Description
The course presents and discusses the impact of globalization on the artistic creativity, and on the production, distribution and reception of artistic goods. Special emphasis is placed upon the emergence and the functions of the global multimedia conglomerates, as well as upon the global asymmetries in the cultural field. The new forms of art and the new forms of the artistic communication are analyzed in the context of the convergence brought about by the internet. The impact of globalization on the cultural policy, on the taste and artistic ideology is explored, and the possibilities for further democratization of the artistic communication are discussed in this context.In the first part of the course globalization is introduced as a complex phenomenon and the main approaches are presented, emphasizing on issues concerning the artistic communication. In the second part the emergence of the global multimedia conglomerates and the internet are analyzed, and the impact of these developments on the artistic communication are discussed from a functional and structural point of view.
The new cultural asymmetries appearing on a global level are explored as well as their significance for tastes and for the cultural policy that faces new issues. In this context, the crisis of various forms of art is discussed.
The course needs a background offered in courses already taught (history - general and of the mass media, theory of mass communication, media economics, sociology of mass communication, media and the culture).
The course is offered also during both the winter and spring semesters in English, with the title Globalization and the Arts, for the purposes of the ERASMUS and other international programmes of the School. The content is modified, taking into account the multicultural audience of the international programmes. Several specific issues related with the interests of the students from various countries are presented and discussed. The topics covered vary depending on the origin of the audience.
Objectives
- To introduce and discuss the recent developments which are observed on a global level and affect the production, distribution and reception of symbolic forms in general and the arts in particular conceived of as forms of communication and social practice.
- To contribute for a better understanding of the political and ideological significance of these developments and of the new conditions they create for the artistic communication, and for the value systems, the views, and the collective attitudes and forms of practice.
- To contribute for a better understanding of the significance that the convergence between economy, politics and culture has, as well as of the structural modifications it entails.
Textbook
There is not a single textbook in Greek to cover the major part of the course.
Suggested literature
The suggested literature is usually modified and customized through consultations, depending on the topic chosen by the students for each essay and on the current syllabus. The following literature is indicative. Some texts are accessible through the campus net, while others are available in the library:
- Nikos Kotzias (2000), Introduction to the Greek edition of Ulrich Beck's Was ist Globalisierung?: Irrtümer des Globalismus - Antworten auf Globalisierung. Athens: Kastaniotis, pp. 11-52.
- David Held, Anthony McGrew (2004), Globalization/Anti-Globalization. Athens: Polytropon.
- Oliver Boyd-Barrett (1989), "Media Imperialism: Towards an International Framework for the Analysis of Media Systems". In Mass Communication and Society (James Curran, Michael Gurevitch, Janet Woollacott, eds.), pp. 116-135. London, Melbourne, Auckland: Edward Arnold.
- John B. Thompson (1999), The Media and Modernity, Chapter 5: "The Globalization of Communication", pp. 249-296. Athens: Papazisi.
- Annabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi (2001), "The Global and the Local in International Communications". In Mass Media and Society (James Curran, Michael Gurevitch, eds.), pp. 254-289. Athens: Patakis.
- Robert J. Lieber, Ruth E. Weisberg (2002), "Globalization, Culture, and Identities in Crisis". International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society, 16(2): 273-296.
- Annamma Joy, John F. Sherry, Jr. (2003), "Disentangling the Paradoxical Alliances between Art Market and Art World". Consumption, Markets and Culture, 6(3): 155-181.
- Justin O'Connor (2005), "Creative Exports. Taking Cultural Industries to St Petersburg". International Journal of Cultural Policy, 11(1): 45-60.
- Nikos Papastergiadis (2005), "Hybridity and Ambivalence. Places and Flows in Contemporary Art and Culture". Theory, Culture & Society, 22(4): 39-64.
- Joost Smiers (2003), Arts under Pressure. Promoting Cultural Diversity in the Age of Globalization. London, New York: Zed Books.
- Joost Smiers (2004), Artistic Expression in a Corporate World. Do We Need Monopolistic Control? Utrecht: Utrecht School of Arts.
- Sylvia M. Chan-Olmsted, Byeng-Hee Chang (2003), "Diversification Strategy of Global Media Conglomerates: Examining its Patterns and Determinants". Journal of Media Economics, 16(4), 213-233.
- Michael Stephan (2005), "Diversification Strategy of Global Media Conglomerates: A Comment". Journal of Media Economics, 18(2), 85-103.
- Elana Shefrin (2004), "Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Participatory Fandom: Mapping New Congruencies between the Internet and Media Entertainment Culture". Critical Studies in Media Communication, 21(3): 261-281.
- Carl Boggs, Tom Pollard (2001), "Postmodern Cinema and Hollywood Culture in an Age of Corporate Colonization". Democracy & Nature, 7(1): 159-181.
- Alexandros Baltzis (2006), "New Media and the Arts: Interactivity, Non-linearity and Reconfiguration of the Artistic Communication". In Innovation and Challenges in the European Media (Sophia Kaitatzi-Whitlock, Alexandros Baltzis, eds.), pp. 345-376. Thessaloniki: University Studio Press.
- Alexandros Baltzis (2005), "Globalization and Musical Culture". Acta Musicologica, LXXVII/1: 137-150.
