By Cristina Alcazar-Kinney
Discovering cultures around the world is like a traveler stepping into a hall of mirrors–every mirror reflecting another one, each one uncovering more nuance within the layers of a culture that exists. Globalization is the lead contributor to this deepening hall of mirrors.
As global management students, we might often think about globalization as the widespread global growth of trade and industrialization. Still, there are ways in which globalization has transferred pop culture, music, and aesthetics across oceans and continents.
For example, take a walk down the neighborhood streets of Nagoya, or a joy-ride in a modded up low rider, and you might be surprised to see the darkly-lined lips and the low-ride, bedazzled jeans of Japanese Chicano fanatics. Whether this is a matter of appropriation or appreciation is a question that depends on the perspective of the viewer. This unique subculture, which began in Japan with a deep fascination for Chicano style and values, has also taken root in Bangkok—a city better known for its Buddhist traditions and vibrant street markets—where locals have blended Chicano aesthetics with their own cultural influences.
What really embodies Chicano culture? Well, the emergence of Chicano culture dates back to 1965, during the emergence of Cesar Chavez’s civil rights movement to protect Mexican-American worker rights in southern California. Chicano culture started as a way to preserve.
Mexican culture in a predominantly white California landscape and later transformed into a lifestyle booming with eclectic fashion styles and rhythmic, sassy tunes booming through the speakers of a rose-colored Chevy Impala. In an interview with Daily Sabah, one of the leaders of the Bangkok movement, Chalakorn, expressed, “We’re law-abiding citizens who just love the Chicano subculture,” and then went on to explain, “Dressing like this doesn’t mean we have to act all macho, act like gangsters and do illegal stuff.” For the Chicanos who grew up in the heat of the SoCal inception, this shift must come as a profound relief, as their understanding of Chicano culture is painted with narratives of gang violence and inter-gang conflict.
In the 1960s and 1970s, a unique musical fusion emerged in the UK. The vibrant melodies of Indian folk music blended with the electronic sounds of synth-pop, giving rise to a distinct British Asian music scene. Bands like Fundamental, Asian Dub Foundation, and Hustlers HC played a key role in shaping local culture. This coincided with a wave of South Asian immigration from India, Pakistan, and Africa. Settling in their new homes, British Asian communities sought a musical expression that combined traditional folk with modern beats, reflecting the uncertainties of their changing circumstances and political climate.
Indians across the U.K. were subjected to outward racism across the media and political uprisings back home. Humble, bodega-style shops selling bhangra CDs to immigrant communities became the quiet spark that
ignited the vibrant Asian Underground dance scene, pulsing through clubs in bustling cities across the U.K. Outcaste was one of several groundbreaking labels, and later a club venue, that emerged during the 1990s, offering a creative platform for British South Asian artists like Joi. These artists were redefining the musical landscape by blending the sitar and tabla drums with the electronic acoustic guitar and synthesizer for its ethereal feel.
These subcultures were incepted as a result of the large migrations across nations that we continue to see today. The tunes of Chicano music in Asia, Indian sitar EDM in London, the heavy metal heads of Botswana, and the list continues to grow. These unexpected hubs have become places of comfort and connection within major cities that are home to international residents.