Transnationalism and Globalization

Not a new term, first cited in 1916 by American writer Randolph Bourne in his paper “Trans-National America” describing what today we would call “multiculturalism”

In the context of migration term was first used in 1990s

Transnationalism, as defined by Basch et al (1994) is “a process by which migrants, through their daily life activities create social fields that cross national boundaries”

As the theory progressed in 1990s it became understood that sending and receiving countries [of migrants] constituted one single field of analysis (Levitt and Nyberg-Sorensen, 2004)

Multiple Meanings Different disciplinary approaches to

the concept• Economic vs. social vs. cultural vs.

geographical Transnational Condition: Living in

another country than their country of origin.

You can think about transnationalism in two ways:

Transnationalism from above: Corporations, Transnational capital, global media.

Transnationalism from below: Informal economy (remittances), shadow economy (illicit, drugs, etc), ethnic nationalism…

Two are intertwined Globalization aids the intensification of

world-wide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa

Transfer of cultural practices Example: How sushi went global Other Examples?

Long-distance politics: Cuban population in Florida advocating for the fall of communism in Cuba

‘Homeland’ outreach– policies, rhetoric, electioneering

Sometimes transnational populations are diasporic– exile or opposition groups

Dual citizenship/nationality– marked global upward trend in claims through naturalization, marriage and birth, widespread government policy shifts

Diaspora: any population sharing common ethnic identity who were either forced to leave or voluntarily left their settled territory, and became residents in areas often far removed from the former.

Example: During the Atlantic Slave Trade, about ten million people from West, West-Central and South-east Africa were transported to the Western Hemisphere as slaves.

Can we brainstorm other diasporas?

Immigrant communities do not de-link themselves from their home country; instead, they keep and nourish their linkages to their place of origin (Itizigsohn et al, 1999).

Lets gather some examples from our local environment.

Many social scientists agree that “transnationalism broadly refers to multiple ties and interactions linking people or institutions across the borders of nation states”

It must show sustained cross-border relationships, exchange, affiliations (kin and social), loyalties-- social formations spanning nation-states-- non-government actors such as aid providers

Examples: migrants & refugees, ethnic diasporas, corporations & business networks, social movements, criminal syndicates, terrorist groups

For my own research, ethnic homeless people recreating their national culture in the United States, while maintaining close ties with their native land can be considered transnationals (Native American population in Lawrence, Latin American populations in California)

Transnationalism is linked to Globalization forces…

New technology connecting long distance networks with increasing speed and efficiency (Vertovec, 1999)

Broadband Internet, Instant Messaging, Email, Skype, Low cost Air Travel (aspects of globalization)

Information and communication technologies crisscross national boundaries with relative ease, creating the possibility for increased and intensified forms of communication (Panagakos and Horst, 2003: 113

Transnationalism in migration studies Anthropology, Geography, Sociology, American Studies, History,

Multidisciplinary and therefore the meaning of transnationalism is often disputed

Early work focused on migration to the USA from either Latin-America or Caribbean

Anthropologists focused initially on Economics e.g. flows of commodities, services and money…more attention now on cultural mobility, identities and transnational spaces

Transnationalism has developed in the context of the spread of global capitalism.

It has shifted capital and labor across borders

As capital investments flow from high wage Core countries to low wage Periphery regions, labor shifts take place in both

Identity and cultural models spread Culture does not just “flow” one way

Politics of recognition plus transnational bifocality (ability to see the world through different “lenses”, different languages, different cultural models) leading to: ubiquity, salience and the public display of cross-border multiple identities

German Turk, Mexican-American, British Pakistani

Hyphenated identity? List of the others we are familiar with

Identification during assimilation-eras (post civil war, post civil rights)

Now, transnational identities are emerging

Ethnic groups identify with both cultures• Second generation begins to identify host

country as primary Ethnographic evidence of Mexicans,

Central Americans, Caribbeans, and South Americans identifying themselves as “Latino” rather than American (Massey and Sanchez 2004)

Challenges: nation-state challenged by economic globalization, multi-lateral political agreements, multiculturalism- threats from ‘above’ and ’below’

Migrant transnationalism adds: homeland-oriented political activity

Questions of ‘loyalty’ dual citizenship

Questions of ‘allegiance’ Cross-border multiple identities Questions of ‘integration’ Example: Migrant populations in the

Bay Area

Integration → Citizenship Social cohesion → immigrants ‘greater sense of citizenship’ Citizen test Localized cultures How many immigrant populations in

the Bay? Latino, Asian, Arab, etc

Community of citizens > nationalistic ties (regional transnational identification e.g. mexico city vs. yucatan)

Community of communities: core need for shared cultural meanings

Social cohesion Building social capital

Multiple attachments do not hamper integration in the country of settlement.

Why? Because two or more sets of attachment do not necessarily compete with each other.

