Connection of both Articles
When looking at both the Koichi and Fung articles, the main point of shared interest between the two is the concept of “cultural appropriation” and how people view other societies and foreign cultural manifestations through the lens of their cultural understandings. For instance, in the Fung article, we are shown the case of Jay Chou and his rise in popularity both within China and in other parts of Asia. While his stardom is a product of popular culture, its elements ranging from how he portrays himself to the messages in his songs are based on Western pop culture appeal. However, his fans do not view it as being Western at all and instead consider it as primarily Chinese in origin (Fung 2008, p73).
The same can be said about the perspectives showcased in the Koichi article where the author showed how the concept of “nostalgia” expressed by the Japanese people when viewing the cultural elements of other countries was colored by a distinctly Japanese cultural and societal perspective (Koichi 2002, p550). Feelings of nostalgia when examining other countries by the Japanese were thus heavily influenced via comparison and could not seemingly view other cultures from the perspective of the people that lived there and the history of the country that resulted in its current situation (Koichi 2002, p555).
What both articles show is that people understand other societies via the lens of their own cultural and societal histories. Thus, when it is appropriated and integrated into their own culture, as seen in the case of the Fung article, or when other cultures are viewed, as seen in the case of the Koichi article and an examination of similar articles that delved into the same subject, what happens is that it is viewed from a centrist perspective wherein their own culture and society become the basis by which other cultures are examined (Reeves 2011, p560). It should be noted though that this means of examining culture is not necessarily wrong since utilizing points of reference are common when it comes to the practice of observation (Chang 2007, p227).
Main Points of Both Readings
The main point of the Koichi article is its focuses on the views of “nostalgia” expressed by Japan when examining other countries. However, this nostalgia focuses on the comparison between Japan at the present and how the countries being viewed represent Japan of the past. Feelings of nostalgia in this case focus on comparing the situation in mid-1990s Japan (which is in a recession) to its meteoric rise during the 1970s and 1980s, which the Japanese people see in newly developing Asian countries.
The problem, though, is that this method of “nostalgia” relegates other countries into undifferentiated entities resulting in Japan classifying all other cultures in Asia as being under the umbrella of “Asian” despite each being quite different (Vijaya and Tiwari 2010, p23).
The main point of the Fung article, on the other hand, is how western cultural appropriation is possible within China so long as it has a “Chinese feel” to it and that it does not focus on overwriting the authority of the government regime (Fung 2008, p79). The article showed that despite how “western” certain pop culture aspect is, they can be viewed as being distinctly Chinese in origin based on the way it is presented and packaged to the general Chinese public which is noted by other authors who had the same point of view (Kam 2014, p257).
Works Cited
Chang, Wei-Wen. “The Negative Can Be Positive For Cultural Competence.” Human Resource Development International 10.2 (2007): 225-231. Print.
Fung, Anthony. “Western Style, Chinese Pop: Jay Chou’s Rap and Hip-Hop in China.”Asian Music 39.1 (2008): 69-80. Print.
Kam, Lucetta Y. L. “Desiring T, Desiring Self: “T-Style” Pop Singers And Lesbian Culture In China.” Journal Of Lesbian Studies 18.3 (2014): 252-265. Print.
Koichi, Iwabuchi. “Nostalgia For A (Different)Asian Modernity: Media Consumption Of ‘Asia’ In Japan.” Positions 10.3 (2002): 547-573. Print.
Reeves, Dory. “Cross-Cultural Communication: Acritical Competence For Planners.” Planning Practice & Research 26.5 (2011): 597-613. Print.
Vijaya, V., and Binay Tiwari. “Elements In Cross-Cultural Communication Competence: Derivative Of A Case Study Comparing Indian And Japanese Communication.” IUP Journal Of Soft Skills 4.3 (2010): 22-38. Print.