Abstract This paper looks at the American political culture after the terrorist attacks of September 11 and the effect those attacks had on the tolerance in American political culture. It contends that, as a result, of the attacks, American political culture is more accepting of authoritarian views. This paper also looks at how the war on terrorism and the related struggle against the spread of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons have become the central elements of a new US foreign policy since September 11.
From the Paper "September 11, had a polarizing effect on tolerance in political culture .In fact the tragedy made American political culture more accepting of authoritarian views .The terrorist attacks on the U. S. of Sept. 11, 2001, jolted Americans with the realization that young men filled with hatred of the U. S. could, with limited training and guidance, become focused instruments of mass terror, willing and able to kill thousands of Americans."
Tags: arab, and, muslim, world, american, hegemony, war, on, terrorism, us, foreign, policy
Looks at the development of African-American/Canadian culture that resulted from the migration of many Southern African-Americans to the West and North.
Abstract This paper looks at the culture that developed in the African-American and Canadian population. It discusses the main events that brought about this culture, how, in some ways, it represented a resistance to oppression, and how some within the African-American/Canadian community held conflicting views about the development and expression of their own ethnic culture.
From the Paper "The music/dance culture became an all out rejection of Victorianism and middle class control. (LN, OCT 9) The popularity of this era could be attributed to the fact that the majority of African Americans/Canadians that immersed themselves in this culture were working class and the dance/music created in this era spoke the truth!"
Abstract The paper studies the rise and evolution of American youth culture over the last decade. This is achieved through a critical review of two literary works. The first is a novel called "On The Road" by Jack Kerouac and the second is the 1955 film, "Rebel Without a Cause". Both plots are reviewed to show what they reveal about American youth culture. The paper continues with an exploration of American youth through the generations, beginning with the start of the 20th century, and it concludes with a look at the prevalence of youth culture in adult American society.
From the Paper ""What's wrong with these kids today?" The intergenerational howl of frustration and confusion echoes down through the decades as those devastatingly cool and disdainful teenagers grow up, marry, and produce the next generation of rebellious teenagers. Because even though each generations comes of age with what it believes to be unique feelings of angst, despair and isolation, those agonizing emotions have tortured the young souls of every generation to emerge on the American landscape, at least over the course of the last century.
Jack Kerouac's On The Road is considered my many scholars to be the best novel to come out of the so-called beat generation. It is the story of Sal Paradise, an aspiring writer, and of his experiences on the road as he makes several trips across the country to meet friends in Denver and San Francisco."
Tags: rise, evolution, critical, review, ?On, The, Road?, Jack, Kerouac, ?Rebel, Without, a, Cause", generation, 20th, century, prevalence, society
Abstract This paper examines the attempts of Native-American Tribes to retain their cultural heritage despite many years of repression and attempts by the colonial majority to force its culture on them. The paper looks at the major means whereby Native Americans are trying to preserve and even spread their culture amongst the various groupings and tribes living today in the United State of America. The author then goes on to examine the historical background to the American Indian's cultural repression. He examines, in some depth, the rebirth of Native-American literature and oral history and its impact on the Native-American population and attempts to evaluate its success.
From the Paper "Individual Indians seek to define who they are through culture in varied ways, and are frequently challenged by distance. The revival of culture is centered around reservation life. Reservations schools attempt to transmit the traditions of the past, along with language through native reservation schools that teach language through a bilingual system or through submersion programs and yet many Native Americans live far from home and family, as a result of the pressures of modernization and the fact that economic and higher education opportunities are limited on many reservations. To many Indians it is a challenge to meet the goals of a highly connected social network of family and nation as distance creates change that challenges their ability to meld their historical culture with the white culture they frequently live within. Yet, it is also clear that individual definitions of self are strongly associated with family and cultural connections and traditions. It is for this reason that Native American creativity is expressed in novel ways through many avenues and medias as well as the reason why individual and collective vision become a constant recurring theme in many of these interpretations."
Tags: native americans, indians reservations history culture assimilation tradition
Abstract This research explores the hip hop culture and its identity. An overview of the current literature is given that reflects the theoretical position of Black culture in the United States. In addition a definition of hip hop and rap is provided, including a discussion of its origins and the current state this art form is in. The influence of the ghetto and hip hop culture is explored at length, as well as the lyrical content of the music. Commercialization of this unique music form is discussed, in addition to hip hop culture's tendency toward visualization as opposed to aural. Finally, hip hop as a global force is reviewed. In the end, it becomes clear that hip hop music is a significant influence on global culture, for Black and non-Black community members and this influence has been facilitated by technology and the drive of capitalism.
