Sumblog 3

Is This Real Life?

In class this week, a huge topic we've trudged through is defining Global Identity. To me, global identity seems to meld together with Global Citizenship, however, I am beginning to see the difference between the two after our discussion.

At first, I thought about Global Identity as being aware and conscious of the world around you (literally meaning the world). Global Identity was knowing who you were and how you affected your global environment. After this week of class, I am beginning to notice that my definition wasn't really about Global Identity but rather Global Citizenship.

I now see Global Identity as more of a self-awareness rather than an awareness of others. I see it as knowing one's heritage and connections around the world rather than basing actions on the world's status. I'm not saying that having a global identity mean that you simply don't care if the world is burning, but that would rather fall under being a global citizen. I guess the largest aspect of Global Identity's definition is understanding your role in the global environment. Whether you have connections all around the world or simply use products and good from all over, you can still have a Global Identity.

To further drive the definition of Global Identity home, I choose a slightly silly picture of a man named Matt immersed in his heritage

As odd as this photo may seem, I would like to think that our good friend Matt is simply connecting to his roots/ancestry. This type of experience would help strengthen his Global Identity by providing him with a global background, with which he can identify himself.

Sumblog 2

Asking All Them Questions

The first reading we discussed in class this week was the Giddens article, which described with two viewpoints of globalization: the skeptics and the radicals. In other words, those who do not believe that the world is turning into one huge community, and those who stand by the idea of globalization. Most in the class stand in the middle of the two sides, a few side with the radical point of view, and even fewer stand by the skeptical point of view.

I lean towards the skeptical side of the argument. I'm not saying that the societies of the world are completely separate and isolated, but I don't feel that the world is or will be completely globalized. There is a great amount of influence and spread of certain aspects of societies, however, these aspects never remain the same once they migrate. As bratwurst came to America, it quickly changed from the traditional German dish into something that is now a main player in American culture. What started as a sausage link, served with a roll and mustard for dipping, became a hand-held, on-the-go, sausage and bun torpedo, topped with anything and everything. Through global trade and emigration, the bratwurst made it all the way to America, but once it arrived, it became something distinctively American and that is my point. Things may link nations and societies together on a global scale, however, these things become absorbed and adapted to such an extent that each society manages to maintain their own unique image.

Maintaining my culinary theme, I have chosen a video of Anthony Bourdain trying the traditional and the not-so-traditional sides of the food in China Town. As the foods and cooking styles of central Asia crossed into the United States, it changed into something completely different. What we consider to be Chinese food, isn't actually that Chinese at all; it has become something unique to America.

Blog 1

Global Sociology? How Does That Work?

In class when the topic/issue of collaborating globally to solve global issues came up, it sounded very straight-forward. Everyone works together, identifies issues, and comes up with solutions for said issues. Once the class started discussing the topic, an armada of issues came forth. One main issue is the huge amount of inequality still surrounding global sociology:

• The International Sociology Association has three main languages; those who do not speak these languages may have to sacrifice portions of their main idea in an attempt to even communicate it.
• Access to sociological communities are often only granted to the privileged with western credentials.
• In some parts of the world, rural sociology is not practiced and this provides a slanted view of rural systems.

These three points describe a very western-based global sociology, which, in my opinion, excludes some of the most interesting and unknown situations. Many countries that are in a state of rapid development (see adjacent chart) are also non-western, and the sociological topics surrounding this state of rapid growth could be overlooked by our current global sociology community. The findings from these topics could provide great insight for what to expect from other rapidly developing countries in the future, but with such inequality, sociologists in these countries may not be able to speak out or present their ideas. This is just one example of why true global sociology is still something to strive for in the future. Luckily, from the readings, it's evident that the issue has been noticed by the global sociologists.