Week 4- Brett Monji

Brazil, a country full of festivity, full of rich music, food, and parties.  It is commonly known for cultural icons such as the statue, Cristo Redentor, and their yearly party Carnival.  Brazil’s party culture was created as an attempt to resist colonialism from Europe in the 1800s.  They remade themselves by integrating the Catholic event of having a feast before the 40 day period of lent.   They then made a colonial tradition into their own as they changed it from merely a feast to a celebration of Brazilian music like the Samba and Brazilian style.  Thus through making themselves a party culture, they could preserve their past.  To further this Brazil could incorporate new festival ideas, such as using Brazilian pop music, or electronic music.

Social entrepreneurship is important to countries because it encourages individuals or small groups to create something that will leave a lasting cultural impact on the country.  One such country is Japan as in the readings, Uniqlo was not only a clothing store, it was also a chance for Japan to clearly state that the American styles were a part of Japan too.  This helped Japan have an increased sense of nationalism and differentiate themselves from the United States after World War II.  Another product may be Japan switching from the Yoshida to the Koizumi Doctrine in an effort to redefine their goals and view of the country.  One question I have about this is; will Japan keep the Koizumi Doctrine for a significant amount of time, or does a country have to keep reinventing itself to stay relevant in terms of national aesthetics.  Some countries have kept their self-image for hundreds of years, but does that mean they will always be that way?