Thesis Draft 

Menghua Jia



Abstract

I'm looking at the commodification of national identity as an instance of material culture used as propaganda to endow national identity on individuals during the Web 2.0 era(2000s-current). I will analyze how stereotypes, representational tropes(irony, metaphor, metonymy), and narrative strategies are used or regenerated during this process in the global context of neoliberal consumerism. I will dive deep into three specific situations: tourist souvenir shops, Dutch Design Week (cultural event), and "Made in China" products.



Theoretical Approach and Research Problem

This research is carried out using a post-structuralism and social constructivism theoretical-methodological approach, which analyzes the power dynamic between government(leader in us), citizen(us), and foreigner(them) in the construction of commodifying national identity within the realm of material culture. It integrates Judith Butler's gender performativity theory and their interpretation of Slavoj Žižek's binary national identity theory. I’m also referring to Michael Billig’s Banal Nationalism, Benedict Anderson’s Imagined Communities, and Stuart Hall’s encoding and decoding theory.



Structure


1.  INTRO 

  1. The ideology and formation of national identity.

  2. Abstract

  3. Theoretical approach and research problem


2. ITERATION

  1. A performing cohesive whole - Curating, performing, deconstructing, hybridizing  


Judith Butler's performativity theory x  Slavoj Žižek’s national binary theory

Benedict Anderson "imagined communities."


  1. The aesthetic of officiality - We are serving, not ordering.


The Politics of Aesthetics by Jacques Ranciere  

Banal Nationalism by Michael Billig

National committee meeting

Official government websites

  1. Authentic or Attractive? 


Jean Baudrillard, “Simulacra and Simulation” Hyperreal sense of belonging

Dean MacCannell on the concept of staged authenticity.

Spain travel department ads

Japanese’s Paris syndrome


  1. Shut Up And Take My Money - Commodity fetishism under neoliberal consumerism 


Netherlands rebranding from Holland to Netherlands

Chinese Single’s Day becomes an international shopping spree



3. METHODS 

  1. Stereotypes 


Self-Exoticism 

Stuart Hall - Encoding/Decoding

Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital

Roland Barthes’ concept of myth

Interior/branding of Japanese restaurants in Europe

Pharrell Williams' Louis Vuitton Spring 2024 campaign

  1. RepresentationalTtropes((irony, metaphor, metonymy))


  1. Narrative Strategies

Hayden White - Tropological narrative


4. CASE STUDY

Tourist souvenir shop 

Dutch Design Week 

Made in China™ 


5. CONCLUSION 













offcicial writing down below:

2. ITERATION



The time is September 12th, 2001. Before class begins, our headteacher asks us all to stand up, tells us there was a terrorist attack happened yesterday in New York City, causing thousands of lives and still counting. The entire elementary school had a minute of silence with national flag half down, setting a heavy tone for the day. This news remains a hot topic at my family dinner for weeks.


What makes this interesting is that I went to school in a small city on the other side of the globe in central China. Regardless of the catastrophic nature of the incident itself, the fact that a public school decided to address an issue entirely outside of the student’s day-to-day life shows the status of the U.S. in the minds of common Chinese citizens at that time.


Nine years later, I had major culture shock while airborne in the middle of a midwest college town lifestyle. Land of free. Harmonious melting pot of races and cultures. “We Can Do It!” attitude. It’s an attractive contract comes with terms and conditions but they don’t show the latter part in promotional brochure. I was a loyal customer of America™. The proud and positive filter is so strong that my life becomes a slow-burn reality show that ends up canceling itself. (tbc)



2.1 A performing cohesive whole - Curating, performing, deconstructing, hybridizing  


Historian Benedict Anderson defined a nation as "an imagined community." in his 1983 book with the same name. As Anderson puts it, a nation "is imagined because the members of even the smallest nation will never know most of their fellow-members, meet them, or even hear of them, yet in the minds of each lives the image of their communion." This imagination fulfills the fundamental human need for social relationships, cooperation, and communication to exist and thrive. With threads of symbols, rituals, and practices, a mega web of “nation” comes alive and becomes the world weavers perceive. 


