CLC 5212 Globalization and the Politics of Representation
(Second Term 2005-2006)
Mr. Lik-kwan Cheung
E-mail: likkwancheung@yahoo.com.hk
DESCRIPTION:
Globalization has become a key term in the analysis of contemporary society and
culture. This course will trace the development of the concept across different
disciplines and theoretical paradigms, review socio-economic and cultural accounts of
globalization, study artistic production, and examine counter-discourses and social
movements against globalization. Throughout the course, we will interrogate the
politics of representation around globalization, questioning specifically the grounds
on which global claims are made; the categories, processes, and practices
foregrounded and occluded; the voices privileged, heard and silenced; and the kinds
of subjectivities and collective identities enabled and produced in globalization
discourses.
CONTENT:
 Basic references
 Other references
 Examples
Section 1. Basic Concepts: Representation, Globalization and Imperialism
1. “Representation” and the Location of Culture
 Stuart Hall, “The Work of Representation,” Representation: cultural
representations and signifying practices, edited by Stuart Hall (London;
Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage, 1997), P. 13-74.
 Paul du Gay ... [et al.], “Making Sense of the Walkman,” Doing cultural
studies: the story of the Sony Walkman (London; Thousand Oaks [Calif.]:
Sage Publications, in association with The Open University, 1997), P. 7-40.
2. “Globalization” and Geopolitics

Arif Dirlik, “Formations of Globality and Radical Politics,” The Review of
Education/Pedagogy/Cultural Studies Vol. 21, no. 4 (2001): 301-338.
 David Harvey, “The geography of the Manifesto,” Spaces of hope (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 2000), P. 21-40.
 David Harvey, “Contemporary globalization,” Spaces of hope, P. 53-72.
 陳映真：《華盛頓大樓》小說系列（節選）
3. From Imperialism to Empire
1
 Stanley Aronowitz & Heather Gautney, “The Debate about Globalization: An
Introduction,” (excerpt) Implicating empire: globalization and resistance in
the 21st century world order, edited by Stanley Aronowitz and Heather
Gautney (New York: Basic Books, 2003).
 Ernest Mandel, From class society to Communism: an introduction to
Marxism (London: Ink Links Ltd., 1977), chapter 5-7.
 Anthony Brewer, “Luxemburg,” Marxist theories of imperialism: a critical
survey (London; New York: Routledge, 1990), P.58-72.
 Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri, “The Limits of Imperialism,” Empire
(Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000), P.221-237.
Section 2. Production: From McDonaldization to Postmodernization?
4. Fordism or McDonaldization
 George Ritzer, “McDonaldization and Its Precursors: From the Iron Cage to
the Fast-Food Factory,” The McDonaldization of society (Thousand Oaks,
Calif.: Pine Forge Press, 1996).
 George Ritzer, The McDonaldization of society, chapter 3-6 (excerpt).
 Film clips: Charles Chaplin, Modern times （中譯：《摩登時代》）
5. Post-Fordism or Postmodernization
 George Ritzer, The McDonaldization of society, chapter 8 (excerpt).
 Michael Hardt & Antonio Negri, “Postmodernization, or The Informatization
of Production,” Empire, P.280-300.
 Mike Crang, “Cultures of production,” (excerpt) Cultural geography (London;
New York: Routledge, 1998), P. 146-160.
 Arlie Russell Hochschild, “Global Care Chains and Emotional Surplus
Value,” Global capitalism, edited by Will Hutton and Anthony Gidden (New
York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton, 2000), P. 130-145.
 Film clips: Peter Weir, The Truman Show （中譯：《真人 SHOW》）
Section 3. Time-space Compression: Tele-topia and Global City
6. Time-space Compression and Tele-topia
 David Harvey, “The Time and Space of the Enlightenment Project,” The
condition of postmodernity (Oxford : Blackwell, 1989), P.240-259.
 邱德亮：〈維希留加速 2000 年（Paul Virilio accelere l’an 2000）〉《消
失的美學》Paul Virilio 著，楊凱麟譯（台北：揚智文化，2001），頁 160。
 Film clips: The Wachowski brothers: The matrix （中譯：《廿二世紀殺人
網絡》）
7. Time-space Compression and the Postmodern Condition

