unit eleven
tommy & the nike swoosh:
the semiotics of race & class
cultural
artifact:
fashion
CASE
STUDIES:
Nike & The Scandal of Sweatshop Labor;
Hip Hop Style: Class, Race & Chic in Global Culture
reading
assignment:
- alex
kotlowitz, "false connections" (1999) in the consumer society
reader
- bell
hooks, "eating the Other: desire and resistance" in consumer
society reader
- Henry
Giroux, "Consuming Social Change: The United Colors of Bennetton"(ELECTRONIC
RESERVE)
- The Theory Toolbox
"Differences," pp.175-188
in
class screening:
In
the age of the brand, logos are everywhere. But why do some of the
world’s best-known brands find themselves on the wrong end of the
spray paint can – the targets of anti-corporate campaigns by activists
and protestors? No Logo, based on the best-selling book by Canadian
journalist and activist Naomi Klein, reveals the reasons behind
the backlash against the increasing economic and cultural reach
of multinational companies.
Analyzing
how brands like Nike,The Gap, and Tommy Hilfiger became revered
symbols worldwide, Klein argues that globalization is a process
whereby corporations discovered that profits lay not in making products
(outsourced to low-wage workers in developing countries), but in
creating branded identities people adopt in their lifestyles.
Using hundreds of media examples, No Logo shows how the commercial
takeover of public space, destruction of consumer choice, and replacement
of real jobs with temporary work – the dynamics of corporate globalization
– impact everyone, everywhere. It also draws attention to the democratic
resistance arising globally to challenge the hegemony of brands.
at
the end of this unit you should be able to define these key terms:
- appropriation
- commodification
of difference
- colonialism
additional
resources:
case
study guidelines for student presentations
external
links:
adbusters:
the smell of swoosh
read
the intro chapter to Naomi klein's no logo (online printable
pdf)
listen
to the whole debate on wnyc: no logo v. pro logo!
nologo.org
globalization
FAQ
