Do China and India possess any soft power? Media Essay
Hi, I will upload all the resources and please do read carefully and follow the instructions and marking rubric. Thanks. This essay needs to used 10-15 references totally and follow the Deakin Harvard reference style. Thank you so much.
Do China and India possess any soft power?
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS – AT2 CRITIAL ESSAY (50%) Q: What is the second assessment task and detail of student output? A: The critical essay should respond to the following statement with detailed study of 1-2 relevant examples and theoretical analysis and discussion. America’s global media and culture hegemony remains strong. But it is increasingly being contested by the ‘rise of the rest’, especially with emerging media flows and powers from Asian countries with old histories and new global aspirations (Thussu, 2014). Source: https://uscpublicdiplomacy.org/sites/uscpublicdiplomacy.org/files/useruploads/u20150/CPDPerspectives2_2014_SoftPower.pdf ****Please note Thussu’s statement only mentions ‘Asian countries with old histories and new global aspirations’, such as China, India, Japan and South Korea. The Arab world and Russia studied in the unit could also be regarded as emerging media flows and powers from non-Western countries and can be used as examples in your essay. Ø The critical essay needs to demonstrate your critical understanding of the given statement with appropriate examples. You need to focus on 1-2 examples to offer in-depth and nuanced analysis rather than briefly mapping many examples. Ø You need to refer to theories, arguments, concepts and evidences found in the unit of study or from your own research to support the development of your essay. Ø 2,000 words, excluding reference list, with a 10% leeway on either way, Harvard referencing, submitted in a Word file. Q: Is there any format or structure for the critical essay? A: Below is the recommended structure for the critical essay Ø An introduction that briefly responds to the given statement and outlines your essay structure. If you agree with the statement, the statement will be your essay argument. If you disagree with the statement, then your counter-statement will be your argument. Ø A main body that elaborates and justifies your argument by analysing appropriate examples (1-2). You need to refer to the concepts, theories, arguments and evidences found in the unit of study and from your own research on the topic to support your argument. The main body can consist of subsections with subheadings. For example, each case study could stand as a separate subsection. Ø A conclusion that wraps up your essay. It should demonstrate to the reader that you accomplished what you set out to do in your introduction, show how you have proved your argument, and provide the reader with a sense of closure on the topic and also leave your reader with something to think about. Ø A reference list Q: Do I need to have a table of content and an abstract for my essay? A: No, a critical essay is not a research thesis. A table of content and an abstract are not needed. Q: Can I use the examples I used for my AT1 for the critical essay? A: Please do not reuse your AT1 materials for AT2 to avoid self-plagiarism and high similarity score for the Turnitin check. High similarity score may cause a fail of your essay. For example, if you wrote about K-pop or Japanese animation for your AT1 (photographic essay), please do not use them as examples for your AT2. Q: Can I use the examples introduced in the seminar slides? A: Yes, you can. However, we hope you could further explore the examples for your own use. A high-quality essay should demonstrate the author’s own insight and creativity. You can’t literally summarise the seminar slides in you essay. Q: How can I know if my essay idea and examples are on the right track? A: You can post your AT2 questions in the discussion form (under ‘Questions for Assessment’), discuss your essay idea with your seminar leader in the BB Collaborative session, or email your seminar leader (Andy: xinyu.zhao@deakin.edu.au Bec: b.devitt@deakin.edu.au) Q: How many references should I have for the critical essay? A: We don’t have a requirement on this. Normally, a critical essay of 2,000 words has 10-15 references, including scholarly sources, such as journal articles, chapters and books, and nonscholarly sources, such as news articles, commentaries and industry reports. Q: What is the word count for the critical essay? A: 2,000 words +/-10%, excluding reference list. Q: What if I go beyond the word count? A: The marker will stop reading the words beyond the word limit. This will impact how your ideas will be read and marked. Q: What is the referencing style for AT2? A: Harvard Referencing Style. Here is the link: https://www.deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study-support/referencing/harvard Q: Can I ask for extension? A: Please email Dr Jian Xu, Unit Chair, with your filled assignment extension form. The extension form can be found on Cloud site under ‘Assessments’. A medical certificate is required if the extension is caused by health issues. Please note that the following reasons will not be considered. • - I am snowed under with multiple deadlines so I couldn’t keep up with my schedule. • - My laptop just crashed so I won’t be able to submit on time. • - My file was corrupted. I don’t have a back up file. Q: When to submit the second assessment? A: 7 February 2020 (Sunday) (by 8:00pm AEST) Q: What else do I need to know about the essay? A: Please do read the slides on essay writing uploaded under Week 10 on the Cloud site.
Do China and India possess any soft power?
