The Case for Contamination by Kwame Anthony Appiah

Being raised in Ghana, receiving higher education in England and working as a professor in the United States certainly helped Kwame Anthony Appiah receive a fair share of different cultures. Appiah is a recognized philosopher with several published books and an impressive track record of accomplishments. His article The Case for Contamination, which was published in The New York Times, speaks on the topic of how globalization affects individuals in many aspects of their life. He discusses how forcefully preserving cultures can harm a culture more than help it. While the article is lengthy, it goes into great detail about how globalization affects people in countries all over the world, even Ghana. Globalization makes a large impact on the world we see today and cultural groups can benefit from the effects of globalization because it promotes diversity, creates cosmopolitan citizen development, and allows economic growth.

Think of the term ‘globalization’. Your first thought may be of people from all corners of the Earth exchanging ideas, views, products, and so much more. Appiah introduces his article by describing a scene of a traditional Wednesday festival in the town of Kumasi. He allows the reader to visualize the traditions held by those in attendance, but begins his case by providing details of men on their cellphones and holding conversations on contemporary topics such as H.I.V/AIDS. When Appiah speaks of “contamination,” he highlights the way one culture is influenced by another accepting an exchange of ideas. In his article he asks, “why do people in these places sometimes feel that their identities are threatened?” (Appiah). This question raises a topic that is central to the unification of peoples’ ideals and cultures...

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...kes a great argument showing us how the positive results outweigh the negative. Contamination isn’t so bad after all.

Works Cited

Appiah, Kwame Anthony. "The Case For Contamination." The New York Times. The New York Times, 31 Dec. 2005. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

Brookes, Julian. "Cosmopolitanism: How To Be a Citizen of the World." Mother Jones. N.p., 23 Feb. 2006. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

Fan, G., and X. Zhang. "How Can Developing Countries Benefit from Globalization: The Case of China." Eldis. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

Martell, Luke. "Conflicts in Cosmopolitanism and the Global Left." Policy Network. N.p., 17 Nov. 2011. Web. 20 Apr. 2014.

Palmer, Tom G. "Globalization, Cosmopolitanism, and Personal Identity." Ethics & Politics 2 (2003): 1-15. Web.

Wang, Yi. "Globalization Enhances Cultural Identity." Intercultural Communication Studies XVI.1 (2007): 83-86. Web.