Some years ago, in a book containing things written by children at school, one of them wrote to red blood cells conrespecto (combining the natural wisdom and, at the same time, ignorance of his age): “quéporquería is the globule ", understanding but not nearly as trying to understand the thing. And following his exemplary ysano skepticism, I would start saying "that shit is globalization".
We all talk about the process of the Century, all try to define and, even so, the reality is that, such ycomo the bead for that child, its essence, nature and consequences beyond our control and, hastadiría, our understanding. Worse, as the globule, This phenomenon seems to depend on our destiny. I think it is important, even briefly, demystify this process, sucontexto inserted into historical and ideological nature.
Globalization is not technology but the incarnation of the long process of domination by the North American-ejeeuropeo. And that has to be clear. That is all that is: the physical domain(colonialism), the domain of institutions (neocolonialism), the technological domain (globalization). Discutacomo will discuss globalization and technological engine (and it is important to remember that the engine technology globalizacióndepende generated by a culture with a particular ideological project), she essino a new phase of an old historical project. This should always be clear and permanently articuladocuando talk about globalization: Globalization means that cultural imperialism, economic imperialism to globalization quieredecir. We must always remember (and always bear in mind): Who generates laglobalización?, By what mechanisms?, Who produced these mechanisms and based on what ideas? Where salela computer? Out of the need for arms control, encode war codes, etc.. There are all unahistoria very clear that we must be careful when we talk about globalization.
I feel that, after exposure of these ideas, we focus on how all this affects the producciónartÌstica and cultural identity. Two engines and fundamental structural globalizaciónque process have great impact on artistic production and cultural identity are, on the one hand, the políticasneoliberales and, by another, Advanced technologies, right now digital technologies. All the computer queviene, with the Internet, is part, is a key driver of globalization scheme.
The neoliberal policies, and their retrograde implications in the context of culture, are well known and widely reported hansido throughout Latin America. The model is most interesting talk (and perhaps propose) is the absorption, because we can criticize globalization, may not like, podemostomar moral positions, Political Practices, but comes, so you have to take a clear position deconfrontación. That confrontation (or negotiation) can be done from the moment I'm determinoquién, where I am and how I define globalization. Not how I define it, but I must define and,for it, I go through a process of knowledge (historical and ideological) machine and proyectoneoliberal.
The problem that worries me most is the uptake of digital technology in our culturas.Desgraciadamente we, in Latin America, a long tradition of inclusion and acceptance of communication tecnologíasde, both the state level (official), as the individual, not pose environmental lamaterialidad deeply that leads us to understand the machine (why the machine is as) depensamiento and ways and means to feel and see the world we want to impose. We did not invent the television; silo would have done differently. We did not invent the computer; if we had invented lacomputadora (but probably would not even invented) would be different.
In Latin America have often questioned the contents vehiculizan with television but have questioned raravez, deep to, the materiality of the machine. And if we do not understand the materiality of lamáquina is almost like a sculptor who is working with ceramics without knowing about it, is known as a painter pigment Queno. And sometimes we think we understand how television is framed, turn on the little machine is sabercómo. Not; understand television and the machine is to understand things much deeper, decómo operation is related to specific modes of thinking and ways of seeing the world.
After the painful experiences of the history of American film and television, I think this new process debemosemprender (of globalization and the absorption of digital technologies) from
Filter critical models that allow us to, exercising joint recovery of our cultures,expressive and aesthetic development processes themselves. The problem is how to absorb a technology with so heavy ideological unbagaje, how can we develop methodologies and ways of expressing querealmente are our.
What comes to mind is a three step process:
1) A deep understanding of technology from its materiality (how it's done, why was hechoasí, how did, when they did, for what) and its historical and ideological. It is the only way deentender intrinsic trends in technology and modes of perception and understanding that values ​​todatecnología and aesthetic and intellectual process that requires us. I'll give an example on lacomputadora. Digital technology is the natural product of a culture of quantification of the experience, unatradición ideological value measurement and evaluation of the experience through its fragmentation, laexperiencia and the environment as an object of our observation and control. Quantify (an essential process of digital latecnología) is the mechanism by which a continuous and indivisible phenomenon (as life, as the time,as feelings) is described from a limited series of discrete values. Namely, clearly, unasimplificación scientistic and rational natural phenomena. We quantified the time, the space, the things valorde, phenomena and thus, by means of science as a fundamental process knowledge,have largely fractured our perception and, in certain way, we have lost common sense. Ladigitalización of information demand, per se, the highest degree of quantification. It is a subdivision into segments detodo understandable and controllable. All critical model of digital filtering to Keep in Mind this cultural bias that the computer has (and that values ​​and promotes) as a model and being delpensamiento. There is no doubt that the computer comes from an ideological project and master quierecontrolar everything from its fracturing: there that fracture the experience, there that fracturing lossentimientos, must be controlled, need to know, have to break the day in hours, in minutes, in seconds…I think this is an important example of how to understand the technology from its structures and then másprofundas, from this, build shields. This is the first step.
2) The second step is to seek believe that structures within their own cultural comparison. Namely, nowWhat I understand what do I mean by which I can find a connection tube? Do I have my story algoen, in my being, in my behavior, I can provide an opening to the "otromodo" (because that is otherwise)? In other words are there in our traditions and practices expresivasfenómenos (either in shape or working methodology) I like to serve as absorbers?In a way, what is required is a bit of cultural anthropology. I give an example of something that yoestoy working: the study of our traditional fabrics. It turns out that there are certain similarities very interesantesentre how you think and produces a fabric and the image is created on the computer (especially in the years aquellashechas 60 y 70); maybe we can see our fabrics and say “good, Here's something that made nosotroshemos, is different but similar ", and then grab the tissues and wrap the tissue computadoracon: tissues used as shields. This situation is not new, already existed anterioridadpara us and now we can do some transfer of knowledge we already have.
3) The third step is what is the connection between the two. This implies that there are times when we queproducir adaptations of the software. Adaptations of the computer, unfortunately, I do not think vayamosa to make, because we have what we have to have to do. But we can begin to "hack".
In conclusion, what I find important is a concept that I read recently (and that, anyway, esbastante obvious): that preparation of a society to use a technology towards development, with Social Justice, is more important than the possibilities of the technology itself. This will eat us alive if not estamospreparados development with social justice and social justice always requires expression level justice:freedom of expression, ability to develop our way of expressing. Without that globalization, and sumotor is digital technology and the Internet, We will eat live.
(*) Transcript of participation in the Round Table "Effects of globalization on the production artísticay cultural identity", conducted under the forum's voice artists at the end of the millennium. The title has sidocolocado by the Cultural Supplement.
(**) Argentinean. Director of Digital Technology Laboratory of the University of California at Los Angeles(UCLA), California, United States, and collaborator of Cultural Identity Program, Art and Technology(ICAT) Research Center, Teaching and artistic extension (CIDEA) National University.
Notes for a strategy to enfre ...