Kofi Annan once said, “Arguing against globalization is like arguing against the laws of gravity”. Globalization is an inevitable phenomenon in human history that brings about greater interconnectivity and integration of people worldwide. Over the past few decades, the pace of global integration has accelerated quickly and dramatically due to unprecedented advancements in technology, communications, science, transport and industry (The World Bank, 2013). Globalization affects economical, cultural, technological, political and social aspects of a country. In this essay, we’ll be talking about cultural globalization and its effects solely. Cultural globalization is the rapid movement of ideas, attitudes, values across national borders and the “the emergence of a specific set of values and beliefs that are largely shared around the planet” (Castells, 2009, p. 117). Circulation of ideas has allowed people to partake in extended social relations that cross national and regional borders, leading to the diffusion of cultures. Due to increasing interconnectedness, there is formation of shared norms and knowledge in which people associate their individual and collective cultural identities with. Cultural globalization is a double-edged sword with both benefits and disadvantages to society. However, its threats to national traditions outweigh the progress it contributes to society.
One of the threats to national traditions as a result of globalization is Americanization or spread of American values. The emergence of the Americanized World is in tandem with the growth of globalization. There is a convergence of consumers’ tastes and preferences whereby the American model serves as a blueprint for global culture due to increased interacti...
... middle of paper ...
... Any culture can be expressed in any language in some ways, but the nature language is most effective. Also, art is also increasingly influenced by western cultures, and this distorts a country’s cultural identity as well.
However, cultural globalization also offers the potential to enrich the world culturally. Cultural exchange brought about by globalization can promote tolerance and diversity. A “global village” whereby ideas and practices can be appreciated and exchanged and there are reductions of cultural barriers. People can communicate and understand others of a different culture better and there is reduced discrimination. Global trends such as cooperation in the same production or trade networks enable societies and individuals to know more of each other. Their differences become familiar and acceptable rather than alien and contentious (Ergil, 2010).
In the text, “The American Cultural Configuration” the authors express the desire of anthropologists to study their own culture despite the difficulty that one faces attempting to subjectively analyze their own society. Holmes and Holmes (2002), use the adage “not being able to see the forest through the trees” (p. 5) to refer to how hard it is for someone to study something they have largely taken for granted. The Holmes' article focuses predominately on paradoxes within our own culture, many of which we don't notice. In a paradox, two contradicting statements can appear to be true at the same time. This essay looks at two paradoxes commonly found in everyday life: the individual versus the family and religion.
In this paper, drawing intensively from Clifford’s Traveling Cultures, Linton’s One Hundred Per Cent American, Derek Walcott’s Pantomime, and Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, I will argue that, in the technologically advanced twenty-first century, while the international is indeed already on our plate and in our pocket, for it to be in our brains in the real sense – that is, for it to break free from the stranglehold of clichés and fixed ideas – we have to actively engage with it and continually update our understanding of it. We have to understand, like Clifford, that culture is a “work in progress”, which mutates, evolves, grows and recedes as geographical boundaries are blurred, as cultures travel and react with each other and new practices and thoughts emerge. But without a conscious appreciation and acknowledgement of it, we might as well be trapped in our small world-views. So, the ‘One Hundred Per Cent’ American described in such a tongue-in-cheek way by Ralph Linton – who is constantly using products from around the world but is oblivious of the fact – is in no way the better for it because in his mind he is insularly, untouchably, American. Internationalism, is in danger of being reduced to a word that benignly and indistinguishably replicates itself in every large city of the world (same malls, same food-chains; same designer brands). Its sole purpose is to make the unfamiliar, familiar; to classify with easy and a somewhat facile understanding, the motivations and beliefs of all ethnicities and cultures around us. To understand and appreciate multiculturalism we have to alter our way of viewing and generalizing about the world. And to question the very basis on which we weigh and judge alien cultures.
There are many negative views that people have on Americans and on America in general. David Zinczenko thinks that so many American kids are becoming obese because there are more fast food places than there are grocery stores. Vicente Verdu says that America has such a huge impact on other countries that crimes that are happening here are happening there in very similar ways. Other countries are gaining McDonalds and they are changing the menu to fit their culture. Renee Graham commented that American directors are buying the rights to Asian movies and changing them so that Americans can better understand them. The remade movies are getting better reviews and taking home more money than the original movies.
Cultural globalization involves the “spread of culture beyond the region or state from which it originated.” (Davies 1). To understand what cultural globalization is, one must understand what falls under the category of culture, which includes religion, language,
Nowadays one of the most commonly used terms is globalization. But what does globalization mean? Does it mean dissappearing borders, a common trade unit, no tax in trade abroad, political awareness across the world, or, in extremes, even interfering with other countries' domestic affairs?