Anderson's account focuses on the 18th and 19th centuries while the force of modern capitalism entered the world using printed media as a weapon. The Web 2.0 era, which is characterized by the widespread adoption of social media and user-generated content that enables virtual networking, has been elevating Anderson’s concept to a new form since the 2000s. It has brewed a hybrid, ambivalent, and uncertain 'post-national' identity with polarizing political views towards “foreign”.


The ideology of gender and nation are comparable from a social constructivism angle. The traditional notions of gender, which is one of the major axes of normative coercion in our society, often rely on essentialism and binary opposition. It limits the possibilities for human experiences, biologizes certain traits as being male or female, and materializes the patriarchal structures that maintain the status duo. Gender studies scholar Judith Butler argues that "There is no gender identity behind the expressions of gender; that identity is performatively constituted by the very 'expressions' that are said to be its results." Gender is a customizable architecture constructed by identity, expression, biological sex, sexual and romantic attraction.


Switching to the discursive construction of nation, creating the dichotomy between the 'we' of the nation and the 'they' of other nations is a common construction of national identity since its birth. Developing with globalization and the lingering effects of colonialism, there are more binary oppositions including tradition/modernity, center/periphery, east/west, and civilized/barbarian, which have been used and abused to reinforce orders, borders and power hierarchy. To challenge these dominant discourses of essentialized national identity, a shift towards hybridty has been happening. It is “ the place of cultural mixing and modification, where the boundaries of cultural authorization are repeatedly and constantly sited.”  However, this inbetween-ness, or cultural-disclosures won’t guarantee a smooth fusion, but rather be incorporated into the ideological fantasy of national identity, allowing for a superficially inclusive narrative while still maintaining underlying power structures.  




2.2 The aesthetic of officiality  - We are serving, not ordering.



The first morning at school after children's day in my third grade(8 years old), we had Young Pioneers investiture ceremony. A boy with freckles from fifth grade tied a red scarf around my neck carelessly after listening to a long speech from headmaster, educating us on the history and importance of being a young pioneer and how it will lead us to create value for the country and the CCP. 


None of us care what the young pioneers do. But the red scarf became an everyday object that I have to carry to school and is required to wear during official school events. We treat it like an in-between of clothes and toys, jokes about if they are actually made from the blood of those who fought for Chinese independence. The idea was absurd, but it was a way for us to poke fun at the seriousness of the authority and the expectations placed upon us. 

(tbc)



By saying “the aesthetic of officiality”, I’m referring to the visual language regime and design elements used by governments to convey a sense of authority, legitimacy, and national identity. As sociologist Pierre Bourdieu notes, "the aesthetic experience is a particular case of the experience of symbolic power, which is exercised through the production and consumption of cultural goods." This points to the idea that official aesthetics are a tool of symbolic power, used to legitimate and reinforce national identity.

In the context of banal nationalism, the aesthetic of officiality can be seen as a way to subtly reinforce national identity through everyday, mundane visual elements. Michael Billig notes that "the ways in which the nation is signified in everyday life are crucial to understanding how nationalism operates." Official aesthetics, such as logos, color schemes, and typography, are all forms of banal nationalism, subtly shaping our perceptions of national identity through their presence in everyday life.

(Note: for both cases, I will gather more image data from different countries.)

Official government websites are living practices of said philosophy. Most of them include three aesthetic characteristics: clean and modern design, national symbol and color, and Images of national landmarks or cultural icons. The content is almost standardized - essential information and services, recent news, and multilingual support. The emphasis differences are nevertheless easy to spot. The U.S. put a group shot of all races standing together waving American flags as a dominant background photo, framing well-organized citizen services as the main content. The Netherlands follows the same principle but emphasis more on traveling. China features recent national accomplishments, policy updates, and diplomatic activities as dominant content. Essential services follow behind those contents. From a simple scroll, visitors can grip the core values and current focus of a country in a water-downed manner.  

