American Studies International Conference (ASIC)

With the rapid development on technology, globalization spreads easily to the world. The two side of globalization are experienced by most of countries in the world. In one side, it provides easiness and openness, but on the other hands, it also brings negative impact, especially toward the local identity of a certain country. Many people are worried on the impact of globalization toward their local identity. As globalization brings in influences from other countries, the local identity starts to be a concern. Many people cheer the rise of globalization, but on the same time, many others are worried on the existence of their local identity since rapid access to information which results in homogenization, polarization and hybridization may threaten the uniqueness of certain local identity. The identity of individuals, the identity of a culture, and the identity of a nation are influenced how the power mechanism is running due to political, economic, and economic conditions social will result in a superior individual identity compared to other individual identities (Rutherford, 1990: 9-27).
History recognizes that since the end of World War II America’s role is very significant in the economic arena and world politics, followed also by ‘cultural exports,’ represented by multinational corporations that are partly based in America that by some American intellectuals are trying to create a global capitalism (Bartolovich, 2005). As a radical change of world economics and politics of the late 20th century replaced the political leaderships, geo-politics, and economic activities during the 19th and 20th centuries experience a metamorphosis. Economic activities took over the initiative and big Trans-National Corporations (TNCs) began to dislodge the authority of the government. This new trend led to new international economic blocs, it eroded the power of national governments, and it forced average people to adjust to new realities. In the global world, the local identity has a bargaining power to strengthen power of a nation, thus the discussion of the local identity in globalization is worthy done indeed. Such change certainly results in the way we look at things like what happens in American Studies. America is always present with global issues and also has effects on other countries in the world in terms of ideology, culture, art, and so forth. While America’s influence on other countries in the world is getting strongerin the beginning of the globalization era, its influence is eroding since local identity emerges and generates. Globalization thus offers, in many respects, an important opening for scholarly interventions on the parts of American Studies scholars.