Transcript Slide 1

What Are We Learning
Today?
1.4 Explore ways in which individuals
and collectives express identities.
Who Are You?
• Do you carry a document, such as a birth certificate
or passport, that identifies you in some way? Your
birth certificate, for example, shows your name,
who your parents are, and when and where you
were born. Your passport shows similar info.
• Documents like these give some info. about your
identity, but this info. tells only a small part of the
story of who you are.
What are some factors that have
shaped who you are?
Identity & Context
• Your family, your heritage, your history, your
language(s), your traditions, and many other factors
that affect identity are all part of the context (the
circumstances or surroundings) in which your
identity developed.
• Different contexts can make you take on different
roles that highlight different aspects of your
identity. For example, the aspects of your identity
you highlight at school are probably different from
those you highlight at home, when you are with
your friends at the mall, or when you’re playing a
sport. (Figure 1-5)
Time & Who You Are
• The passage of time also plays a role in shaping
your identity. Recall who you were when you were 6
years old. Then think about who you were last year
and who you are today.
• Are you the same as, or different from, the person
you were when you were 6? Have you changed
since last year? How so?
How Do You Express Who Your Are?
• Every day, you tell the world about yourself in many
different ways. The language(s) you speak, the
friends you choose, the clothes you wear, the food
you eat, the things you buy, the music you listen to,
the leisure activities you choose (and many other
actions you take) all express aspects of your
identity. They make statements about who you are.
Expressing Individual Identity:
Traditions
• For many ppl of Finnish
heritage, a sauna is an
important tradition that
expresses an aspect of
their identity. They
believe that a sauna not
only cleans and heals the
body, but also purifies
the mind.
• What traditions do you
follow?
How many different ways can
you describe snow?
Few Words for Snow
• No matter how you put the words together, if you
are speaking English, you would nearly always use a
form of the word “snow” in your description. This is
because English has relatively few words for snow.
Language & Worldview
• Compare this with the many different words that
describe snowy conditions in Inuktitut, the
language spoken by the Inuit who live in Canada’s
North. (FYI pg. 24)
• Why would the Inuit have so many more words for
snow than we do?
• Many language experts and anthropologists (ppl
who study ppl, societies, and customs) believe that
language expresses the way ppl view and
understand the world around them. As a result,
they say, language is an important part of ppl’s
identity.
Expressing Individual Identity: Clothing
• Do the clothes you wear express aspects of your
identity?
• Dressing in the latest style may make a statement
about the role of fashion in your sense of identity.
Wearing items purchased in a vintage or usedclothing shop may make a statement about other
beliefs you hold.
• Even the clothes you choose not to wear may
express aspects of your identity. Ppl who choose
not to wear clothing that displays trendy brand
names may be expressing a belief that is important
to them.
Piercings
• Just as clothing is often an
expression of identity, so is body
adornment (decoration). Ppl have
been adorning their bodies for
thousands of years. Women in
Iran, for example, have been
wearing earrings in their pierced
ears for more than 4000 years.
Body piercing was also popular in
India and Pakistan, as well in
other ancient cultures, such as
the Aztecs and Maya of Mexico.
Tattoos
• Tattoos are another ancient
form of body adornment. They
have been used by groups to
show marital status or
membership in a clan. They have
also commemorated important
battles, journeys, or visions.
(Figure 1-7)
• In many Western societies,
piercing and tattooing were
frowned on for a long time.
Some cultures, such as Jews,
even prohibit marking the skin.
Homework
• For homework I would like a paragraph answering
either the first or second bullet depending on
whether you would get a tattoo or not:
• If you think one day you would like to get a tattoo
why would you get one? What would you get?
Where would you put it? Would your tattoo be a
reflection of your identity? Do you think it might
change how ppl perceive you? Why or why not?
• If you would probably never get a tattoo why
wouldn’t you? Would you care if your future
husband/wife or children got one? Why or why not?
Do you think not having tattoos says something
about your identity? Why or why not?
Lubicon Cree
• assignment
Collective Identity
• Collective identity: expressing your identity as a
member of a group.
• What was your first collective that you belonged to?
• Your family! For example, your family would have
defined the first language you spoke and the
cultural traditions you followed. If your parents or
guardians belonged to a collective such as a church,
synagogue, mosque, or temple, you probably did
too. Then you would have learned the beliefs,
traditions, and rituals of that collective.
Changing Collectives
• As you grew older, many other collectives may have
begun to play a role in shaping aspects of your
identity.
• When you were a young child, for example, you
may have worn the clothes your parents chose for
you. Their choices may have been influenced by a #
of factors, including their beliefs about appropriate
dress for young children. As you grew older,
however, you may have begun making your own
clothing choices, which may have been influenced
more by your friends.