Further, when we accept the fact that people are attached to their countries of origin, we realize it gives migrants the self-confidence to interact much more dynamically and creatively with the cultural lives of the country of settlement

It is hard to believe that if migrant communities would stop being communities and break up, it would be easier to integrate them into the mainstream society

Some data has shown in places where dual citizenship is offered or policies are newly relaxed, immigrant naturalization has increased.

Integration of immigrant populations into mainstream social order seems to operate smoothest when immigrant populations can move at their own speed

Transnationalism or Multiculturalism? Multiculturalism was built around the

images of 1950s (integrated world communities)

1950s lots of immigrants, literature of the time shows no real understanding of the complexity of global links with the rest of the world

For example, the support from American Muslims for Bosnians and Kosavars; the flows of money from British Bangladeshis back to their home countries…

When these links don’t fit the neat multicultural story then they are left out and forgotten

The complexity of our real internationalism, our sense of the possibilities when identities move beyond the home and the hearth, is diminished

Migrant transnationalism often seen as a threat– a kind of ‘multiculturalism plus’

Border-crossing identities? For how many generations do

transnational populations stay separate? Disrupted ‘identities, borders, socio-

political orders (especially post-9/11 in USA)

Does this trigger nation-state backlash? Illegal Immigration scares, ethnic cleansings…

McDonalds “fast food” What is “fast food” What does this say about society? Expansion of American style fast food… Cultural imperialism vs free market expression? How is McDonalds undermining local cuisine? How is McDonalds being undermined by local cuisine? Catalyst for culinary change and/or economic

development? Lets watch some commercials http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGT2Fe5Lqc0&feat

ure=PlayList&p=93E302FB9194E6F4&index=0&playnext=1

The Birthday party Promoted as a way to bring in customers Even new symbols developed, such as

“Uncle and Aunt McDonald” characters in China• Children’s Day in Japan

It is a day (late May) set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness. On the 5 week of the 5th month. Old holiday.

Shared “birthday” ritual for age groups (children’s festival)

A group/village holiday as opposed to an individualistic one.

What item is present on the menu in all global locations?• What about standardization? Image and

consumerism. What about diet? Addictions? What are some unique items on the

menu globally? (Veggie mcnuggets, maharaja mac,

Mcspegetti, mclean deluxe, mcploughmans, mclaks, mchueva)• Impact of religion, impact of regional tastes

Ever heard of the McRibb? Cultural icon, periodically brought back…

http://www.kleincast.com/maps/mcrib.php

http://nessart.8m.com/mcrib.htm

Same fries from Chicago to Cancun Developing a “system” of construction

and delivery (assembly line method) The same burger in San Diego as in

Highgate Vermont McDonalds not the only organization to

do this, and is not limited to transnationals.

Whole foods, Target, many chain grocers.

What is the new family structure emerging in Taiwan?

Neolocality Patrilocality (living with or near the husbands family) verse (forming a new household separate from

family) Living with mom allows mom to do more

househhold labor, freeing the woman to enter the job market

What changed to allow this to happen in East Asia? (wages)

In Taiwan specifically? () A great example of globalization in

action… The growth of a middle class,

emerging affluent culture in Taiwan due to wage increases

Example of cultural change and transnationalism

Tsukiji Market sets prices Japanese buyers purchase using set

of Japanese requirements Prior to rise of sushi, tuna used

largely for pet food

Migration of Blue Fin Tuna• Caught all over the world (stateless fish,

global institutions to regulate fishing) Some tuna more desired than others

(blue fin vs. yellow fin) Sushi and prestige in Japan Growth of Middle Class in Japan Growth of sushi consumption in Japan

as culture prospered

Sushi's origin goes back to the 4th century BC in Southeast Asia

Cooked rice begins to ferment, and fish packed in this will be preserved

Early sushi, you ate the fermented fish and discarded the rice

Spread throughout Asian and through China to Japan

Around the 8th century AD it was introduced into Japan

Japanese cuisine introduced into the States 1929, but no Sushi or Sashimi

Japanese cuisine influences art/fashion in the States…Sushi colored eye-shadow, Tuna colored lipstick

American occupation of Japan post WW II• American GIs come home with expanded tastes• American culinary changes• Sushi introduced• Spread in the 1970s, explodes on the 1980s

Sushi caught in Maine is flown to Japan to be sold on the Japanese market

How were the Massachusetts Fisherpeople impacted by the accident on the Spanish Fish Farm?

Not discussed…• The Cost of economic globalization… • Transportation costs (fuel, labor, etc)• Environmental Costs (in transportation and in

aqua-farming)• Overfishing • Transnational dislocations and Sushi Chefs?

In the global sushi commodity chain, what country can be described as the “core”?

Where are the periphery countries? What does this mean about the world

economy? World Systems Theory?