Our interactive world can take a creative product; such as a Hollywood film; Bollywood song; or Latin American telenovela; and transform it into a source of cultural anxiety. What does this artwork say about the artist or the world she works in? How will these artworks evolve in the global market? Film; music; television; and the performing arts enter the same networks of exchange as other industries; and the anxiety they produce informs a fascinating area of study for art; culture; and global politics.Focusing on the confrontation between global politics and symbolic creative expression; J. P. Singh shows how; by integrating themselves into international markets; entertainment industries give rise to far-reaching cultural anxieties and politics. With examples from Hollywood; Bollywood; French grand opera; Latin American television; West African music; postcolonial literature; and even the Thai sex trade; Singh cites not only the attempt to address cultural discomfort but also the effort to deny entertainment acts as cultural. He connects creative expression to clashes between national identities; and he details the effect of cultural policies; such as institutional patronage and economic incentives; on the making and incorporation of art into the global market. Ultimately; Singh shows how these issues affect the debates on cultural trade being waged by the World Trade Organization; UNESCO; and the developing world.
#783615 in eBooks 2012-05-01 2012-04-24File Name: B007D3RKOQ
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Ponderous narrativeBy karicI have lived and worked in Papua New Guinea on and off since 1978 and am very familiar with the customs. mores and cultures across this facinating country. I was looking forward to reading this novel. The Mountain. both from the perspective of the evolution of a country emerging from colonialism and from the point of view of a woman caught up in the romance and drama of an emerging and developing nation.I found the first chapters very ponderous and difficult to read as the story did not flow smoothly. I also felt that the depiction of the issues faced by the Papuans in the story were too romaticised and not believable in their representations of how they really felt about their interactions with western people. especially during the intra-independence years and even subsequently. While the main story line offered an insight into cross cultural love and family relationships and the consequences of such relationships and tugged at the heart strings in respect of the struggles faced by crossing cultures (especially the issues of infertility and cultural implications) it failed to to provide the expected climactic conclusion - it just seemed to peter out at the end. It was a pleasant journey with formulated highs and lows. I finished it without feeling and lingering sense of satisfaction or of knowing the characters very well.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. At times this book is difficult to scale.By IndirandaAlthough I have always enjoyed Modjeskas writing I found the characterisation in The Mountain difficult. Her main protagonist (Rika) is bland and very two dimensional. Modjeska gives us a little background information on her and then places her in PNG where she stays lifeless and difficult to understand. How can a married woman in the early 1970s accept an offer to go off walking with a young man on her first day in a new country? Naive? yes. Adventurous? Probably. but she is never portrayed as such.Modjeska writes about the movement toward Independence in PNG brilliantly and this kept me reading. She views it from different perspectives through her characters.The novel is in two parts: written from two different time periods and peoples perspectives. This break in the middle of the book also kept me reading as I wanted to see whether it got any better.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. BrilliantBy LynetteThis book is for a reader who enjoys a book with depth and insight into a subject. The book beautifully describes the cultural conflicts in Papua New Guinea during and post. independence. The modern world meeting the primitive artistic spiritual world.Modjesca tells the story through a developed portrait of several characters. indigenous people and the Europeans they become involved with. she is able to bring the characters to life and express the complex colorful spirit of the place and its people.I personally feel I have gained a greater knowledge and sympathy for the amazing indigenous peoples of PNG.
