What’s in a Name?

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Jhumpa Lahiri, author of The Namesake. Lynn Neary [CC BY-SA 4.0   (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

Jhumpa Lahiri, the author of The Namesake, had her own struggles with her name while she was growing up. Her Bengali parents immigrated to London, where Lahiri was born, and then they moved to America when Lahiri was three years old. Lahiri began her schooling in Kingstown, Rhode Island:

Like her character Gogol, Lahiri experienced some confusion over her name when starting school. Her parents tried to enroll her using her “good” names—Nilanjana and Sudeshna—but the teacher insisted that those were too long, and opted instead for her pet name, Jhumpa. Lahiri notes that, “Even now, people in India ask why I’m publishing under my pet name instead of a real name” (Source: NEA Big Read).

Consider the importance of names in The Namesake and how Gogol’s evolving identification with and rejection of his name connect to his evolving cultural identity and his sense of belonging, whether in America or in India. Particularly, consider chapter 6 of the novel, which focuses on Gogol’s relationship with Maxine Ratliff and his closeness to her parents and their entire way of life. As he integrates more fully into Maxine’s world (as Nikhil), Gogol realizes that “his immersion in Maxine’s family is a betrayal of his own” (141).

Leave a response below in which you discuss how Gogol’s relationship with Maxine (and her parents) is affecting his evolving self-understanding and his cultural identity. Also discuss the ways in which your own name has contributed to your own identity and sense of belonging, whether at home, here in the US, or elsewhere. Do you adopt an “American name” in the US, for instance? If so, does this ever lead to feelings of a split identity like Gogol experiences?

Technology and Minority Languages

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Image-MultilingualDanger

Photo by User:Mattes [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons

In his essay “Death by Monoculture,” Stephen Pax Leonard discusses the devastating impact that consumerism and globalization are having on linguistic diversity around the world. Leonard focuses specifically on the dual role played by technology: on the one hand, certain forms of technology are endangering minority languages; on the other hand, the Internet has the potential to preserve linguistic diversity.

To promote multilingualism and cultural diversity and to honor the men who gave their lives on February 21, 1952 in defense of Bengali language and culture, UNESCO declared February 21st “International Mother Language Day” in 1999, and it has been celebrated annually throughout the world since the year 2000. Please watch this 6-minute-long video about International Mother Language Day, produced by UNESCO, and then leave a comment in which you respond to the following 2 questions before class on Monday, 10/29 (*Note: You do not need to connect to another Globalization essay in this response!):

1. What role do you feel technology plays in the extinction and preservation of minority languages around the world? Do you agree with Leonard’s point of view?

2. Do you feel as though your own mother tongue is currently endangered? Why or why not? Are there minority languages or regional dialects in your home country that are in danger of extinction? How are you affected (or not affected) by the risk to linguistic diversity in your home country and/or around the world?

Refer to the “Blog Response Evaluation Criteria” handout distributed in class (also available on BB > Handouts > Unit 2) for guidelines and expectations in your response.

Cultural Gains and Losses

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Image-Falafel

Stilfehler at wikivoyage shared [CC BY-SA 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/1.0)%5D, from Wikimedia Commons

In Tanveer Ali‘s essay “The Subway Falafel Sandwich and the Americanization of Ethnic Food,” he acknowledges advantages and disadvantages of mass-producing the food of a particular culture so that it can enter into the American mainstream. Ali considers how the authenticity of the food is inevitably sacrificed in the process of Americanization, which brings us back to a theme that we have been discussing since the start of the semester: cultural gains and losses during globalization. Overall, do you believe that the advantages (gains) outweigh the disadvantages (losses) when a culture’s cuisine becomes Americanized, or vice versa? And why? Are the sacrifices too great, or does the opportunity for cultural exposure and integration outweigh the sacrifices? In your response, consider any food from your country that has become part of mainstream American cuisine, and also establish a connection with another Globalization essay that also conveys the theme of cultural losses and gains.

*Additional note: I also encourage you to read this opinion piece in The Washington Post, which argues that the term “ethnic food” is offensive and should be dropped.

