED.
HUMANITARIAN GLOBALIZATION
PRIORITIZES HUMAN NEEDS AND
CONCERNS WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF GLOBALIZATION THAT SPREADS THE WEALTH AND
BENEFITS MORE EQUITABLY --- IT IS ABOUT CONSERVING COMMUNITY AND PROVIDING A SUSTAINABLE
FUTURE, PUTTING PEOPLE'S NEEDS ABOVE PROFIT, USING LOCAL RESOURCES, ENCOURAGING
DIVERSITY (FLERAS 372)
IT IS CHARACTERIZED BY A
“BOTTOMS-UP” NEO-GLOBALIZATION THAT ENSURES BENEFITS ARE EQUITABLY DISTRIBUTED,
RATHER THAN A “TOP-DOWN” GLOBALIZATION THAT IS DRIVEN BY TRANSNATIONAL
CORPORATIONS PRIMARILY FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE CORPORATE ELITE
TO ACHIEVE HUMANISTIC GLOBALIZATION
WE NEED TO:
·
SHIFT
ECONOMIES FROM PRODUCTION FOR EXPORT TO PRODUCTION FOR LOCAL MARKETS
·
BECOME
LESS DEPENDENT ON FOREIGN INVESTMENT AND MARKETS
·
DISTRIBUTE
INCOME TO CREATE A MORE THRIVING INTERNAL MARKET
·
DE-EMPHASIZE
GROWTH TO ENURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY
·
SUBJECT
THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO MONITORING BY PRIVATE SOCIETY
·
ENCOURAGE
PRODUCTION AT ALL LEVELS TO PRESERVE THE INTEGITY OF SOCIETY