Enchanted world : American culture, public space, and global Fordism

204 Pages·1999·8.6 MB·English

by  Gregory, Christian A

THEENCHANTEDWORLD:AMERICANCULTURE,PUBLICSPACE,AND
GLOBALFORDISM
By
CHRISTIANA.GREGORY
ADISSERTATIONPRESENTEDTOTHEGRADUATESCHOOLOFTHE
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDAINPARTIALFULFILLMENTOFTHE
REQUIREMENTSFORTHEDEGREEOFDOCTOROFPHILOSOPHY
UNIVERSITYOFFLORIDA
1999
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Fartoomanypeoplehavesupportedmeinthisprojecttonamethemallhere,soI'llcontentmyself
withnamingthosewhosepatienceI'vetestedmostsorely.Ioweanimmensedebtofgratitudeto
myteachersbeyondthisuniversity:Fr.JohnArmstrong,S.J.,EdBrennan,RoshiBernieGlassman,
SenseiHelenYuhoHarkaspi.FormybrothersScottandGeorge,mysisterKenda,andmymother
Geri,noneofwhomeverdoubtedme,evenwhenIgavethemreasonto,I'mgratefulforthe
appearanceofdiscipline.ToTamirEllisIwillalwaysbeindebtedforahomeandtheworld'sfinest
kitty.IhaveJaneLovetothankfornutrition.IthankWaitsRaulersonforthemostuncommonand
abidingloveofmylife.Mycommittee—JohnP.Leavey,Jr.,JohnMurchek,DonaldAult,Daniel
ACottom,andRobertAHatch—mademeprovemyselfworthyofthem:shortofthat,Ioffer
thisdissertation.
u
TABLEOFCONTENTS
page
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ii
ABSTRACT iv
CHAPTERS
INTRODUCTION
1 1
2 THEENCHANTEDWORLD 4
GlobalizationandItsMissedContents 4
TheEnchantedWorld 21
3 AFTERLIFE:CULTURALSTUDIES 53
TheNovel,LiteraryModernism,andthePopularAesthetic 61
FromtheRealismofExperiencetotheEndofIdeology 86
Sociology,FormalRealismandtheGlobalPublicSphere
4.STRUCTURALTRANSFORMATIONOFTHEPUBLICQUEER 133
TheActuallyExistingPublicQueer 139
PerformingSuccess:HomoAcademicus 156
5 CONCLUSION:GEOPHILOSOPHY 173
REFERENCES 181
BIOGRAPHICALSKETCH 196
AbstractofDissertationPresentedtotheGraduateSchooloftheUniversityofFloridain
PartialFulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegreeofDoctorofPhilosophy
THEENCHANTEDWORLD:AMERICANCULTURE,PUBLICSPACEAND
GLOBALFORDISM
By
ChristianA.Gregory
May1999
Chairman:JohnP.Leavey,Jr.
MajorDepartment:English
Inthisdissertation,Iarguethatnarrativesof"globalization"thatcirculateinmedia
andacademicdiscussionhave,forthemostpart,substitutedamythicforanhistorical
viewofourpoliticalandculturalpresent. Theyhavedonesobypassingoverthe
transformationsofpublicspace,themediaandcivicidentitybywhichtheeconomic
processesofglobalizationhaveexertedthemselves,andbynaturalizingthenarrative
formsinwhichtheworldstoryhasbeentold.I'vearguedthatoneofthemostpernicious
ofideastoattendso-calledeconomicglobalizationhasbeentheendofthenationstate.
Alongwiththishascomethegesturetojettisonwhatthestateonceclaimedasitscivic
and cultural prerogatives-among them, public space and social democracy. This
dissertationattemptstorevivethoseidealsinthecontextofareconstructionofcultural
studiesatthemillennium.
Inordertoaccomplishtheseaims,thisdissertationdoesthreethings.First,in
chaptertwo,itreviews"globalization"narrativesanddevelopsacounter-narrativeto
iv
them.Second,inchapterthree,itreformulatesaprojectfor"culturalstudies"thatcan
takethecultural,economicandpoliticaleffectsofso-called"globalization"intoaccount.
And,third,itdevelopsanexampleofthekindofanalysisthatfollowsfromtheresultsof
thefirsttwoendeavors;hereIuseJennieLivingston's 1990documentary,Parisis
Burning,asanexample.Inallofthesecontexts,butespeciallythelastone,Imakean
efforttoreconstructbothidealandactually-existingnotionsofpublicspaceandcivic
identitythatinformcultural,socialandpoliticallifenearthemillennium.
