Cultural Globalisation: Greater Impact Than Any Other Form Of Globalisation? Flashcards
define cultural globalisation
cultural globalisation is the process whereby the cultural differences between nations are flattened out, creating a global, uniform culture often referred to as a monoculture
people across the world are listening to the same music, eating the same food, watching the same films and so on
however, the extent to which cultural globalisation has had a greater impact than any other form of globalisation is widely debated
arguments to suggest that cultural globalisation has had a greater impact on the world order than any other form of globalisation
led to the spread of individualism
led to the spread of consumerism
led to the rise of militant Islamism
arguments to suggest that cultural globalisation has NOT had a greater impact on the world order than any other form of globalisation
individualism has been resisted by many countries
many local cultures have been strengthened rather than flattened out
both political and economic globalisation have led to the creation of far more significant institutions
conclusion
but overall, it is clear that cultural globalisation has played a major role in world politics and therefore seems to have had a greater impact than any other form of globalisation
spread of individualism
SPREAD OF INDIVIDUALISM
Firstly, cultural globalisation can be said have had a greater impact on the world than any other form of globalisation because it has led to the spread of individualism, which is the belief in the importance of the individual over any social group or collective body.
Previously, people had been seen primarily as members of their social groups and tended not to be seen as having their own interests or possessing unique identities that extended beyond their local or national cultures.
However, with cultural globalisation, individualism has spread and people are now far less tied to specific groups because a truly global culture has developed.
For example, a study by Santos, Varnum, and Grossmann found that both individualistic practices and values have increased across the globe.
Specifically, individualism has increased by about 12% worldwide since 1960.
Only 4 of the countries studied – Cameroon, Malawi, Malaysia, and Mali – showed a decrease in individualistic practices, while 34 out of 41 countries showed a notable increase.
Santos points out that this data indicates that “overall, most countries are moving towards greater individualism”
This can be linked to developments which have been made possible by cultural globalisation, such as the spread of democracy (by 2003, 63% of the world’s states exhibited key features of liberal-democratic governance) and the emergence of a human rights-based culture.
There has clearly been a move towards a single global community built around individualism and a belief that the individual is more important than the group, arguably rooting from cultural globalisation.
Therefore, cultural globalisation can be said to have had a greater impact on the world than any other form of globalisation as it has majorly shaped the values that are accepted globally.
some countries have resisted individualism
SPREAD OF INDIVIDUALISM
Nevertheless, global sceptics would argue that the rise of individualism and therefore the impact of cultural globalisation should not be overstated given that some countries have resisted individualism.
Individualism has been readily accepted in the Western world, but it has also been successfully resisted in Catholic societies in Europe and many countries elsewhere that have maintained collectivist values.
For example, China is a highly collectivist culture in which the group, rather than the individual, is of central importance and this Chinese collectivism is the opposite of the individualism seen in the Western world.
This suggests that the world has not been reshaped by cultural globalisation as many countries have resisted being a part of a ‘uniform culture’ based on individualism.
But while it’s true that some countries have resisted individualism, what is more significant is the general trend towards individualism seen on a global scale, with the majority of countries becoming less collectivist and adopting more liberal values. Therefore, cultural globalisation seems to have had a great impact on the world, possibly more than any other form of globalisation.
spread of consumerism
SPREAD OF CONSUMERISM
aside from leading to the spread of individualism, cultural globalisation has also led to the spread of consumerism which suggests that it has in fact heavily impacted world politics
Consumerism involves personal happiness being equated with the consumption of material possessions
Cultural globalisation has involved a process of ‘Coca-Colonisation’, which has in turn led to the emergence of global goods and brands that dominate economic markets all across the world, creating an image of bland uniformity.
For example, Coca Cola is undeniably one of the most recognised brands in the world, with an estimated 94% of the world’s population recognising the logo. It is sold in more than 200 countries and approximately 1.9 billion Coca Cola drinks are consumed each day. With 7.5 billion humans on the planet, each person will consume at least 1 Coca Cola product every 4 days.
