UNST 138A: FRINQ, Globalization Prof. Rodney Koeneke TAKE-HOME WRITING: “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” (dir. Mira Nair, 2012) DUE Wednesday, 2/17 in Main Session ¢. 500 word minimum “The Reluctant Fundamentalist” is a film adaptation of Mohsin Hamid’s second novel. The story draws more directly on Hamid’s own life story than How To Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia did. The main character, Changez, is from Pakistan, He attends Princeton as an undergraduate, And he works in high finance in New York City as an analyst. All items from Hamid’s own resume. In the story, Changez returns to Pakistan after 9/11. Taking a job as a lecturer, he begins to criticize U.S. policy to large student audiences, many of them politically active in anti-U.S. demonstrations. As the movie opens, he’s come under suspicion by U.S. authorities for aiding in the kidnapping of an American academic working in Lahore. In the exchanges between Changez and an American reporter (who’s also a CIA informant), Changez. explains what turned him from a New York City financier, living the global 2004 life, into an activist professor in Pakistan. Mira Nair (b. 1957) is an acclaimed director who bought the film rights to the novel in advance of its publication. Her own biography, like Hamid’s, fits much of the rubric we've developed for understanding ‘global people.” Born in India to a government official and a social worker, Nair’s family moved to the big city, Delhi, when she was a child. She was educated at a Catholic missionary school in India, where she studied English literature. While working toward a degree in Sociology at Delhi University, she won a scholarship to Harvard, where she began to study film. After several of her films ‘won award at international festivals, Nair began teaching at Columbia in New York City, where she lives with her husband, a Ugandan political theorist of Indian descent. QUESTION What THREE (3) benefits does Changez derive from globalization? What THREE. 3) reasons do you find most compelling or persuasive for why he turns his back on them? Do you find the film a persuasive account of why a ‘global person’ like Changez might become disillusioned with the life globalization has offered him? Why or why not? Tau OPB AL,’ yy (oxeed ) X Greer’ KD AecicthS (Aro J+ ‘Aaron Salazar Professor Koeneke UNST 138A ‘Take Home Writing ‘The movie The Reluctant Fundamentalist isa film interpretation of a novel by Moshin Hamid where the main character Changez embarks on a journey to the United States of America to ‘experience opportunities he’s only dreamed of while being in Pakistan. Along his journey he exemplifies the benefits globalization have had on him as he resides in the USA and travels to other countries—but these benefits of globalization do not come without thelr drawbacks, Within The Reluctant Fundamentalist the benefits of globalization derived from Changez include new opportunities, accepting a global identity, and increased cultural diversity—but these benefits, for Changer at least, are outweighed by xenophobia and conformation, dilution of cultural roots, and hypocrisy against foreign culture. only New opportunities presented to Changez include his education at Oxford, where he also. interviews for, and later receives, his job with Underwood Samsun. Changez is now a globally educated person, with a degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and has a job at a large corporation—all opportunities that would never be presented to him in Pakistan. It doesn’t go without saying that there isn’t a drawback that comes with being educated and influenced in a foreign country. Changez is often criticized for his appearance at the airport, at work, and even in public. He conforms to shaving his beard for “business” appearance (not to scare coworkers/ customers), He conforms to disregarding his pride and dignity in the airport due to the xenophobia held by the western world against Islam and nonwestern foreigners. Perhaps the greatest example of conforming to the ideals and expectations in the United States is Changez’s acceptance of applications of “The American dream" in his life during his years is in States, as well as his travels across the world. Changez's pursuit of the American dream was a successful one. It as atthe height of his pursuit that he became one of the youngest men to be in the position he was promoted to within the company, while simultaneously receiving large amounts of money that would help pay for his spacious apartment with the American love of his life. It wasn’t until the confrontation in Pakistan with his father that Changez realized everything he had been achieving was going against how he was raised culturally. Conforming to American ideals, buying and merging local business into large corporations, and taking pride in overconsumption. Changer had become devoted to corporate America, just as the children in the Turkish publisher's story had become devoted to this “horrific “empire”. His devotion has prevented him from realizing “the Pakistani dream’, Changez became lost inthe pal Iecoming a global person, receiving a global identity—he was torn between the expectations and life he knew in America and the ones he had in Pakistan, His confrontation with his parents and family within the wedding is BVRKEFAF this clash geet erm between the global Changez, and the one his family use to know. Another significant clash in the ‘movie is the clash as a result of the increased diversity in America at this point of the time—and the [Rot hot. inability to physically conform to the American standard appearance. The scene |am referencingis Coen Yo the scene when Change eft the office building late at night and was the only personin the parking Sau fu lt he arrives at his car ony to find histies slashed and a xenophobic mae drive by and reference age! pp OeChangez as being similar to Osama Bin- Laden. Both these scenes exemplify when Change? is put in a position that questions his identity as a global citizen. In conclusion I would argue that this rift between global and cultural identities would not have occurred, or occurred as intensely if Changer did not return back to Pakistan. It was in Pakistan that he realized he was losing sight of the way he was raised, and the Pakistani dream. if Changez had remained in the USA and received citizenship, I'm sure he would have continued career growth in the corporation, conformed more towards American standards and less towards the cultural ones he had growing up. This film is a great example of how citizens are torn between global identities, and can be entirely disillusioned with the life that globalization has offered,