The Globalization of 'Coolness'

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the upsurge in the production of popular culture for mass audiences, with reference to the transformation of "Asian" subculture in Canada; from racist portrayals only decades ago, to their defining "coolness" today. The paper argues that the social transformation of the popular image of this non-western group reflects how pop culture is closely linked to economic power and globalized cultural production in the post war era. The paper explains that Canadian social historians have argued that the Canadian mass media played a critical role in the shaping of racist ideologies and stereotypes to exclude Asians from Canadian mainstream society. In conclusion, the paper shows that as Asian economic growth continues, it appears likely that Canadian pop culture will assume more and more elements of Asian popular culture in the years to come as the "coolness" of Asian culture becomes ever stronger.

Outline:
Introduction
Images of Asia and Canadian Racism
The Cross-Cultural Origins of Cool
Cross-Cultural Coolness and Economic Power

From the Paper:

"Today Canada, and in particular its large cities of Toronto and Vancouver, are highly multicultural societies defined by mass media and integrated into the global marketplace. In this highly mediated space, Asian popular culture - from the Hong Kong action movies of John Woo, to the cross-cultural popularity of "bubble tea", anime and manga, to children's television programs such as Sailor Moon and Dragonball Z - has played a significant role in the shaping of our society. This fact is particular ironic given that, only a few decades ago, the popular image of Asian in Canadian society was highly racist."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Danesi, Marcel. "The Emergence of Coolness." In The Generation of Ideas: A Thematic Reader. Ed. Quentin Miller . Boston, Mass: Thomson Wadsworth, 2005, 294-308.
• Das Gupta, Tania. Racism and Paid Work. Toronto: Garamond, 1996.
• Dawson, Jeff. Quentin Tarantino: The Cinema of Cool. New York: Applause Books, 1995.
• Thompson, Richard. Toronto's Chinatown: The Changing Social Organization of an Ethnic Community. New York: AMS Press, 1989.
• Varley, Paul. Japanese Culture. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2000.

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