Apprehending Transnationalism

Of the three readings we were assigned, the article or chapter assigned entitled, "Apprehending Transnationalism" is what I found most interesting. The author speaks of how trade has changed throughout the years. He also states that the convention of trade has been around since our own species in one form or another, which is quite astounding to consider. While imperialism at one point dominated through colonization, today we conduct trade in a much different fashion. It is no longer a compromise of culture or an involuntary sacrifice of property. Instead, we invite each other's cultures, serving as the wheels of globalization, mobilizing it and expanding it beyond imagination. The author speaks of how this is sometimes trivialized through commodities and states the example of having "African styled bathrooms" and things of this nature. Although it is relatively sad to think that we put elements of foreign culture to such a low level of appreciation, it still serves as a means of some kind of (bastardized) interest in other cultures.

The best definition I could come up with for transnationalism is simply the sharing of ideas, or "memes" to tie in a term we often throw around in class, across the political borders of different countries. What I find so fascinating is that we have gotten to a point where this is never given a second look. We constantly import products from other countries, so much so that it is hard to come across something made in the United States. Whereas it was once exotic, different and exciting to purchase something from a foreign nation, we now consume these items on a regular basis.

What transcends this? It seems all these products we regularly take for granted. We import our food, our technology, our furniture. People get excited about Persian rugs but even tea is no longer a big deal anymore these days. Of the items that are taken from other countries, what gets Americans most excited or, because of the luxury that we live in, have all the exotic knick-knacks from abroad become trivial?

A. Gorno