Introduction
The History of Hip Hop
Overview of Current Literature Regarding Hip Hop
Defining Hip Hop Culture The Four Pillars of Hip Hop and Others
The Ghetto, Hip Hop Culture and the Divergent Styles of West Coast and East Coast
East Coast versus West Coast Conflict
Geographical Diversity of Hip Hop Today
Hip Hop and the Jail Culture Graffiti as a Subversive and Sublime Cultural Arm of Hip Hop
African Americans and Spatial Mobility
The Ghetto Environment and its Effects on the Lyrical Content of Hip Hop
Examination of Lyrical Content in Gangsta Rap Songs
Discussion of Virulent and Caustic Language Within the Sub-Genre of Gangsta Rap
The Double Standard in the World of Gangsters as Demonstrated by Hip Hop
Hip Hop Culture and Misogyny
Hip Hop Culture and the Poetry of the Dispossessed
The Controversy About Selling Out and Hip Hop Culture Representing the Ghetto
Hip Hop Culture and Sports Marketing
Hip Hop Sales Statistics and the Thug Image for Sales Controversy
Hip Hop as a Force in American Pop Culture and the Displacement of Other Genres of Music
Tastes and Decadence in Hip Hop Culture The Hip Hop Culture and Political Influence
Hip Hop as a Global Force
References
From the Paper "Although one may be led to believe that hip hop music is a recent evolution, it relates back to the griots of West Africa, from more than two hundred years ago. The griots were, and in some rural areas still are, storytellers, poets and traveling singers who played an important role in ancient African societies. They used poetry and rhythm to teach the people about their history, as written language was rarely used ("Griot").
One could even argue that hip hop music began even earlier than griots, stemming from the ancient societies of Egypt, as a rich, Black tradition of admiration for rhetoric in both written and spoken form. It is part of the Black rhetorical continuum, as it borrows from and expands a tradition of creative use of language styles and strategies. It was created as rhetoric of resistance primarily to racial discrimination and oppression (Kopano). "
Abstract This paper examines how the Civil War still has a lingering effect on today's American society. The paper explains that this terrible conflict has impacted American politics, culture, economics and social values in many ways, but the political effects of the Union victory over the rebelling Confederacy have been perhaps the most important, for had the South won the Civil War, the existence of two rival countries at the center of the North American continent would have greatly altered future political, economic, cultural, and social developments. The paper looks at how, because of the Civil War, the federal government and federal bureaucracy became much more powerful, and the American president's war powers were significantly expanded. The paper then points out that progress against racial prejudice and discrimination began to be made, but nearly a century passed before racial segregation was ended and racial equality was accepted by most of the American people. The paper also discusses how the Civil War led to loyalty to America instead of loyalty to one's state, great industrial expansion, the creation of a national media, growing world trade, the development of active and powerful labor unions, and the establishment of an economic foundation that made the United States a global economic superpower within a hundred years. In conclusion, the paper shows that in terms of cultural changes, the Civil War led to a growing cultural sophistication across the United States in the form of increased public interest in literature, poetry, the theater, and art.
From the Paper "Fite (1983) notes that in terms of domestic politics, the expansion of federal authority required to win the Civil War created a huge and powerful central government in Washington D.C. and established a lasting precedent of centralized federal government power. Before the war broke out in 1861, the federal government was relatively weak, and the states retained significant political power. But during the war years, the Lincoln administration and the United States Congress were compelled to expand their powers in order to save the Union, and these powers resulted in an enlarged federal bureaucracy which, once established, was reluctant to give up the broad range of powers it had acquired during the war."
Abstract The following paper is an analysis on the 'Americanization' of Japanese culture. Four distinct areas of culture will be analyzed, and in turn, some general analysis will be presented in terms of assigning the causes for this trend. In particular, focus will be given toward understanding how this process must be understood with the 'transformation of identity' that had been taking place in this context.
Abstract The paper discusses workplace and organizational culture as it would be experienced by an American company operating in Japan. The paper also examines the unique experiences to which an American employee working in Japan would be exposed to vis-a-vis workplace culture and practices. The paper recommends the acquisition of some deeper cross-cultural communication skills that extend beyond the workplace.
Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Negotiation & Culture Physical Space & Time in the Workplace
Conclusion
From the Paper "For an American firm operating in Japan there are many considerations that must be made beyond the operational level. Perhaps the most important are at the organizational level where customs, culture, and host-national considerations must be made. This is because the subject of intercultural communication has become not just a politically correct topic in today's increasingly diverse societies, but a matter of necessity given the spread of the global economy and the degree of economic integration which finds companies now moving into foreign countries such as Japan where the Asian culture and work ethic becomes a vital consideration."
Abstract This anthropological study analyzes how Bruce Springsteen has become more than a rock 'n' roll musician in his cultural influence on American youth culture. The writer notes that not only has Springsteen been a major musical influence in the rock 'n' roll genre, he reflects the social dreams and desires of American youth culture through a variety of class distinctions and lifestyles. In essence, the writer notes that Bruce Springsteen sings of different class backgrounds. Further, the writer maintains that Springsteen defines a rebellious and individualistic identity in youth culture through his lyrics and musical understanding of American social norms.
