Abstract

This study combines the theoretical frameworks and concepts of a number of theorists, to create an analytical perspective that is applied to a case study of the practice and meaning of Japanese traditional arts abroad, or more precisely the development of specialized bonsai, ikebana, and tea ceremony courses in North America. The framework proposed is based on theories of cultural globalization, and the idea of culture as an organization of diversity. It illustrates the variety and diversity of ways, in which transnational culture flows, and the processes that determine how these are received, incorporated, and interpreted in new locales at a plurality of levels. Three general questions are addressed: (1) What processes affect the introduction of bonsai, ikebana, and tea ceremonies into new cultural systems, in this case, Montreal and North America? (2) Why has bonsai become popularized, thereby being distributed over a larger amount of the population, whereas the other two remain marginal? (3) How do the various processes involved in the transnational movement and distribution of culture affect the practice and interpretation of Japanese traditional arts abroad?