This chapter of The Media Student’s Book explores the complex concept of ‘globalisation’ and globalised media forms, offering materials and approaches with which to understand the history of the concept, the relationship of ‘global’ to ‘local’, as well as the ideological work of the term. Key theorists such as McLuhan (celebrating the world as a 'global village’) and Schiller (seeing ‘cultural imperialism’ as shaping the world) are debated and updated via summaries of contemporary debates. Among the many short case studies or examples used are ones on the history of US popular cinema, on Avatar, on images of China, and of different models of and prophecies about all our global futures.
The Case Study looks at Slumdog Millionaire (UK 2008) understood as a ‘global film’, and includes work on its background, production, distribution, and reception controversies.
A Case Study on Stars and celebrities in East Asian Media is also available on this website.
Chapter Links
http://ipst.gatech.edu/amp/collection/museum_pm_euro.htm
http://www.happyplanetindex.org/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ct8O3p0pgHI
http://www.websiteoptimization.com/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8257038.stm
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3646320.ece
Case Study
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2008/12/slumdog-millionaires-bollywood-ancestors.html
Extra links for Slumdog Millionaire case study
Three links from the itpworld blog (The Case for Global Film) and David Bordwell’s site:
http://itpworld.wordpress.com/2009/01/16/dogs-and-critics-danny-boyle-in-india/
http://itpworld.wordpress.com/2009/02/07/slumdogged-by-bordwell/
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/?p=3592
http://itpworld.wordpress.com/2009/06/22/danny-boyle-–-life-after-slumdog/
A Bollywood site carrying an interview with Irrfan Khan:
http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/features/2009/01/24/4767/index.html
The films on which Danny Boyle draws (directly or indirectly:
http://www.vanityfair.com/online/oscars/2008/12/slumdog-millionaires-bollywood-ancestors.html
A February 2010 musing about the possible after effect of Slumdog Millionaire on representations of Indian-Americans on US TV:
http://uberdesi.com/blog/2010/02/02/slumdog-millionaire-effect/
Interesting comment on the graphic design of the subtitles in Slumdog Millionaire:
http://www.interpretationbydesign.com/?p=2135
Wikipedia collection of 'controversies' associated with the film.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversial_issues_surrounding_Slumdog_Millionaire
From Racialicious, the very interesting discussion blog on ‘Race and Culture’:
http://www.racialicious.com/2009/01/14/perception-through-the-lens-of-slumdog-millionaire/