CHAPTER
1
INTRODUCTION
"Identitycrisesareconnectedwithsteeringproblems."1
—JurgenHabermas
Thisdissertationis alengthyresponse to andreworkingofHabermas' classic
reflectiononpublicityandpublicspace,StructuralTransformationofthePublicSphere.In
thatfamousargument,Habermaschronicledthetransformationsofmedia,builtenvironment,
aestheticsandciviclifeduringthe"goldenage"ofcapitalism(whatErnestMandelhascalled
"latecapitalism").HearguedthatwhatHorkheimerandAdornocalledthedialecticof
enlightenment had, undertheaegisofmassmedia, international capital andpolitical
liberalism,allbutrefeudalizedpolitical life. Atthesametime,Habermasargued,the
eviscerationofpublicsphereshadhastenedtheimplosionofthe"civilizingproject"of
culturalmodernity.Atgroundzeroofthisimplosionwasthetransformationofthefunction
ofliteraryculture:whereasinthe 18thcentury, "publicuseofreasonremainedtiedto
literatureasitsmedium,"inthemid-20thcentury,"theintegrationculturedeliversthecanned
1JurgenHabermas,LegitimationCrisis,trans.ThomasMcCarthy(Boston:Beacon,
1975):4.
2
goodsofdegenerate,psychologicallyorientedliteratureasapublicserviceforprivate
consumption."2
ThelimitsofHabermas'argumenthavebeenwell-coveredbynow,somuchsoasto
behardlyworthrehearsinghere.Whatisnotmoregenerallyrecognizedistheprescienceof
thisargumentwithrespecttothecultural,political,andideologicalformationsthatencumber
contemporaryNorthernpoliticalculturesandculturalpolitics.Theapocalypticsensethat
sustainsHabermas'argument—thesensethat,whateverelsehashappened,boththeaesthetic
andpoliticalprojectsofmodernityareatrisk,ifnotfullydefunct—hasservedastheungainly
refrainofsomanyargumentsinthepasttwenty-oddyears.Itstillcirculatestoday,ina
differentpitch,fordifferentreasons,andwithaheightenedsenseofperspicacity,perhaps.
Buttherestillis,asitwere,the"senseofanending"inthepresent,notleastforthosewho
mightoncehavebeenfascinatedbytheobjectcalled"literature"anditsesteemedpolitical
andaestheticfunctions.Inpart,thisdissertationaddressesthatsense.
Butinsteadoftheimmediatepostwarperiod,Iwanttoconcentrateontheperiod
sinceabout1973,themomentwhenthelatestphaseofeconomic"globalization"tookoff.
I'vechosenthismomentnotonlybecauseIthinkthatitmarksadecisiveturningpointin
Americanpoliticalandeconomichistory(anditsimagination),butbecausethismoment—the
"long1973"wemightcallit—alsooffersussomepurchaseontheculturaleffectsthathave
accruedaroundthenotionof"globalization"inthepresent.Amongthemostimportantof
2JiirgenHabermas,TheStructuralTransformationofthePublicSphere:AnInquiry
intoaCategoryofBourgeoisSociety,trans. ThomasBurgerandFrederickLawrence
(Cambridge:MITPress,1989):246.
3
these effects—cultural as well as political—are those that go by the unlovely name
"postmodernity."Contrarytosomeaccountsofthisperiod,Iwillarguethateconomic,
social,andculturaldynamicsofpostwarFordismhaven't changedsomuchastheyhave
intensified and dispersed in the period since 1973. Moreover, the effects of this
intensificationstillremainsubjecttoapoliticallogic—thatis,tosomebasicquestionof
politicaleconomy.Ratherthanacceptatfacevaluethedeflationofpoliticalaspirationthat
suffusesourdiscussionofbothpoliticsandculture,Ithinkitworthbothreconstitutingthe
agenciesthroughwhichithasbeendeformed,andimagininganalternativepresenttothis
vision.Inshort,Habermas'fundamentalquestionremains:namely,doestheidealofapublic
spherethat"functionsinthepoliticalrealm"remainimaginable?Shoulditbe"salvaged"?
Ifso,how?Ifnot,whynot?
