Abstract
The famous German sociologist Ulrich Beck’s
main argument as outlined in his groundbreaking Risk Society (1986) is that modern society as we know it has
actually been increasingly structured around and being affected by new
qualities of risk that haven’t existed before. Modern society has become a risk society in the sense
that it is increasingly occupied with debating, preventing and managing risks
that it itself has produced (Beck 2006: p. 332). Drawing on Beck’s
observations, I argue that Hari Kunzru’s 2004 novel Transmission is one such contempory
novel that examines some implications of living in a global risk society where
we face the unintended consequences of hyper complexity and integration. Transmission revolves around the main character Arjun Mehta, an Indian computer
programmer who leaves his native country behind to realize his “Amrican” dream
in the so-called land of golden opportunities. Unsettled by a profound
experience of uncertainty and insecurity as he shifts between local and global
positions, Arjun gradually understands that he is considered to be little
more than cheap and disposable foreign labor. When he is eventually made
redundant by his employer due to economic downturn, Arjun panics and suffers a
nervous breakdown as he cannot even bear the thought of going back to India as
a failure. Once he realizes that he will not be getting his job back, he
creates a highly effective virus that causes the near-global collapse of
networked computers. Ultimately,
Transmission shows that increasing connectivity has
rendered our system fragile mainly because we seem to lack the capacity to
manage the growing complexities of a rapidly evolving global system.
References
- Adam, B., Beck, U. & Van Loon, J., (eds). (2000). The Risk society and beyond. London: Sage.
- Aldama, F., (2006) “Postcolonial imaginings: A Conversation with Hari Kunzru.” Interdisciplenary literary studies 8, no.1, 110-117.
- Beck, U., (2004). Cosmopolitan vision. 2004
- Beck, U., (2006). “Living in the world risk society” Economy and society 35(3), 329-345.
- Bhabha, H., (1992). “The World and the home” Social text No.31/32, 141-153.
- Childs, P. & Green, J., (2013). Aesthetics and ethics in twenty-first century British novels. London: Bloomsbury.
- Filipczak, I., (2014). “Immigrant to a terrorist: On liquid fears in Hari Kunzru’s Transmission” Brno Studies in English, 40(2), 67-76.
- Giddens, A., (2002). Runaway World: How Globalisation is reshaping our lives. London: Profile books.
- Goldin, I. & Mariathasan, M., (2014). The Butterfly Defect: How Globalisation creates systemic risks, and what to do about it. Princeton: Princeton university press.
- Kunzru, H., (2005). Transmission. London: Penguin.
- Lanier, J., (2013). Who owns the future? Simon and schuster e-book.
- Leonard, P., (2014) “A Revolution in code”? Hari Kunzru’s Transmission and the cultural politics of hacking” Textual practice, 28(2), 267-287.
Abstract
Ünlü Alman sosyolog Ulrich Beck çığır açan
kitabı Risk Toplumu’nda (1986)
bildiğimiz anlamda modern toplumun giderek artan bir biçimde daha önce
varolmayan yeni risk türleri etrafında yapılandığını ve şekillendiğini öne
sürer (Beck 2006: p. 332).
Kendi ürettiği riskleri giderek daha fazla münazara eden, önlemeye ve yönetmeye
çalışan modern toplum bir risk toplumuna dönüşmüştür. Bu makalede, Beck’in
gözlemlerinden yola çıkarak, Hari Kunzru’nun 2004 yılında yayınlanan kitabı Aktarım’ın hiper-karmaşıklık ve
entegrasyondan kaynaklanan beklenmedik küresel riskleri nasıl ele aldığı
incelenecektir. Roman, ülkesi Hindistan’ı terk ederek altın fırsatlar diyarında
“Amrikan” hayalini gerçekleştirmek üzere yola çıkan bilgisayar programcısı
Arjun Mehta’nın hikayesini anlatır. Bölgesel ve küresel konumlar arasında yer
değiştirirken yaşadığı şiddetli belirsizlik ve güvensizlik sonucu dengesi
bozulan Arjun, gitgide ucuz ve harcanabilir yabancı iş gücü olarak
algılandığının farkına varır. Çalıştığı şirketin yaşadığı ekonomik sıkıntılar
sonucunda işten çıkartılınca, Hindistan’a başarısız biri olarak dönme korkusunun
yaşattığı panikle psikolojik bir çöküş yaşar. İşini geri alamayacağını öğrendiğinde
ise, nerdeyse bütün dünyanın bilgisayar ağını çökerten çok etkili bir virüs
geliştirir. Sonuç olarak, Aktarım
romanı çok hızlı bir şekilde evrilen küresel sistemin giderek artan
karmaşıklığını yönetecek kapasitemiz olmadığı için, artan bağlantısallığın sistemimizi nasıl kırılgan bir
hale geldiğini ortaya koyar.
References
- Adam, B., Beck, U. & Van Loon, J., (eds). (2000). The Risk society and beyond. London: Sage.
- Aldama, F., (2006) “Postcolonial imaginings: A Conversation with Hari Kunzru.” Interdisciplenary literary studies 8, no.1, 110-117.
- Beck, U., (2004). Cosmopolitan vision. 2004
- Beck, U., (2006). “Living in the world risk society” Economy and society 35(3), 329-345.
- Bhabha, H., (1992). “The World and the home” Social text No.31/32, 141-153.
- Childs, P. & Green, J., (2013). Aesthetics and ethics in twenty-first century British novels. London: Bloomsbury.
- Filipczak, I., (2014). “Immigrant to a terrorist: On liquid fears in Hari Kunzru’s Transmission” Brno Studies in English, 40(2), 67-76.
- Giddens, A., (2002). Runaway World: How Globalisation is reshaping our lives. London: Profile books.
- Goldin, I. & Mariathasan, M., (2014). The Butterfly Defect: How Globalisation creates systemic risks, and what to do about it. Princeton: Princeton university press.
- Kunzru, H., (2005). Transmission. London: Penguin.
- Lanier, J., (2013). Who owns the future? Simon and schuster e-book.
- Leonard, P., (2014) “A Revolution in code”? Hari Kunzru’s Transmission and the cultural politics of hacking” Textual practice, 28(2), 267-287.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Creative Arts and Writing |
| Journal Section | English Language and Literature |
| Authors | |
| Publication Date | July 2, 2019 |
| Submission Date | December 3, 2018 |
| Acceptance Date | May 23, 2019 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2019 Volume: 18 Issue: 3 |