Interpreting the Visual Evidence
Media Representations of Globalization
Because the set of historical
developments
collectively known as
globalization are so
complex and because
the local effects of these developments
have often been felt as disruptions of
well-entrenched habits or ways of life,
debates about globalization are particularly
open to manipulation through the
presentation of charged imagery. Since
the end of the Cold War, provocative images
that capture certain aspects of the
world's new interconnectednessand
the accompanying need for new kinds of
boundarieshave become ubiquitous in
the media. The movement of peoples
and goods are variously defined as necessary
to maintain standards of living or
a threat to local jobs and local production.
Globalization is defended as good
for the economy, good for the consumer,
good for competition but is also
blamed for hurting workers, destroying
local cultures, and eroding long-standing
definitions of national identity.
The images here all illustrate essential
aspects of globalization. Image A
shows ships waiting for loading and unloading
at one of the largest container
terminals in the world, in Hong Kong.
Most of the shipping from China comes
through this terminal. Image B shows
family members separated by the border
fence between the United States and
Mexico in Mexicali, Mexico. In the twentieth
century, Mexicali grew to be a city
of 1.5 million people, in large part on the prosperity generated by sending field
workers across the border to the United
States. Image C shows a Labor Day protester
in Manila, Philippines, at a demonstration
in which globalization was
blamed for amendments to the labor
code favorable to employers, a ban on
strikes, and antiterrorist measures that
were perceived to be an infringement of
personal liberties. The medical mask is a
reference to the SARS epidemic.
Images
Questions for Analysis
1. fiogf49gjkf0d Image A is typical of images that emphasize
the economic consequences
of globalization. Does globalization
appear to be a force subject to human
control in this image? How do such
images shape perceptions of China’s
place in the global economy? |
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2. fiogf49gjkf0d Compare images A and B. Is there
a connection between the accelerating
flows of money and goods between
different parts of the world
and restrictions on the movements of
people? |
|
3. fiogf49gjkf0d In image C, the woman’s medical mask
names globalization as the en emy of
Filipino workers. In so doing, who is
being targeted? What does this say
about the local contest over the conditions
of labor in the Philippines? |
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