Another interesting case is the national committee and union parliament meeting. Flag/emblem as a centerpiece, hierarchical seating, well-equipped modern architectural style, formal and professional attire with some members wearing traditional clothing from their respective area. All elements together orchestrate a dramatic performance of national harmony, engineered by a rational and efficient system of administration that shares the same purpose, vision and mission. Despite the drastic operational differences between different national/union committees, the concept of “Community of Common Destiny” materialized into an orderly space, a curated dignified atmosphere, and a symbolic human act, communicating a sense of officiality in all cases.

2.3 Authentic or attractive?

An idea of a nation is often presented as a package of authentic cultural experiences, traditions, and history, but it is also commodified and marketed as a consumer product to attract tourists and investors. How can a country balance the need for authenticity and the need for attractiveness in its national identity representation? Put Jean Baudrillard’s concept into practice, national identity is represented in a hyperreal, staged, and commercialized form, using the concept of simulacra. Simulacra replaces real cultural experiences with hyperreal, staged, and commercialized versions, and this affects the authenticity of national identity. Simulacra takes many forms in this case, including staged authenticity, hyperreal landscapes, and consumerized cultural experiences. Baudrillard argues that simulacra are not just copies or representations of reality, but rather they have become the reality itself. He claims that in postmodern society, we are living in a world of simulations and models, where the distinction between reality and representation has been erased. This has led to a situation where the real is no longer distinguishable from the simulacrum, and where the simulacrum has become the only reality we can access.

The concepts of authenticity and attractiveness are closely related to simulacra in national identity representation. Authenticity refers to the degree to which a country's cultural experiences, traditions, and history are presented in a genuine and sincere way. Attractiveness, on the other hand, refers to the degree to which a country's national image is appealing and desirable to tourists and investors. The tension between authenticity and attractiveness arises when a country tries to balance the need to present a genuine and sincere cultural experience with the need to market its national image as a consumer product.

↪International advertising campaign by the Spanish Tourism Board in 2023.

The "You Deserve Spain" campaign, launched by the Spanish Tourism Board (Turespaña), promotes Spain as a unique and unforgettable destination, showcasing its rich cultural heritage, beautiful landscapes, and vibrant cities. The campaign's advertisements feature a range of authentic experiences, from relaxation on the beach, and cultural immersion in historic cities to highlights of the warmth and hospitality of the Spanish people, as well as the country's gastronomy and festivals with the slogan "You Deserve Spain" emphasizing the country's appeal as a reward for hard work and dedication. (tbc)



2.4 Shut Up and Take My Money - Commodity fetishism under neoliberal consumerism 


The capitalist mode of production creates a system where commodities are produced for exchange, rather than for use. Workers are disconnected from their labor and products. People start to believe that commodities have inherent value and meaning, rather than recognizing that they are created by people and have social and cultural meanings. This whole transformation of social relationships and cultural meanings into economic values, summarizes the concept of commodity fetishism developed within Marxist philosophy. In the context of national identity, commodity fetishism became more pronounced in the 20th century, particularly with the emergence of new forms of cultural production, including advertising, public relations, and mass media. National symbols, values, and narratives are stripped of their historical and cultural context and transformed into marketable goods. This process obscures the complex power dynamics and social relations behind national identity, perpetuating false consciousness and alienation among consumers.(then talk the consequences)

Neoliberal consumerism, which refers to a system that promotes the pursuit of individual self-interest and the maximization of profit, seeks to reorganize the world according to the logic of the market. This ideology has played a significant role in intensifying the fetishism of commodities into national identity. As Canadian author Naomi Klein argues, neoliberal consumerism has created a culture of "branding the nation," where national identity is packaged and sold as a commodity. This process of branding national identity perpetuates the fetishism of national cultures, creating a situation where individuals can consume and experience national identity through the purchase of commodified goods and services.

↪Left to right: national logo before and after January 1st, 2020. The design changed from a playful painted style to a sleeky modern style, while the national color orange and symbol of tulip remains. 

