Cities As National Identities

In As Canadian As Possible Bodroghkozy addresses the relationship between shared popular culture and the blurring of national boundaries.

He also recalls the importance the image of Toronto held for viewers of Street Legal. The identity of the city was equivalent to the identity of the country for some Canadian followers. Those viewers appreciated that initially the city's image was being established as wholly Canadian without American glitz and glamour.

It is interesting to note that when one thinks of America, the country's major cities are inevitably one of the first images to come to mind. New York City is the epitome of

America for many foreigners who have never visited the states. For some NYC is a country unto itself. It is a capitol of business and fashion, innovation and art.

But what about the rest of us? The cities of the world have come to represent for the whole. When you think of China, you see Beijing. When you think of France, you imagine Paris. Now that we are a global society, do the spaces in between the major cities matter? If a city isn't active on a global scale will it eventually disappear?

An article by Parag Khanna for Foreign Policy magazine titled Beyond City Limits asserts that indeed, the world's major cities will gradually gain more prominence than they already have, succeeding that of nations. This is because they are centers of economy, business, and innovation.

Bodroghkozy's questions about the validity of a "national" popular culture should be further examined. If indeed Khanna's predictions are fulfilled will national identities even exist? It seems that we will just have to wait and see.