Affirming Collective Identity
• In Quebec, Francophones form a majority of the
population, but in other provinces, they form a
minority – sometimes a small minority.
• In Alberta, for example, Francophones make up a
little more than 2% of the population.
• What challenges might their small number present
to Franco-Albertans who wish to affirm their
identity as Francophones?
Affirming Francophone Identity
• One way Francophone Albertans affirm their
identity is by founding associations and institutions
to protect and affirm their rights and to affirm their
collective identity.
• La Francophonie is an example of this. It is an
association for young ppl between the ages of 14
and 25. It was formed in the 1970s to encourage
Alberta’s Francophone youth to promote their
identity.
• Why would it be especially important for young ppl
to be part of associations and institutions that
affirm their language and identity?
Collective Identity & Context
• In different contexts, you may often be expressing a
different aspect of your collective identity. Each
collective probably has ground rules that its
members accept without question. These “rules”
may be written or unwritten, and they may be
expressed in the form of customs, traditions, and
rituals that affirm the beliefs and identity of
members of the collective.
• Can you think of any unwritten “rules” you have in
any collectives you belong to? (Figure 1-14)
Gender-neutral Language
• For centuries, English used the masculine form of
many words to apply to both men and women.
Examples: mankind, chairman, policemen
• In the 20th century, more women began to enter
positions and occupations that had traditionally
been dominated by men. As this happened, the
words commonly used to describe these positions
and occupations changed to gender-neutral terms
that could describe both women and men.
“Mankind” became “humankind,” “chairman”
became the “chairperson” or “chair,” and
“policemen” became “police officers.” (FYI pg. 29)
Slang & Jargon
• What is slang? What is jargon?
• Slang is often defined as a collection of terms used
by the members of a social collective, such as
teenagers.
• Jargon is similar to slang. It, too, is a collection of
terms, but it is often used by members of
professional collectives, such as computer
technicians, teachers, doctors, and musicians.
(Figure 1-12)
Why Use Slang & Jargon?
• Language experts believe that ppl use slang and
jargon to:
– Avoid long descriptions and explanations
– Convey precise meaning to other members of the
collective
– Affirm their identity as a member of a particular
collective
• Using slang and jargon maintains group solidarity
because everyone in the collective understands the
same “language” while those outside the group do
not. Ppl feel a sense of belonging to the collective
when they share this special language.
What Are We Learning
Today?
1.5 Explore understandings and
dimensions of globalization.
What does globalization mean?
Identities & Globalization
• 1 perspective on globalization suggests that it is a
process by which the world’s citizens are becoming
more connected and interdependent. The
connections that link ppl to 1 another take many
forms and are expanding faster than ever before.
• The connections make everyone more
interdependent (rely on other ppl) and affect
everyone’s identity.
Make a list of everything that is
in your possession right now.
Where was your shirt made, your
watch, your shoes, your iPod,
etc. How many different
countries do you represent at
this very moment? (Figure 1-16)
Trade
• You may not actually travel to
China, India, or the US, but int’l
trade connects you directly to
ppl in these countries.
• Trade is not the only link
between ppl. You may, for
example, share a connection
with ppl in other parts of the
world through your religious or
spiritual beliefs. Or, you may
share an enthusiasm for a
sport or a particular kind of
music.
Are there any negative
consequences to buying a new
cell phone?
Coltan
• 2nd half pg. 36 (Figure 1-17)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OWj1ZGn4uM
• 1st half pg. 37 (Figure 1-18)
• How is your identity connected to the identity of
coltan miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
Beyond Individual & Collective
Identities
• In the summer of 2010, ppl around the world
connected with 1 another through a sporting event.
Soccer teams from 32 countries went to South
Africa to play in the finals of the World Cup.
• Team supporters, in their home country or in the
country to which they had immigrated, identified
with their teams and celebrated their participation.
The World Cup
• Thanks to global communication systems, a shared
interest connected soccer fans around the world.
For a couple of weeks, these fans formed a global
collective.
• What does a global collective mean?
• The World Cup is just 1 example of the vast and
growing network of interconnections that shape,
and are shaped by, the lives and identities of ppl
everywhere. (Figure 1-20)
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBD9h0jUq3w
Other Global Collectives
• The identities of ppl around the world are also
connected through membership in other
collectives. These collectives may be created as a
result of shared interests or goals.
• Ppl who are interested in the env’t can connect
through organizations such as Sierra Club or
Greenpeace, and ppl who are interested in
humanitarian causes can connect through groups
such as Amnesty International and World Vision.
