全球文化认同过程中“文化身份”的妥协与抵制——美国总统布什清华演讲事件的透析

Compromise and resistance of cultural identity in the globalization of culture: An analysis of the issue of President Bush's Speech in Tsinghua University

在全球化过程中 ,每一个民族如何在坚持自己文化身份 (Culturalidentity)的同时 ,又使自己在全球化的文化场中获得认可 ,这是一个十分诱人的当代问题。美国总统布什的清华大学演讲事件是一次不同文化之间的交流实践 ,也是全球文化认同的场域。

The main purpose of this essay is to probe into how every nation gains recognition while remaining its own cultural identity during the globalization of culture. Where does the drive of recognition come from? How a nation's cultural identity makes compromise and resistance when recognition comes? US President Bush's speech in Tsinghua University was taken as a case for study. The essay is theoretically based on Stuart Hall's theory on recognition of cultural identity. He believed that cultural identity could be interpreted from two standpoints: (1) It is defined as a common culture, 'a real self' hiding among many other 'selves' that are shallower or reinforced by others. People who share the same history and ancestors share this kind of 'self'. (2) There exist some profound and important differences (besides) many similarities, which constitute 'real and present us'. In this sense cultural identity is a problem of existence and change.Hall pointed out three relations of 'presence' according to the second standpoint and explained this 'presence' through rethinking about orientation and re-orientation of Caribbean's identity. These three '(presences') are presence of Africa, presence of Europe and the vaguest presence-presence of America. The third presence, presence of America, is called 'the new world' which itself is the beginning of diversity, (mixing) and differentia. The new recognition is a process of affirming Caribbean's cultural identity, including processes of continuously producing and (reproducing) reformation and differences of African identity, European identity and American identity to renew their identities. Hall considered cultural identity as a changing (process.) President Bush's speech is thought as the third presence made up of three core parts: the speaking itself; dialogues between Bush and the students of Tsinghua University; concern the media on China's mainland show for the students who put questions to Bush and the questions themselves. The three parts showed the (establishment) and routes of exchange and communication between two different cultural identities - U.S.A and China. Every person presented inevitably set up a prerequisite for his own cultural advantage. However, he (also) sought possibilities of understanding as well as exchanging with others and of appreciating each other. (Differentia) and reformation went side by side. The important discovery of this essay lies in that the present tense of the third presence provides new temptation (the other two presences being the past tense). In addition, the essay gives particular stress on recognition of students with Chinese cultural identity, so it finds that in developing countries the sliding form of people with different cultural identities is more (complicated) under the temptation of economic globalization. Thirdly, the essay finds that the presence of (different) cultures, similar to that of many cultures in (individual) identity, led to the reform and sliding of (differentia). Compromise produces new differences by recognition. In terms of global culture, new differences face recognition instead of going back to the beginning. Reform is carried out and experience gained in the third presence.