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Introduction
The US economic strength, military might, and ownership of multiple media networks and facilities are well documented. This dominance has allowed the US to use her soft power and influence narratives related to her foreign policies and that of her enemies. However, in the last few years, many countries have invested heavily in their media and entertainment industries as a form of promoting their national interests. This has led to scholars such as Thussu acknowledging that while the US has a strong imprint on global media, it is being contested by Asian countries that have old histories and new global aspirations. Among these countries are China and India, which have invested heavily in their media and entertainment industries and promoted their cultures and foreign policies to global audiences while suppressing critics’ opinions. In support of Thussu’s assertion, this paper examines how China and India are challenging the US imprint on global media. The first part of this paper examines the current state of the media and entertainment industry in China and India compared to the US. The second part discusses soft power as the driving force behind China’s and India’s investment in their media and entertainment industry. The final part evaluates the soft power possessed by China and India and the feature of that power.
I. The current state of the media and entertainment industry
* China
Over the past few years, China has had some notable development in the media and entertainment industry. It is also projected to increase by 8% in the next five years. One of the major factor which has led to the development of the industry is the rise of the middle class society. The Chinese government has taken note of these trends and is trying to expand the media and entertainment industry. The most noteworthy advancement in terms of “the rise of the rest” is the mounting influence of the Chinese media and entertainment industry. This growth has been gradually attained since 2011 when former President Hu Jintao introduced a $7 billion framework for the country to “go out” into the world (Thussu 2014: 7). This announcement was followed by extensive recruitment of English speaking journalists to turn local media houses into global enterprises. By the end of 2018, Xinhua News Agency, which is state-owned, was claiming more than 200 million viewers outside China, had 107 bureaus around the world, and presented news in numerous languages including English and Arabic. Similarly, during the same period, CCTV News, which is also state-owned, had a network of 50 channels that were accessible to more than one billion viewers in six different languages (Zhang 2019: 62). In the social media market, although the US continues to dominate with applications such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, China has seen the emergence of many innovative new social platforms. Among the numerous innovations include video sharing platforms like Douyin and shopping communities like Xiaohongsh, which have turned the country into the starting point of many popular trends in Asia.
* India
India has a large media and entertainment industry that comprises social media applications, TV and radio channels, and the film sector. However, Bollywood, which is the equivalent of America’s Hollywood, is the most recognized sector since it is the major source of global films that do not emanate from the west. The growth of Bollywood started in the new millennium and by the end of 2013, Indian movies were being watched in more than 70 countries and had eclipsed Hollywood to become the world’s largest producer of movies (Thussu 2014: 14). Similarly, in the last two decades, the country’s broadcasting sector has undergone extensive expansion and currently includes more than 900 satellite TV channels and more than 850 radio stations, which are managed by approximately 60, 000 local operators (Barathi and Meitei 2020). Although the coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the growth of industries, by the end of 2021, India’s media and entertainment industry is still expected to grow at a rate of 14%, which is higher than the global average rate of merely 4.2% (Nhamo and Chikodzi 2020: 278). In 2019, the media and entertainment industry grew by 9% (Barathi and Meitei 2020).
II. Soft power as a source of motivation
The economic gains associated with a diverse media and entertainment industry may be perceived as the motivation behind China and India’s extensive investment. To some extent, it might be true because in 2017, the media and entertainment industry in India generated approximately US$ 19.4 billion in revenue and that number is expected to increase to 25.56 billion by 2021-22 (Lorenzen and Mudambi 2019; 511). In the same period, the dynamics of the Chinese media and entertainment industry allowed the country to surge past Japan and become the largest M&E market in Asia. However, Joseph Nye, a political scientist at Harvard Kennedy School, argues that governments mainly invest in the media and entertainment industry to gain soft power over others. Soft power is the capacity of a state to attract other states using foreign policies, culture, and political values rather than coercion (Nye 1990: 154). In this case, the creation of a strong media and entertainment industry is viewed by both China and India as means of communicating their historical values to foreign audiences, establishing trust, and enhancing the chances of collaborating with potential partners. To China, the attainment of soft power is seen as essential in ameliorating the country’s impression, especially in Europe and North America where China is viewed as a one-party nation that represses human rights.
III. Soft power possessed by China and India
* The “soft power” of China
Sometimes the “soft power of China has been misunderstood by people several times. In China, the impact of the media and entertainment industry on both soft power and hard power was recognized in the early 2000s and the government resorted to harnessing it. In the country’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011–2015), the main objective was to have the cultural sector, which comprises of the media and entertainment industry, to become the expansion engine of the country’s foreign policy and economy (De Ritis 2016: 273). Currently, Chinese media platforms have expanded worldwide, making it easier for the country’s government to spread information regarding its policies. In Africa, the Chinese government has direct access to target markets since state-o...