• Global collectives like these help countries and
individuals affirm and promote aspects of their
identity and share their perspectives with others.
Making Global Connections
• Many ppl believe that these growing connections
and interdependence enable ppl from diverse
backgrounds/cultures to connect and communicate
in a way that expands their individual identity and
promotes understanding and cooperation.
• But do global connections and interdependence
always lead to positive results? Many worry that
they do not.
• Others believe that globalization is reducing
diversity, that ppl’s distinct identities, individual and
collective, are disappearing. They say that
globalization will erase differences between ppl.
Trade as a Globalizing Force
• Pg. 44
• Ppl have always reached out to others to obtain
things they cannot grow or make themselves.
• In North America, for example, some areas of the
Eastern Arctic are rich in soapstone, a soft rock that
can be easily carved. At the same time, wood is
scarce. So the Inuit of the Eastern Arctic reached
out to other Aboriginal groups, such as the James
Bay Cree, who lived farther south, where wood was
more plentiful. The Inuit traded their soapstone for
wood.
Why do people/societies trade
with one another?
Why Trade?
• In the same way as the Inuit connected with nearby
ppls through the exchange of goods, ppl who live in
different parts of the world have connected with 1
another through trade for thousands of years.
• Ppl trade with 1 another to obtain goods and
services that are:
– Not available in their own region
– Better quality or less expensive
– Different from goods produced at home
Trade Possibilities Are Endless…
• Trade goods may be anything from natural
resources, such as lumber and oil, to clothing, car
parts, agricultural products, and stocks and bonds.
Goods may be imported into a country from other
countries – or exported out of a country to other
countries.
• Except in a small area of southern Ontario, the
Canadian climate is unsuitable for growing peanuts.
So Canadian supermarkets import peanuts grown in
the US and other countries, such as China. At the
same time, Canada is rich in oil, which is exported
to the US and other countries.
Transportation as a Globalizing Force
•
•
•
•
Pg. 46
Figure 2-5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PllK_7oqkNU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oRlthTwEEM
All these logos are symbols that
represent familiar “Canadian”
companies. But are they really
Canadian?
Owned by Americans
• The Hudson’s Bay Company, North America’s oldest
corporation, was sold to American billionaire Jerry
Zucker in 2006. Zellers, which was founded during
the Great Depression of the 1930s and later bought
by the Bay, went to Zucker in the same sale.
• Tim Hortons was founded by and named for Tim
Horton, a Stanley Cup winning Toronto Maple Leaf
defenceman in the 1960s. This company was sold to
the American fast-food chain Wendy’s International
in 1995.
Where do you think the decisions about
running these companies are now made?
Does it matter that so many “Canadian”
businesses are now owned by American
companies?
Transnational Corporations
• A business like Wendy’s is a transnational
corporation (also a multinational corporation). A
transnational corporation is a company that is
based in 1 country while developing and
manufacturing its products, or delivering its goods
and services, in more than 1 country.
• This means when you buy a donut at Tim Hortons
or a banana at your neighbourhood supermarket,
you are participating in the global economy. How is
this so?
The Banana Wars
• Three American transnational corporations
control most of the world’s banana supply:
Dole, Chiquita, and Del Monte.
• Most of the bananas come from Ecuador
• Bananas are grown elsewhere – but it is
harder to access them
• Text pgs 50-55
• homework
Pros of Transnationals
• Transnational corporations play an important role in
the globalization process. Companies like
McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, and Nike sell fast food, soft
drinks, and shoes around the world. In many
countries, they provide training and jobs for ppl
who might not otherwise have work.
Cons of Transnationals
• But critics of transnationals say that the jobs are
often “McJobs.” McJobs are low-level positions that
require little skill and provide few opportunities to
advance.
• Critics also argue that profits earned by
transnationals, such as Daishowa Paper
Manufacturing of Japan and Coca-Cola of the US, go
to the country where the company has its
headquarters. The profits do not benefit the ppl of
the country where the goods are actually made or
sold.
Of the world’s top 500 transnational
corporations based on total revenues, 170
are in the US, 70 are in Japan, 38 in Britain,
38 in France, 35 in Germany, and 14 in
Canada.
What does this stat say about
globalization?
Homework
• For tomorrow, I would like a 1 page response
answering the following question:
Is the word “McJob,” which is defined in
dictionaries as “low paying jobs that require little
skill and provide little opportunity for
advancement,” an unfair and inaccurate definition?
Do you think it should be removed from the
dictionary altogether? Why or why not?
• Watch the following link to gather ideas for your
response: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iGS23gyj4 (May take this in for marks)