Expanding Internationalism - A Conference on ... - Mary Jane Jacob

David A. Ross
Director
The Institute of Contemporary Art
Boston, Massachusetts, USA
The issue that seems most central to our discussion of the cultural
ramifications of expanding internationalism is the pivotal notion of
nationalism itself. It is clear that, in a time characterized by global
shifts in population, radical transformations of national ideological
character, and postcolonial politics, the notion of a "pure" national cultural
identity has become especially problematic. Clearly, there is a renewed
interest in reading a new nationalist narrative into the work of individual
artists. But what do we mean by nationalism at this point Racial identity
Cultural pride Nostalgia
It is ironic that this reconsideration should occur at a time when the
moral force of the artist is more easily recognizable than that of the state.
The question follows, then, in whose interest does this new nationalist
narrative function Can a dialogue about the hierachical nature of "high and
low" art, the relative positions of First and Third Worlds, or the impact of
recognition of the self and the other, help us to better understand
nationalism and subsequently construct a new internationalism Or is
internationalism fated to remain a "feel-good" extension of the standard
hegemonic modernist enterprise -- a ploy to avoid recognizing the problems
implicit in stale, reductive exercises in comparative cultures And finally,
can a reformed internationalism avoid the sentimentality inherent in the
mythology of the individual versus the nation-state
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