Although there are few, the advocates of cultural globalisation claim that globalisation helps the enrichment of local cultures. They argue that people from different cultures share their ideas and experiences. They believe, naively, that all parties tell and listen the others ideas and experiences on an equal p...
Globalisation and global flows of culture have redefined the processes in which we share and connect with ourselves, others, and the world. From its onset, globalisation had both proponents’ and critics; some believed that it led to a rich, hybrid global culture. Others saw it as the West versus the rest, an imprint of Western values and ideologies upon the world’s rich and diverse cultures. In exploring global flows of culture, we can observe these major assumptions about globalisation as well as its changing nature. New, ‘reverse’ cultural flows have begun to emerge and question these traditional assumptions.
In our largely ethnocentric (The idea that your own group or culture is better or more important than others) daily lives, we really take-for-granted our way of living and we often lose sight of the fact that there are other ways of living and in so doing, we forget that there is much we can learn from other cultures. Culture is defined as something relating to a set of shared attitudes, values, belief, practices, ideas and social behaviours of a society that differ depending on the language you speak, where you live and your religious beliefs. So we ask if it matters if cultures are lost if some cultures are on the verge of extinction but even preserving those tiny indigenous languages and cultures are vital to keep the world a diverse multicultural place and to learn different ways of living and multiple other things from each other. Cultural globalisation (Cultural globalisation refers to the exchange of ideas, meanings and values around the world in such a way as to extend social relations, advancements in technology are the main cause of it) has is making it
Globalization is becoming one of the most controversial topics in today’s world. We see people arguing over the loss of a nation’s cultural identity, the terror of westernization, and the reign of cultural imperialism. Through topics such as these we explore the possibilities or the existence of hybridization of cultures and values, and what some feel is the exploitation of their heritage. One important aspect that is not explored is that such influences can also be more than just a burden and an overstepping of bounds. These factors can create an educational environment as well as a reaffirmation of one’s own culture.
Since the late twentieth century, the world has experienced a vast transformation with regards to world economies, culture, and politics. The great advancements in technology and communication since the late twentieth century has served a catalysts for what is known today as globalization. The ambition to develop a single global economy along with a universal culture are the promises of globalization. Perhaps the clearest evidence that demonstrates globalization is a reality is the fact that at this point in time very diverse cultures form around the world closer to each other than ever before. That being said, when it comes to the spreading of democracy and human rights, having world cultures closer to each other can prove to be beneficial
Over the last couple of years, the world has become increasingly globalized. After the cold war, all parts of the world were attracted to the process of globalization. The effect of globalization is uneven in different parts of the world and globalization suggests a world full of persistent cultural interaction and exchange, contacts and connection, mixture and movement. Different people view globalization in different ways. Some people feel it has done more good than harm, while others believe it has done more harm than good. This essay will give a deep intuitive understanding of globalization, world systems, and how globalization has affected society, culture, economics, and politics.
Those who support globalization believe it is a positive concept because it promotes the diffusion of wealth, culture, knowledge, and technology. Proponents argue that the dissemination of information and wealth of this type will only benefit citizens, from the poorest in developing countries, to the wealthiest in established countries. In addition, they claim the integration of cultures and economies leads to the spread of information, which also increases religious, cultural, and racial tolerance. However, in spite of all these well-intentioned ideas, globalization h...
In the last two decades, the influence of globalization has been rapidly growing through the use of technology, media, communications, transnational corporations, and advances in social relations. With the increase in social relations and advances in technology, this allows citizens across the world to connect and interact, allowing barriers to break down and slowly emerge. The source we are currently met with and are analyzing, proposes that globalization has a negative impact on identities of human beings. Regarding media, culture, beliefs, systems, judgements, and social interactions, globalization can be seen from both lights, positive and negative since it can help spread innovative ideas but also contribute to the process
Globalisation is a process of interaction and integration between people of different nations, so that the world becomes more interconnected and interdependent. This process leads to the exchange of world views, products, and ideas across nations. Hence, it has a huge influence in many aspects of our lives, one of it being our culture. According to the Oxford Dictionary, ‘culture’ is defined as the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society. It has evolved and changed positively and negatively since the start of humankind and globalisation is one of its factors. Beneficial impacts of globalisation on culture may include how there will be increased cultural diversity, as well as how there will be increase in harmony
Culture has a power to overcome boundaries and even conquer distances by migrating and interfering in foreign cultures, and doing so it can lead to homogenization- where this main characteristic unifies culture making it global and model for everyone. First, as a definition, globalization implies deep and fast interconnection with global countries all around the world, and technological changes made that interconnection possible and created more support for a homogenizing