ABSTRACT
In Modernity at Large: Cultural Dimensions of Globalization, Arjun Appadurai describes some global cultural flows, which he refers to as “scapes”—mediascapes and financescapes, for example. Global cultural flows are a result of globalization, and influence individuals and communities. Appadurai argues that anthropologists must not rely on outdated concepts of identity, but should instead account for how people build identities in a modern globalized world. Two kinds of global flow are of particular interest to Appadurai: the circulation of people through migration, and the circulation of ideas through electronic media. Appadurai gives an example of a disjuncture in Japan: the country’s openness to new ideas and foreign products is at odds with the government’s unwillingness to accept immigrants. The book is intended for those involved in the social sciences and particularly the study of globalization. The rapid flow of words and examples mimics the rapid flow of ideas and people that are described in the text.