Respond either to this post or to the “Veiling and Integration” post before class time on Friday, 10/19. Refer to the Blog Response Evaluation Criteria handout (BB > Handouts > Unit 2) to review expectations for your response.

Veiling and Integration

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Image-Burkini

By Giorgio Montersino from Milan, Italy (cool burkini) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

In yesterday’s class, we discussed Leila Ahmed‘s essay “Reinventing the Veil.” In her article, Ahmed explores the various reasons why Muslim women in Western societies are choosing to veil themselves, ultimately challenging her own assumptions about what the veil symbolizes, concluding that “the veil can have multiple meanings” (307). I was reading more about the veil and, particularly, updating myself on France’s “burkini ban” (which we were discussing at the end of class in WR112 E1). To learn more about the ban, check out this post from news site France24, and then check out this follow-up post about the ban being overturned. After reading through these various online articles about the burkini, I found this article from The Guardian (an international news source), written by journalist Amelia Hill. The article focuses on a recent study on women’s decisions to wear the veil and their views of integration. The study, conducted by two researchers from the sociology department at the University of Oxford, shows that “attempts to force Muslim women to stop wearing the veil might…be counterproductive by depriving them of the choice and opportunity to integrate: if women cannot signal their piety through wearing a veil, they might choose or be forced to stay at home” (Hill). In this way, the results of the study demonstrate that veiling can actually be a sign of more integration rather than less.

Consider Marcelo Gleiser‘s views on the unrealistic possibility of cultural unity due to what he views as people’s innate tribal tendencies. In what ways do France’s “burkini ban” (and debates surrounding France’s commitment to secularism) and the veiling study from  the University of Oxford serve as further evidence for and/or counterarguments to Gleiser’s view?

Respond either to this post or to the “Cultural Gains and Losses” post before class time on Friday, 10/19. Refer to the Blog Response Evaluation Criteria handout (BB > Handouts > Unit 2) to review expectations for your response.

What Does It Mean To Be a “Global Citizen”?

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The theme for Unit 2 of our course is Global Citizenship. I would like you to watch this short YouTube video (click to link over to the video) and then post a response explaining what the term “Global Citizen” or “Global Citizenship” means to you. In your response, make a connection with at least one of the Globalization essays we’ve read so far — do you see a similar or differing point of view presented in that essay? A similar theme or issue that you discuss in your own definition of the term? Write your response in the “Leave a Reply” box at the end of this post. When responding, make sure to identify yourself with your full name so that readers know whose words they’re reading and so that I can grant you credit for engaging in the conversation! Refer to the “Blog Response Evaluation Criteria” handout distributed in class (also available on BB > Handouts > Unit 2) for guidelines and expectations in your response.

Note: This video was published to YouTube in 2015 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and features participants in the Second UNESCO Forum on Global Citizenship Education. For more information on UNESCO, click here.

HandHoldingWorld

 

Welcome to Our Course Blog!

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Hello, students!

I am experimenting with using a course blog to expand our discussions about globalization and consider multiple perspectives through various media. Whenever you see words that are bolded and in a different color (<-like that!), it means that you can click on those words to link over to a related online resource (an online article, video, etc. — go ahead and click on the link in the previous sentence!). I also think this course blog can provide us with a unique opportunity to acknowledge and respond to one another’s points of view using the helpful templates from They Say / I Say (e.g., I agree with your point that ____, but I disagree with your view on ____ because ____). This will be a practical and logical supplement to our in-class discussions, and it will allow you the chance to engage with each other in meaningful ways outside of the classroom.

When I assign you a blog response (asking you to comment on something that I have posted), I intend for you to offer a thoughtful reply to whatever topic and/or question I raise so that you are entering into the conversation and sharing your own point of view. It is also a chance for you to make connections with at least one of the Globalization essays we’ve been discussing in class. *NOTE: Refer to the “Blog Response Evaluation Criteria” handout distributed in class and posted to Blackboard > Handouts > Unit 2 for specific guidance on expectations for your blog responses. You are also encouraged to reply to comments made by your classmates–respectfully acknowledge their point of view and respond with your agreement or disagreement, a follow-up question, etc.

I look forward to learning more about your perspectives on the important themes and issues raised in our readings!

Sincerely,

Dr. Yoder