UNIVERSIT DE NICE SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS The Theoretical Debates on the Cultural Aspects of Globalization

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UNIVERSITÉ DE NICE SOPHIA ANTIPOLISThe
Theoretical Debates on the Cultural Aspects of
Globalization in the French and Bulgarian
Discourses

• PhD Thesis
• presented by
• Anna Dimitrova
• Supervisors
• Alexander KIOSSEV,
• Directeur détudes, Université de Sofia
•  St. Kliment Ohridski 
• Jean-Yves BOURSIER,
• Prof., Université de Nice-Sophia Antipolis
• Members of the jury
• Marc ABELES,
• Dirécteur détudes, EHESS

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INTRODUCTION

• The difficulties for approaching the problem of
  globalization as a subject of study The
  numerous images of globalization G as an
  omnipresent cliché (conceptuel paradox media
  cliché ou concept of analysis ?), as a complexe
  and multidimensionnal process (paradox of
  historisation historic and natural process or a
  contemporary and intentional one?), as a  global
  condition  or a theoretical construction
  (paradox of definition reality or analytical
  tool applied to the on-going social
  transformations ?), as an ideological projet or
  metaphore (paradox of interpretation
  globalitory ideology or metaphorical language ?),
  etc.
• The subject of study G as a category of
  analysis, i.e. as a complex discourse of
  significations, representations, interpretations
  and theories elaborated on the concepts
   global  and  mondial  and on their
  derivations  globalisation  /
   mondialisation ,  globalisme  /
   mondialisme ,  globality / mondiality , in
  the socio-anthropological theories treating this
  problem
• The main purpose This study aims at revealing
  and explicating the numerous conceptualisations,
  theorisations and interpretations on the question
  of  mondialisation  and  globalisation  in
  the Anglo-saxon, French and Bulgarian discourses
  on this problem. The objective is to see what
  problems this question involves in the
  theoretical western debates taking place from the
  90s onwards among a number of American, French,
  Brittish and German theorists in order to compare
  them with the non-western conceptions issued from
  the Bulgarian context. The comparision was
  operated on two levels at the level of the
  different academic French, Anglo-saxon and
  Bulgarian debates and at the level of interviews
  done with certain French and Bularian
  intellectuals

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Problem of analysis, Concepts and Methodology of
the Research

• The problematic situation Why styding exactly
  the soio-anthropological discources on the G ?
  What challenges does the problem of G make the
  socio-anthropological theories affront?
• The sociological analyses confronted by the
   global condition  the noiton of  finality 
  (the world is one but it is constantly
  decomposing itself) , of risk (local control
  /global risks), of  excessity  (of events, of
  information and of individual references ) and of
   reflexivity  (local conscience / global
  conscience )
• The anthropological analyses confronted by
  the  global condition  place /  non lieu 
  (no-place), local identity / multiple identity,
  diversity / uniformisation, local / global,
  diffusion /  global culture , reflexivity /
  relativisation of concepts
• The methodology the qualitative method is
  applicated to the documentary research the
  quantitative method is used for the treatment of
  the interviews (interview quide two series of
  questions, groups of interlocuteurs, limites of
  the field study )
• The structure of the research
• Conceptions and socio-anthropological
  interpretations of the concept  G / M 
• The academic meta-discourse on globalisation
• Comparative analysis on the French and the
  Bulgarian Discourses on the conceptualisations of
  the G based on interviews taken with some French
  and Bulgarian intellectuals

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HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY

• The hypotheses developed in Part I
• The concept of  mondialisation  /
   globalisation  is operatory and positive
  because il allows the accumulation of various
  representations and visions of the contemporary
  world. Unlikely the concepts of the  modern 
  and the  postmodern , it has positive
  implications due to the fact that it is oriented
  to the present literal significations and
  contextualisations of the concepts  global  and
   mondial ,   discursive struggles  between
  the Anglo-saxon  globalisation  and the French
   mondialisation 
• The multiple images of globalisation can be
  classified in four categories the told
  (globalisation as a concept), the real
  (globalisation as a process), the experienced
  (historical forms of globalisation) and the
  imagined (G as an ideology). These four
  categories are the constitutive elements of six
  techniques of interpretation of G
  clicheisation, ideologisation, historisation,
  phenomenologisation, metaphorisation and
  ontologisation (the flexible model of the
  different conceptualisations of G, p. 185)
• G as a meta-paradigm in the sens that it englobes
  different ideological paradigms. It appears a
   grand narration  in the Lyotardian sens which,
  unlikely the communist and the capitalist
  ideologies, consists of various local and
  national representations and interpretations of
  the current events.

