“Globalization is a fact of life. But I believe we have underestimated its fragility.” This quote by former Secretary-General of the UN, Kofi Annan, truly expresses and embodies one of the greatest and most critical concerns we face today. Globalization as defined by Martin Shaw in “The State of Globalization: Towards a Theory of State Transformation” “is not simply or mainly either an economic or a recent historical phenomenon, indeed not a single process at all. It can be defined as a complex set of distinct but related processes—economic, cultural, social and also political and military—through which social relations have developed towards a global scale and with global reach over a long historic period.”The movie, “Slumdog Millionaire” directed by Danny Boyle is an exemplary example of the crucial role globalization plays in our everyday lives on both a personal level, as well as holistic.
In the film, 18 year old Jamal Malik is a contestant on the Indian version of the game show, “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” As he approaches the million dollar question, he is accused of cheating and thus, tortured. As we get deeper into the film, we find that Jamal’s past and present experiences help lead him to the right answers. Growing up in the slums of Mumbai, Jamal and his brother Salim struggle to survive, encountering several obstacles along their path to survival, eventually causing the two brothers to separate.
In the process of globalization, often times one culture will dominate the other, the cultures will coexist, or something new will be emitted from one culture to the other. In one scene of the film in which Jamal and Malik have just lost their mother, the two boys, clearly famished and weary, are offered a bottle of Coca-Cola, an American–made product and symbol. This is both a prime example of one culture, in this case Western culture, coexisting with another, as well as something new, in this case an American product, being introduced into another culture. Furthermore, several of the questions Jamal is asked on the game show relate directly to American values and culture, such as “Who is on the 100 dollar bill?” and “who invented the revolver?”
In the book The Making of Neoliberal India: Nationalism, Gender, and the Paradoxes of Globalization, author Rupal Oza states, “we live in a world where everyone seems to be watching satellite television and drinking Coke; it is also a world where making, claiming, and maintaining local identity and culture is increasingly important” (81). The United States is undeniably a powerful nation and the world’s largest national economy (CIA Factbook). It is no surprise that nations overseas seek to emulate aspects of American culture. In one scene of the film, Jamal and his brother Salim pose as tour guides for tourists visiting the Taj Mahal in order to have a source of income. Moreover, the two brothers sell stolen shoes and boast of the fact that the shoes are American brand shoes. This further goes to prove that American-made products and merchandise are not only desirable, but are symbols of perhaps wealth and power if one is able to attain them.
In another scene of the film, Jamal is beaten in front of an American tourist couple after a car is vandalized. While being beaten, Jamal screams, “You wanted to see a bit of the real India? Here it is!” The American couple, hoping to remedy the situation, offer Jamal money and shamelessly tell him, “here’s a bit of the real America, son.” Jamal’s “real India” suggests the nation as poverty-ridden and violent, whereas the Americans in the film portray the United States as a wealthy, capitalist nation, where all problems can be solved by money.
A major English-language newspaper, Times of India, advertised a beauty pageant as the following: “The time has come for the world to see…what real India is about, Indian hospitality, Indian culture, Indian beauty, Indian capability” (Oza 80). Oza further goes on to say that it is “striking [that the advertisement suggests that] the ‘real’ India –its capability and culture- will be showcased through an international beauty pageant.” This advertisement is an exemplary example of the way the media, in this case a newspaper advertisement, portrays a particular event, such as a beauty pageant, and how that event may or may not be representative of a culture as a whole. Just as Jamal implies that violence and poverty are representative of Indian culture, the American couple imply that wealth and capitalism represent America.
The film also brings up themes of exploitation and extortion. Latika, the film’s leading female character, and Jamal’s love interest, is portrayed throughout the film as meek and submissive. She becomes a victim of sexual exploitation and is seen as more valuable because she is a virgin. Later in the film, she becomes a victim of abuse and essentially, slavery and is finally able to escape the clutches of her oppressor with the help of Jamal’s brother, Salim. Oza mentions, that the “shift toward the politics of sexuality and intimacy spurred the concern that Indian culture would be threatened by exposure to obscenity and vulgarity” (45). Furthermore, in India, “economic globalization is welcomed into the boundaries of the home and nation, but cultural globalization- predominately understood as Western—is not. Directed primarily at women’s sexualized representation, this discourse of obscenity and vulgarity collapse the anxiety about globalization in India onto women’s bodies.” This quote illustrates the idea that sexuality and intimacy concerning women is primarily found in Western culture, and is not accepted in Indian culture. For the greater portion of the film, however, Latika is portrayed as a sexualized object, a commodity. Not only has she become an object of sexuality, but she has become so against her will. Oza writes that “the link between culture and place…is being ruptured”(7). This quote goes back to the initial idea that during the process of globalization, cultures can coexist, clash, dominate and emit, and Oza argues that in this case, it has become “ruptured.”
Technology plays a huge role in the development of the film. First off, Jamal works for a call center in India. It is only by searching Salim’s name in the database that Jamal is reunited with his brother and later with Latika. After learning that Latika is an avid viewer of “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?”, Jamal becomes a contestant on the show to reconnect with her. When Jamal reaches the final question, he uses his last lifeline to call Salim’s cell phone, only to be connected to Latika.
Whether on an individual, cultural or economic level, globalization is unavoidable and exists within our everyday lives. One of the pivotal points in the film exists when Jamal and Salim reunite. Salim looks over into the distance and utters, “That used to be our slum. Can you believe that? We used to live right there. Now, it’s all business. India is at the center of the world now. And I am at the center of the center.” This quote truly embodies all that is globalization—change, and how we, as human beings are the center of this change. Whether for better or for worse, our world is changing and it is changing fast. Essentially, it is up to us, as individuals, to decide whether we would like to take an active part in this change, or simply stand back and watch the world change before us.
Works Cited
Oza, Rupal. The Making of Neoliberal India: Nationalism, Gender, and the Paradoxes of Globalization. New York: Routledge, 2006.
Review of International Political Economy
Vol. 4, No. 3, The Direction of Contemporary Capitalism (Autumn, 1997), pp. 497-513
