In The News

Globalization of Beauty Makes Slimness Trendy

Noritmitsu Onishi October 3, 2002
When a Nigerian woman won the Miss World in 2001, she created a buzz in a nation that thought it would never win a competition based on western standards of beauty. Suddenly, Nigeria was number one and modeling agencies were looking for more 'It' girls in Africa. But many Nigerians never found the winner very beautiful. As some said, she was 'a white girl in black skin.' For...

Step Aside, L.A. and Bombay, for Nollywood

Norimitsu Onishi September 16, 2002
In the Surulere district of Lagos, Nigeria the lure of the silver screen beckons aspiring actors and actresses. Quickly assuming the role of the African counterpart to Bombay’s Bollywood and L.A.’s Hollywood, “Nollywood” represents a trend towards the globalization of the entertainment industry. Once Nigeria began exporting its blockbuster films throughout Africa, the market soared, producing...

Pakistanis Arrested with 550 Pirated Video Discs

August 29, 2002
Pakistani smugglers were caught with 550 pirated video discs in Malaysia. The video discs – copies of films from Bollywood, India’s answer to Hollywood – were capable of producing 100,000 copies in turn. As video piracy spreads, this recent capture is an example of the global crime network. – YaleGlobal

Oh Blue-Eyed Thais, Flaunt Your Western Genes!

Seth Mydans August 29, 2002
People have traversed the world for millennia, marrying and producing children of multiple heritages. In some parts of the world, the ethnically mixed 'look' is quickly becoming a new trend in beauty. In Thailand, mixed-race people discriminated against for looking “different” when they were younger are finding themselves rising to fame as models, pop stars, and game show hosts. Some...

Asian Tigers May Slay Hollywood Dragon

Tom Plate August 26, 2002
In recent years, film industries in India, China, and several other nations have begun to challenge Hollywood’s hegemonic rule of the global movie market. While the claim has often been that American films, like many other products of globalization, lead to cultural erosion in the rest of the world, the rise in popularity of foreign productions in the United States could symbolize globalization...

In the U.S. Nowadays, Little Love for France

Emily Eakin July 6, 2002
The US and France have a long history of harboring snide cultural stereotypes, one that scholars trace back as far as 1797. And neither country is averse to verbally bashing the other whenever the two disagree politically. Thus, the spate of anti-Semitic incidents and a rise of anti-Americanism in France as a result of the war in Afghanistan have conspired to re-ignite francophobia in the...

Farewell, my lovely

Christopher Parkes April 4, 2002
Hollywood has been a major force of globalization. It has successfully marketed American entertainment to the far corners of the world, and spread ideas about freedom and fun. Its success often resulted in wiping out other producers of entertainment. But the forces of globalization seem to be pinching some in Hollywood as well. This Financial Times report raises the prospect of hollowing...