Inthelastinstance,thisprojectisnotaboutthedamagedlifeofreasonortheelastic
conditions ofcommunication—althoughthose certainly interest me. Rather, it's about
resuscitatingaparticularviewofrecentAmericancultural,political,andsocialhistory,one
thatneithertakesforgrantednorfetishizeswhathassometimesbeencalled"culture"(or
"society"or"production"...);instead,I'dliketoreimagine"culturalstudies"asaformof
notebookutopianism,groundedinthestructuralcausalitiesofend-of-the-centuryglobal
Fordism.Inthatsense,Iimaginethatthis examinationofpublicspaceshouldalsogiveus
aratherdisenchantingsenseofthecoldtimethatliesaheadforanyoneevennominally
interestedinalessmaligncultural,economicorsocialfuture.Buteventhat,I'llargue,is
simultaneously more pragmatic and more Utopian, more culturally necessary and
economicallynuanced,thanmanyoftheoptionsavailableinthepresent.
CHAPTER2
THEENCHANTEDWORLD
GlobalizationanditsMissedContents
Towardstheendofthelastdecadeofthetwentiethcentury,youraveragemedia-
inundatedAmericancouldperhapsbeforgivenforimaginingthattheseventieshadbecome
theur-horizonofculturalandpoliticalmemory.Withthere-releasesofStarWarsand
Grease,therenaissanceofthedisasterfilm,TheLastDaysofDisco,54,RickMoody'snovel
(andsubsequentlyfilm)TheIceStorm,IWishIWereaCarpenter,indeed,theentire"sex
panic"farrago,itwouldappearthatthe70'shadbeguntocrowdoutthepossibilityofany
authenticallyfin-du-siecleexperience,saveforretroandnostalgiathemselves.Talkshows
andMTVbecameperpetuallyinterestedinnostalgiaforthe90's,imaginedsome20years
downtheroad.Butwhatdetrituswouldweatherthevicissitudesofculturaltimeandmemory
wasanybody'sguess;asPeterBraunsteinoftheVillageVoicecommented,"nostalgizingthe
turnofthecenturyisprovingquiteachallenge,mainlybecause1990'scultureconsisted
almostentirelyofnostalgiaforpreviousdecades."1
Inonesense,thisnostalgiawasn'tverysurprising,sincethegenerationofforty-
somethingsthatpeopledadagencies,thinktanks,newsroomsandstateofficescameof
PeterBraunstein,"PastImperfect,"VillageVoice14July98:152.
5
professionalagein70's.However,it'salsotruethatnostalgiaandretroarepoliticalforms
ofmemory—andforgetting.AndsoifourNorthAmericanfriendhadtheuncannysenseof
livingthemillenniuminthefashionsofthe70's—orperhapssomeamalgamofthe60's,70's
and80's—thens/hecouldrestassuredthatatleasttheworldeconomyhadreacheda
genuinelynewphaseofdevelopment,somethingtheendofthecenturycouldcallitsown,
somethingthatpromisedtoaddalittleedgetothehumdrumimagerecyclingsoprevalent
atthatmoment.Forthemostpart,thatsomethingnovel—namely,"globalization"—hadpretty
muchbeentakenforgrantedas"thewayitis,"economicallyspeaking.Onlybythelate90's,
andespeciallyafterthesummerof98'sWallStreetfreefall,anxietyappearedtobegetting
inthewayofwhathadbeenableary-eyedcelebrationoftheborderlesseconomicand
culturalworld.America'spublicbroadcastingnewsstaple,theNewsHourwithJimLehrer,
forexample,thatsummerdevotedasegmenttothediagnosisofanewmaladythathad
purportedlyaccompaniedtheascentoftheneweconomy:theycalledit"globaphobia."And
fromthemiddleofthedecadeon,therehadbeenaspateofargumentsdocumenting
globalization'snot-so-virtuousunderside,issuinginnationalistnostrumsfromthelikesof
PatBuchanan,andneo-KeynesiandreamsfromWilliamGreider.2
2WilliamGreider,OneWorldReadyorNot:theManicLogicofGlobalCapitalism
(New York: Touchstone, 1997); Pat Buchanan, The GreatBetrayal: HowAmerican
SovereigntyandSocialJusticeAreBeingSacrificedtotheGodsoftheGlobalEconomy
(NewYork:Little,Brown,andCo.,1998).GreiderandBuchananarebuttwoofthemost
visiblecommentatorsontheglobalizationprocess;seealsoSaskiaSassen,Globalizationand
itsDiscontents(NewYork:theNewPress,1998);RichardJ.BarnetandJamesCavanagh,
GlobalDreams:ImperialCorporationsandtheNewWorldOrder(NewYork:Simonand
Schuster, 1994);JeremyBrecherandTimCostello, Global VillageorGlobalPillage
(Boston:SouthEndPress,1994);RogerBurbach,OrlandoNunez,andBorisKagarlitsky,
GlobalizationanditsDiscontents:theRiseofPostmodernSocialisms(Chicago:PlutoPress,