Glocalization as cultural refraction: An ethnographic study of Vietnamese young consumers’ foreign product consumption

Arthur Nguyen ()
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Arthur Nguyen: NIMEC - Normandie Innovation Marché Entreprise Consommation - UNICAEN - Université de Caen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - ULH - Université Le Havre Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université - IRIHS - Institut de Recherche Interdisciplinaire Homme et Société - UNIROUEN - Université de Rouen Normandie - NU - Normandie Université

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Abstract: Research on the cultural aspects of glocalization in the field of International Business often uses the metaphor of ‘flow' to describe global consumer cultures. Despite its theoretical and empirical richness, prior research—rooted in the global–local dyad—has reached an impasse in (1) explaining the formation of diverse global cultural forms within local contexts, and (2) accounting for the dynamic nature of local institutions that co-evolve through interactions among local actors. This research project proposes the ‘wave' metaphor as an alternative perspective for studying glocalization. We examine how Western and non-Western pop music are refracted as they pass through the Vietnamese youthscape. Findings from our seven-year ethnographic study show that young Vietnamese consumers experience Western and non-Western pop music through gender-based structures, which they use to navigate socialization and individualization amid Vietnam's market transition. Surprisingly, the traditional global–local dyad has been supplanted by new ones—such as mainstream/marginal tastes and young consumers/government—that better capture the dynamics of Western and non-Western pop music diffusion and adoption in Vietnam.

Keywords: Glocalization; Flow; Wave; Vietnamese youthscape; Consumer Cultures; Ethnography (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024-12-11
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Published in European International Business Academy Conference, Aalto University, Dec 2024, Helsinki (Finland), Finland

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05055976

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