From the Paper "The type of feeling that calls for redemption of the poor people in the world can also be seen in his music on a domestic note. This forms the main corpus of lyrics and music that respond to the deeper troubles that youth sought within the often depressing and economically down turned post-Nixon era of American culture. Bruce Springsteen, although not above singing songs of the more carefree traditional songs of Little Richard, is more apt to be singing about the quest for freedom from authority for young people. After all, Bruce Springsteen had come from a middle class background, and he had known the suffering of being without money or of having a place to live. For instance, in "Born to Run", Springsteen uses a lyrical example of the desperation of youth culture, as the confines of social norms drives the young people to reach beyond barriers through escaping cultural isolationism."
Abstract The paper identifies a definition of culture and examines how it is transmitted, generically speaking. The paper discusses the need to be nurtured and socially taught so that as we mature, we will meet the cultural guidelines in each developmental phase of our lives. The paper also talks about a sub-culture; a group within a society whose values and norms are different from that of the accepted dominant view. The paper utilizes the example of American society's rigid emphasis on gender roles to demonstrate how Americans transmit culture already from the time of birth.
From the Paper "Before one can understand how an aspect of our American culture came about, and how it is being translated today to nearly all members of our society, we must see how culture is transmitted. Before we can even do that, we need to understand what culture actually is; everyone has an idea of what culture is, but whether we know it or not, we associate the words "culture" with "American culture" and use the two interchangeably. We may think that "American culture" is "culture" because of the idea of ethnocentrism, the idea that one's own culture is the right culture, and all others should follow. However, more times than not, most open-minded and fair people that use "American culture" and "culture" interchangeably will do so without meaning to and will do so because their "American culture" is all they have ever known. Therefore, since that culture is the only one they have been exposed to, that is the only viewpoint on the world that they possess (Nanda and Warms 86)."
Abstract This paper examines the relationship between globalization and American power. It asks whether globalization is really just Americanization, overwhelming other's cultures and ways of life. The writer concludes that Americanization and globalization are not the same; rather that these are two very different forces which are impacting the world dually, but yet separately.
From the Paper "First, globalization is more than just Americanization. It would be difficult to say exactly what Americanization is, since the thing we call "America" is constantly changing. When we talk about American Cultural Imperialism, what is it exactly that is being (allegedly) imposed on others? What aspects of American culture are really in play?
Most Americans would probably agree that the United States is the greatest of all countries, but there are few patriotic individuals anywhere in the world who would say otherwise about their homelands. An Indian, an Australian, a Brazilian; all may marvel at the United States and comment on its greatness, but each believes in his heart that his own country is great in ways in which the United States is not."
Abstract This paper describes the origins of American popular music in European and African culture. The author claims that In effect, American music is a hybrid of musical movements from blues and spirituals to European folk music.
From the Paper "Much of American culture bears the mark of the melting pot effect. Essentially a land of immigrants, America has served, in many ways, as a palette from which popular culture draws an innumerable array of shades. As such, popular social trends often are a reflection of the hybrid mainstream instinct. Pop music, in its incubational phases, is highly indicative of that notion. This is particularly evident in ostensibly indigenous musical movements like blues/folk music and spirituals, both of which employ extensive European and African influences, social imports that create a tapestry of globally unique and distinctively American sounds."
Tags: art, jazz, music, race relations, rock, social traditional, values, blues, folk, Africian American
Abstract This paper examines the globalization of culture and how the American popular culture shapes it. It investigates how economic dominance, communications technologies, social and political events influence global mass media. The paper also describes the role of the English language in creating a single world culture.
From the Paper "When we look at the dominant form of culture that characterizes our society today, it is often referred to as "globalization". But to many, this idea of a unified world is characterized by the concept of "Americanization". To a large extent, the shared culture around the world is becoming more and more influenced by American culture. There are many reasons for this, but primarily these are the result of the economic dominance of that nation, the development of global systems of communication, and the spread of English as the new international language. The following paper will address all of these issues in order to fully understand the reasons why the United States has a stranglehold on the global market in mass culture."
This paper reviews and analyzes the novel "Becoming Mexican-American: Ethnicity, Culture and Identity in Chicano Los Angeles, 1900-1945" written by historian George J. Sanchez.
Abstract This paper examines the events that shaped and cultivated the Mexican-American community in the United States. Author George J. Sanchez claims that in the early 20th century Mexican-Americans had created a distinct ethnic identity of their own while dealing with increasing discrimination which peaked in the 1930s. This paper gives a detailed historical background of the events that took place, including the efforts by community leaders to unionize farm workers and the growing dissatisfaction among Mexican-Americans that gave rise to political protests.
From the Paper "The experience of Mexican-Americans in the United States is both strikingly similar, yet deeply different from other minority groups - immigrant or otherwise. Reviled and mistreated much like the Irish-American newcomers of the 19th century, Mexican-Americans - also like the Irish - soon made themselves indispensable in the first half of the 20th century, if only as cheap labor. Later, and especially in the last decade, they have by sheer force of numbers, political savvy and deeply-felt pride begun (as the Irish also once did) to make themselves a necessity in far more numerous ways to business, government, popular culture and the arts."
Tags:culture, immigration, racism, minority, mexico, politics, United, States
