From Yo soy Betty, la fea to Ugly Betty: Interculturalisation and Globalisation Globalisation is a phenomenon that has led to abundant connections between cultures and people, which has in turn stimulated the reception and the export of all types of artistic and cultural features. It was commonly believed that these cultural flows were simply a form of imperialism and domination by the Western world over the non-West. Nevertheless, as Chris Barker states in Cultural Studies, “Globalization is not constituted by a monolithic one-way flow from 'the west to the rest'” (163). In many cases, the West becomes the target of this flux of exchange, and it is influenced by the ideas and perceptions that are imported from other parts of the world. Some …show more content…
Accordingly, homogenisation is believed to be one of the negative consequences of globalisation and interculturalisation. As Barker states in Cultural Studies, the homogenisation thesis proclaims that culture is becoming homogenised and standardised around the Western pattern and that this phenomenon involves a loss of cultural diversity (Barker 161). Nevertheless, globalisation is not constituted by a one-way flow from the West to the rest, but by a multidirectional flow from all parts of the world. Consequently, “global interconnection does not necessarily mean cultural conformity” (Holton 140). A telenovela such as Yo soy Betty, la fea, which originated in the non-Western world and has reached not only the United States, but also Europe and Asia, serves as an example of how artistic creations travel and become a source of inspiration for other cultures. Nevertheless, the example of Ugly Betty has reflected that the adaptations differ and that cultural contact does not lead to homogenisation. To create Ugly Betty, producers selected features from Yo soy Betty, la fea and underwent a process of modification. Moreover, they introduced features of their own culture and the contacts between both resulted in the creation of a hybrid. Although intercultural contact might involve the extraction of elements from other cultures and adapting them into one's own, the hybrids that arise are so vast and diverse that it is nearly impossible to reach a completely homogenised culture. Conclusively, although globalisation connects the majority of the people of the world, it does not eradicate unique features of each culture. This contact leads to the adaptation and modification of social and artistic features to create new cultures, but not to a completely conformed and
...to other parts of the world. Of course, globalization does not have unvarying outcomes or create a more homogenous world but it does have diverse outcomes – usually not expected. This not necessarily positive or negative, it is one or the other for the different parties involved. As a result we have seen a global audience for things such as the video game industry, Japan’s anime and manga industry, and Japanese film productions and the cell phone business as well. At times, this technology is conflated in terms of where it was designed, who manufactured it and where, who is using it, and the end result is a blend of multiple cultures. Today cultural boundaries are gradually eroding and cultural differences are no longer invented through exports and imports across national borders but are produced by the acts of consumption in which citizens of the world participate.
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.
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,
Globalization is nothing new and will continue to manifest itself in non-western societies and cultures throughout the world. Some cultures accept the changes that come with globalization. Most cultures bring and find both economic and cultural growth to be the outcome of accepting globalization. However, there is always the risk that globalization comes with the possibility of destroying rituals and unique cultural practices bringing about a decline or stoppage in the progress that a society was achieving. Globalization is an unstoppable force; while we are powerless to stop it, we must be responsible when introducing change, and strive to preserve the heart of the culture being effected by globalization. (Kim, 2009)
To globalize means to “to extend to other or all parts of the globe; make worldwide” (Dictionary.com, 2010). While globalization is a fairly ‘new’ term, it is actually as old as our ancestors. The process was longer back then but, as they were discovering new foreign lands, they were bringing commerce and culture with them. Silks, spices and crops were traded along trade routes and opened new worlds of luxury and taste. Today, globalization has influenced our modern world far beyond those predecessors’ wildest dreams. The Western culture has infiltrated almost every corner of the globe. Its capital, infrastructures, knowledge, and talent can be found all over. It has a dramatic impact on India and China. These countries in turn, have also passed on their influence to other countries. It is a never-ending domino effect that circumvents the globe. Some of the Western influence has been intentional and negative but the overall effects are positive on countries economies and cultures.
Nederveen, Pieterse Jan P. Globalization and Culture: Global Mélange. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003. Print.
In the past few decades of history, the span of globalization and mixing of world cultures has been particularly prevalent. Through the spread of technology and communications across national boundaries, the various superpowers of the world have begun immersing themselves into foreign cultures and have introduced their own cultures to nations that are not their own as well as have accepted certain parts of foreign culture in their own homes. One of the greatest examples of this exchange of culture is the prevalence of Chinese culture in the West through the establishment of various “Chinatowns” throughout popular cities in Europe and the Americas. Globalization itself, which is described as the “objective trend of economic development in the world today, featured by free flow and optimized allocation of capital, technology, information and service in the global context” by H.E. Ambassador Zha Peixin, has been a constant flow in the worlds history and permeates world cultures daily through the innovation of new technologies and spread of communications between different nations.
John Baylis, Steve Smith and Patricia Owens define globalisation as “mostly simply [or simplistically!] defined as a process of increasing interconnectedness between societies such that events in one part of the world increasingly have effects on peoples and societies far away. A globalized world is one in which political, economic, cultural, and social events become more and more inter connected, and also one in which they have more impact” (John Baylis S. S., 2014, p. 9).
Globalization is a term which became popular after the 3th quarter of the 20th century. It is used to describe the movement of people, information, commodities and financial tools across national borders which increase the interconnection between countries economically, politically, socially and culturally. The effects of globalisation on different fields are one of the main discussion topics of these days. One can easily find thousands of articles on the impacts of globalisation on economy, agriculture, politics, democracy, science and even on climate. However, globalisation and its effects on culture is an unheeded area. The defenders of globalisation consciously avoid discussing culture, because they all know that globalisation is the main source of cultural genocide.
Just as governments, nations and economies have become intensified and connected, through the transmission of cultural ideas, meanings and values have also merged together (Wise, 2010), this acculturation has been enabled and sped up by the internet, media and a cheaper air-travel (Kofman and Youngs, 2008). Socio-cultural globalisation has contributed to an expansion of people 's consciousness (Steger, 2009), Roland Robertson coins the term "glocalisation" when referring to cultural hybridity, such a process has allowed people to enjoy a variety of cuisines, traditions, music, movies and books that were not previously available before in one country (Crothers, 2010). Although greater cultural unification creates a more dynamic society, some
In this essay I will give a detailed explanation of what sociologists mean by the term ‘globalisation’ and how they have tried to explain it.
Globalisation can take on many different shapes and forms in its free flow of goods and services across national borders. Cultural globalisation is one of those forms. Capcioglu (2008) refers to cultural globalisation as a “Global circulation of information, signs and symbols on a global scale and the reactions shown to the various socio-cultural transformations as a result of these conflicts.” Ritzer and Barber (1996) first coined cultural globalisation as ‘Americanisation’ and ‘McDonaldisation’, referring to the spread of western culture from the United States across the globe. The American image was beamed around the globe in the 1950’s and 1960’s through Disney cartoons, music videos, television programs, Hollywood movies and products such as McDonalds and Coca Cola. The global appeal of these goods and services was centred on the fact that America is seen as the place of modernity around the world. It is a culture that is rich, powerful and exciting and thus captures global appeal.
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.
Globalization has taken place in the past when state and empires expanded their influence far outside their border. However, one of the distinctions of globalization today is the speed with which it is transforming local culture as they took part in a worldwide system of interconnectedness. Through globalization, many cultures in the world have changed dramatically.
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