In December 2019, The Netherlands’ business leaders, the tourist board, and the central government signed up to rebrand its name from Holland to The Netherlands at a strategic moment, just before the Olympic Games in Tokyo and the Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam. The Board of Tourism described this as a “modernized approach” and aimed to “profile the Netherlands as open, resourceful and inclusive.” The name Holland conjures up positive images of cheese, clogs, tulips, Frau Antje, and Cruijff, but also recreational drug culture and the red-light district of Amsterdam. With this decision, the country aims to align with current meaning of being innovative and business-friendly by including the ten other provinces in the national name, opening the possibility to attract more tourists, businesses, and investors.  The timing of the rebranding highlights the commercial and economic motivations behind this effort, essentially creating a new product to be marketed, consumed, and perpetuating a false consciousness that national identity is a consumer good that can be bought and sold.

National holiday is another overly commodified national identity. Singles' Day is a Chinese unofficial national holiday that is celebrated on November 11th every year. While it started as a day to celebrate singlehood, it has become one of the largest online shopping days in Asia and now expanding to Europe. The holiday was commercialized by Alibaba Group, a Chinese e-commerce company, which launched a special online shopping day on November 11, 2009. The day has since become a huge shopping event, with sales exceeding $74 billion in 2020. Since the early 2000s, consumer culture has been promoted as a key aspect of Chinese national branding to reposition itself as a major consumer market, with a growing middle class and a vast pool of affluent consumers. The pure origin of celebrating singlehood with friendship and self-care has been flattened into the excitement of consuming discounted products within a limited time.

 

3.1 Stereotype

The commodification of national identity hinges on the simplification and essentialization of complex cultural realities, a process significantly facilitated by the strategic deployment of stereotypes. These stereotypes, far from being neutral descriptors, function as potent commodities themselves, readily packaged and marketed to generate consumer desire and affiliation. They act as easily digestible signifiers, transforming multifaceted national identities into readily identifiable and consumable products. This process, however, is not without its ethical and political ramifications, often obscuring historical complexities and reinforcing existing power dynamics. Understanding the "stereotype as commodity" requires a critical examination of how producers encode stereotypical narratives into material culture and how consumers decode these narratives based on pre-existing societal understandings.

The mechanics of this stereotype-driven commodification are illuminated by several key theoretical frameworks. Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model highlights how producers strategically embed stereotypical representations within their products and marketing campaigns, anticipating how consumers will interpret these familiar signifiers. Pierre Bourdieu's concept of cultural capital explains how the consumption of these stereotyped products can enhance an individual's social standing, imbuing them with a particular form of cultural capital associated with the represented nation. Moreover, Roland Barthes' concept of myth underscores the way these seemingly benign representations often conceal deeper ideological underpinnings, naturalizing specific narratives while erasing the complexities of historical and cultural realities. This interplay of encoding, decoding, and the acquisition of cultural capital actively reinforces the very stereotypes that shape consumer desires and market strategies.

Consider, for instance, Pharrell Williams' Louis Vuitton Spring 2024 campaign, featuring a  reimagined cowboy aesthetic that is distinguished from the classy rugged, and masculine impression. While drawing upon American Western imagery, the campaign simplifies a complex cultural reality by presenting a highly stylized, luxury-focused interpretation. Despite the positive intention of culture appropriation, this curated vision shapes consumer demand, potentially overshadowing the diverse range of American cultural expressions and the historical complexities associated with the American West. The campaign's selective appropriation of cowboy imagery thus generates economic success while offering a potentially reductive representation of national identity.

Conversely, consider the interior and branding employed by independent Japanese restaurants in Europe, which often feature stereotypical images of Japanese culture, such as tatami, shoji paper screen, bonsai motifs, and Zen Buddhism-influenced minimalist designs. This aesthetic, while perhaps visually appealing to some, simplifies a complex and multifaceted cultural heritage, encoding a narrative that is both nostalgic and fantastical. By embracing these stereotypes and presenting them as authentic, the restaurants often engage in self-exoticization, perpetuating a Westernized vision of Japanese culture that is arguably reductive and inaccurate. This behavior, however, creates a sense of familiarity and comfort for locals and breaks down the cultural barriers.