David Harvey, “Time-space Compression and the Postmodern Condition,”
The condition of postmodernity (Oxford : Blackwell, 1989), P.284-307.
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 David Harvey, “Time and Space in the Postmodern Cinema,” The condition of
postmodernity (Oxford: Blackwell, 1989), P.308-326.
 Arjun Appadurai, “Disjuncture and Difference in the Global Cultural
Economy,” Modernity at large: cultural dimensions of globalization
(Minneapolis, Minn.: University of Minnesota Press, c1996), P. 27-47.
 Film clips: Ridley Scott, Blade runner （中譯：《銀翼殺手》）
8. Global City and Place-based Imagination

Manuel Castells, “The Space of Flows,” The rise of the network society
(Oxford; Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000), P. 407-459.
 Arif Dirlik, “Place-based Imagination: Globalism and the Politics of Place,”
Places and Politics in an Age of Globalization, edited by A. Dirlik & R.
Prazniak (Oxford: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2001), P. 15-51.
 Film clips: 岩井俊二：《燕尾蝶》
Section 4. Consumption: Brand Bombing and the Circulation of Product
9. The New Branded World
 張小虹：〈後現代（台灣）奇機：手機召喚、幻聽妄想與商品拜物〉
《在百貨公司遇見狼》（台北市：聯合文學出版社，2002），頁 13-56。
 Naomi Klein, No logo (New York, NY: Picador, 2000), chapter 1-2.
10. Circulating Barbie and Japanese TV dramas

Ann duCille, “Dyes and dolls: multicultural Barbie and the merchandizing of
difference,” A Cultural studies reader: history, theory, practice, edited by
Jessica Munns & Gita Rajan (London; New York: Longman, 1995), P. 550568.
 Ming-tsung Lee, “Traveling with Japanese TV dramas: cross-cultural
orientation and flowing identification of contemporary Taiwanese youth,”
Feeling Asian modernities: transnational consumption of Japanese TV dramas,
edited by Koichi Iwabuchi (Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2004),
P.129-154.
 成英姝：《恐怖偶像劇》（台北縣中和市：INK 印刻出版有限公司，
2002）。（節選）
Section 5. Resistance or the Politics for Futures
11. The Rise of Fourth World and Dual City
 Manuel Castells, “The Rise of the Fourth World: Informational Capitalism,
Poverty, and Social Exclusion,” (excerpt) End of millennium (Oxford; Malden,
MA: Blackwell Publishers, 2000), P. 68-81.
 Stephen W.K. Chiu and Tai-lok Lui, Global City, Dual City? Globalization
and Hong Kong since the 1990s (Hong Kong: Hong Kong Institute of AsiaPacific Studies, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004), 56pgs.
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 許寶強：〈另類貿易〉《資本主義不是什麼》（香港：牛津大學出版
社，2002），頁 128-162。
 Film clips: 陳果：《香港有個荷里活》
12. Environmental Movement and Anti-Globalization Movement

Manuel Castells, “The Greening of the Self: the Environmental Movement,”
The power of identity (Malden, Mass: Blackwell, 1997), P. 110-133.
 David Harvey, “What’s Green and Makes the Environment Go Round?” The
cultures of globalization, edited by Fredric Jameson and Masao Miyoshi
(Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1998), P. 327-355.
 David Graeber, “The Globalization and the New New Left,” Implicating
empire: globalization and resistance in the 21st century world order, edited by
Stanley Aronowitz and Heather Gautney, P. 325-338
13. Is Zapatista a postmodern Guerrilla Movement?
 Manuel Castells, “Mexico’s Zapatistas: the First Informational Guerrilla
Movement,” The power of identity (Malden, Mass: Blackwell, 1997), P. 72-83.
 Kathleen Bruhn, “Antonio Gramsci and the palabra verdadera: The political
discourse of Mexico’s guerrilla forces,” Journal of Interamerican Studies and
World Affairs Vol. 4 (Summer 1999), P. 29-55.
 Roger Burbach, “For a Zapatista style postmodernist perspective,” Monthly
Review Vol. 47 (Mar 1996).
 Film clips: Santiago Colombo, Storm from the mountain
ASSESSMENT:
60%
30%
10%
Final Paper (English: 12 – 18 pages, Chinese: 5,000 – 8,000 words)
Presentation
Class Participation
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