It is clear that the world is becoming a place where the same cultural commodities are consumed regardless of national borders.
Ben Barber describes this uniformity of culture, specifically the spread of American culture, as pressing nations into a single “commercially homogenous theme park”, creating a “shimmering scenario of integration and uniformity in which people everywhere are mesmerised by fast music, fast computers and fast food”
As a result of cultural globalisation, the world appears to be dominated by US norms and lifestyles, which often overwhelm more vulnerable cultures. Therefore, cultural globalisation has had a greater impact on the world than any other form of globalisation.
strengthened local culture
STRENGTHENED LOCAL CULTURE
Contrastingly, it can be argued that cultural globalisation has not created a uniform culture but has actually only strengthened local cultures, thus reinforcing the existing norms of nationalism, which suggests that it has not necessarily had a greater impact on the world than any other form of globalisation.
For example, nationalism is still very much prominent and there has been a history of conflict between Russia and Chechnya, with Chechen separatists declaring independence in 1991 and the First Chechen War breaking out in 1994, largely due to ethnic nationalism
Similarly, Catalonia’s independence movement, which seeks the independence of Catalonia from Spain, has roots in Catalan cultural nationalism
Likewise, nationalism and the nation state, as seen in Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrine, is still strong
These examples demonstrate that many cultures and groups of people are resisting being absorbed into a single global culture, instead people are emphasising their own local cultures and placing independence and distinction above all else
This challenges the idea that a global culture has developed, suggesting that cultural globalisation has not had a greater impact than either political or economic globalisation.
rise in non-state actors
LED TO A RISE IN NON-STATE ACTORS
while it may not have led to the creation of international organisations, cultural globalisation has led to the rise in non-state actors that are playing an increasing role in international relations and are constantly challenging state sovereignty
A backlash to cultural globalisation has emerged in recent years as it has been seen as a form of cultural imperialism and Americanisation.
This has led to a rise in anti-globalisation, anti-capitalist and green movements, which see globalisation, including cultural globalisation, as responsible for poverty, inequality and environmental degradation.
There has also been a rise in religious fundamentalism to combat cultural flattening by globalisation.
Cultural globalisation has arguably contributed to this rise of militant Islam, which defines today’s world politics. In certain parts of the Muslim world, the encounter with Americanisation and the perceived cultural imperialism of globalisation has inspired abhorrence towards the West, specifically the US. This has encouraged the view that the West is morally bankrupt and an enemy of Islam.
This backlash is seen to threaten the existing global order, leading to an increased chance of conflict and weakening the ability of international institutions to tackle global issues. As cultural globalisation is a major factor behind these backlashes, cultural globalisation has had an equal, if not greater, impact on the world than political or economic globalisation.
other types of globalisation have had more of an impact
OTHER TYPES OF GLOBALISATION HAVE HAD MORE OF AN IMPACT
Finally, cultural globalisation may not have had a greater impact than political or economic globalisation.
After all, political and economic globalisation has led to the creation of numerous highly powerful and influential international organisations, in a way that cultural globalisation hasn’t.
For example, the United Nation is a powerful political organisation that works to maintain peace and security on an international level.
It has had numerous successes such as in Sierra Leone (1999 – 2005) when UN peacekeepers successfully prevented the country relapsing into conflict while a peace agreement was put in place. UN soldiers helped to destroy thousands of weapons and disarm thousands of fighters, including child soldiers. Sierra Leone now provides peacekeeping troops of its own in Somalia.
Furthermore, an example of an organisation rooting from economic globalisation is the International Monetary Fund, which aims to maintain the stability of the international financial system by monitoring the system of exchange rates and international payments. It has considerable power in its 189 members and is one of the world’s leading international organisations.
However, cultural globalisation has not led to the establishment of any significant international organisations like political and economic globalisation has, and as such organisations are becoming some of the leading actors on the global stage, cultural globalisation may not have had a greater impact than political or economic globalisation.
