Globalization v. localization : lifestyle magazines in France, the U.S., and China

Abstract

With an emphasis on the construction of women's identities, this thesis discusses the dynamic interactions between globalization and localization by critically comparing the English, Chinese, and French editions of women's lifestyle magazines in mainland China, USA, and France. The rationale behind this research is to provide a practical, theoretic, and systematic analysis of the construction of women's identities in the three countries. This allows a better understanding of the process of localization and its cultural effects on women's identities. The thesis is influenced by previous work (e.g., Rofel, 2007; Skalli, 2000; Song & Hird, 2014; Crewe, 2003; Edwards, 1997), and it borrows theories and methods from globalization, cultural, translation and communication studies. The theoretical framework includes theories that relate to feminist and cultural factors that influence everyday life. The thesis explores the impact of globalization on gender images in magazines published in different locales. Three issues of Vogue as well as Good Housekeeping and Mariages are analyzed in order to compare the construction of femininity in this genre of popular culture. A total of 308 advertisements, lifestyle guides or feature stories are selected. The data are analyzed through a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study includes two interviews with prominent local editors. Analyses of differences and similarities among the Chinese, French and American magazines reveal that localization highlights heterogeneity, in the sense that localities maintain their individualities albeit with some global characteristics. Given that cultural translation is the newest development in translation studies (Bassnett, 1998; Newmark, 1991), the cultural context surrounding women's lifestyle magazines is also studied. The thesis identifies the crucial components of cultural capital (Bourdieu, 2001) that aid in the construction of feminine identity. The results are consistent with Butler's (1999) ideas that construction is fragile while innate ability is substantial. The results of the study yield insights on “cultural translation” in a global context.