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The hypotheses developed in Part II

• In the socio-anthropological discourses the
  question of G takes a  cultural form  related
  to the relativisation of the production of
  meaning so far assured by each culture conceived
  as a  field of interpretation and
  identification . Hence, the G constitues a
  hermeneutical problem which makes necessary to
  reconsider the references of identification and
  interpretation. The paradox is that we appear to
  live in a world deprived of meaning which is at
  the same time debording of images and
  information.
• The academic debates on G can be systematised in
  three major schools the sceptics, the
  hyperglobalizers (monacausal approaches) and the
  transformalists (multicausal approaches). The
  essential problems of discussion are
  G-modernity report, periodisation of G, the
  local-global relation and the legitimation of G
• The socio-anthropological discourses on G can be
  examined by means of two filtres of
  interpretation  the G of culture  and  the
  cultural G  which are at the heart of different
  conceptions of the impact of G on the cultures.
  From the first one stem the conceptions of
  homogenisation, westernisaiton and
  americanisation of culture, while from the second
  one these of cultural heterogenisation in terms
  of  glocalisation , cultural hybridisation,
  creolisation,  global flows , etc.
• The essential problem of the relation between G
  and cultures is the relation between the local
  and the global defined as conjonctural categories
  and not as ontologies. In this sens it is more
  appropriated to talk about  globalities  and
   localities 

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The hypotheses developed in Part III

• The perception of G in France is far more
  ctitical and reflexive than the one in Bulgaria
  historical, economic, political and cultural
  reasons. France makes part of the global system
  whereas Bulgaria has only recently emerged on the
  international scene still influenced by the
   catching-up  complex and the  xerox
  thinking . In the Bulgarian public sphere G is
  conceived in terms of europeanisation and
  modernisation G is seen as the highway taking
  the country to its intergration to the european
  ant the international structures
• In the cultural field the French conception of
  the  French exceptionality  is in contrast with
  the conception of the  hybrid  nature of
  Bulgarian society being at the same time
  influenced by premodern, modern, postmodern and
  global experiences
• The anti and alterglobalist mouvement has its
  traditions in France whereas in Bulgaria it is
  not well defined and legitimised.
  Caracteristiques of the French contesting
  discourse lexical denounciation of the concept
  of  mondialisation  /  globalisation ,
  contestation of the neoliberal economy, of the
  Americain unilateralism, of the world terrorism,
  of the transformation of culture into good, the
  conception of the alternative globalisations  -
  the current economic and financial
   globalisation  versus the human and social
   mondialisation 

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THE RESULTS OBTAINED IN THE INTERVIEWS WITH THE
THREE GROUPS OF THE INTERVIEWED

• The discourse registered with the French
  alterglobalist group proves to be inspired from
  the public altermondialist discourses which are
  based on dual logics opposing the present form of
  G viewed as  conspirative  to the historical
  forms of a  natural and human mondialisation 
  ontologisation versus historisation
  phenomenologisation versus clicheisation
  metaphorisation versus ideologisation. The
  conceptions of the French and Bulgarian
  intellectuals are inspired from the academic
  reflexions on the question of G where the first
  can be identified as  evolutionnist  while the
  second as  diffusionnist 
• Unlikely the exchange of ideas between the public
  and theoretical debates on G in the French
  context, the critical conceptions of G in the
  Bulgarian context are isolated and do not
  constitute a debate, literary speaking. The
  reason is the absence of direct report between
  the public, politic and academic spheres which
  otherwise is supposed to be established by the
  elites. There are undoubtedly some public debates
  touching to some degree on the topic of
  globalisation, as well as certain discourses
  created by the theorists but the feedback is
  still lacking
• The Bulgarian discourse on G transfers and
  translates the Anglo-saxon discourses beacause
  the G is mainly conceived in terms of integration
  to the European and the global scene

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THE RESULTS OF THE INTERVIEWS (CONTINUATION)

• The conceptions of the interlocuteurs of G
  reflect the critical positions distinguished in
  the academic debates and can be ranged on a
   conceptual continuum  starting from
  definitions of G as a processs and going to
  definitions of G as a  theoretical construct 
  or an ideology. The technique of historisation is
  typical to the French conceptions whereas most of
  the Bulgarian intellectuals consider that G is a
  contemporary process driven by the new
  information and communication technologies
• The answers of the French alterglobalist group
  refer to the ideas of the  G of culture  based
  on nationalist discourses while the positions of
  the groups of French and Bulgarian intellectuals
  tend to perceive the impact of G on cultures as a
   cultural G , that is to say, as an interactive
  process between the local and the global
  tendencies opposing the  cultural industries 
  to the cultures as traditions 
• The scenario advanced by the French and Bulgarian
  intellectuals is the  hybridisation of
  cultures  whereas the French alterglobalists
  view G as americanisation of cultures

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GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 

• The discourses on G are based on the following
  problems definitions, conceptualisations,
  driving forces, legitimation and periodisation
• The question of G is a hermeneutic question
  because it refers to the various manners the
  indivuduals conceive and interprete the on-going
  global transformations
• Being the most powerful discourse for identifing
  and explaining the current social changes G
  represents a new paradigm or a new  grand
  narration  which attributes meaning to the
  events by means of six interpretative mechanisms
  historisation, metaphorisation, ontologisation,
  phenomenologisation, clicheisation et
  ideologisation
• The G paradigm is specific because it is not
  coherent but heteroclyte and composed of various
  visions of the world
• The French paradigm of G takes two basic forms
  a public one based on the alterglobalist
  discourses and an academic one close to the
  sceptic conceptions
• The Anglo-american paradigm appears mainly in a
  neoliberal form. But it has also academic and
  critical implications in the Globalization debate
• The Bulgarian paradigm is still very disparate,
  imitative and receptive. It has been constructed
  by imitating and recopying the Anglo-saxon
  discourses