Does anyone know if any work has been done regarding Western media as a
hegemonic tool in the cultivation of, say, consumeristic (and other
capitalist-friendly) attitudes in the developing world? I'm a graduate
student in cultural anthropology looking for a thesis topic, and, as
many people in the field have noticed, this decade has seen a striking
proliferation of satellite dishes in less-populated areas which
previously had no access to television. In Polynesia it has been blamed
for stopping the night time tradition of story telling in which elders
pass on the myths, beliefs, etc., of their culture to the younger
generations. The younger generations now watch TV. I think we all know
what it's teaching them.
Anyway, I'm sure there's been plenty of work done on television's powers
of persuasion here in the core, but I wasn't able to turn up much about
its use and effects in the periphery (I plan on doing my fieldwork in
Indonesia, perhaps Sulawesi). The appearance of the satellite dish has
made a serious difference in the spread of Western media away from urban
centers, to which it had previously been confined to a greater degree.
In a large, spread out country like Indonesia and in other island
nations, this can make a big difference. It might be interesting to
study its effects on a rural village.
Any references, ideas or comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Gareth Barkin
Campus Box 1114
Department of Anthropology
Washington University in St. Louis
gsbarkin@artsci.wustl.edu