Difference between revisions of "The Globalization of Culture (or Cultural Globalization)"

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According to [http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=11605&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Unesco], globalization may be either positive or negative, depending on our viewpoint. Nonetheless, culture in general, and cultural diversity in particular, is facing 3 challenges: 1) Globalization, in its powerful extension of market principles, by highlighting the culture of economically powerful nations, has created new forms of inequality, thereby fostering cultural conflict rather than cultural pluralism; 2) States are increasingly unable to handle on their own the cross-border flow of ideas, images and resources that affect cultural development; 3) The growing divide in literacy (digital and conventional) have made the cultural debates and resources an increasingly élitist monopoly, divorced from the capabilities and interests of more than half the world’s population who are now in danger of cultural and economical exclusion.  
According to [http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=11605&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Unesco], globalization may be either positive or negative, depending on our viewpoint. Nonetheless, culture in general, and cultural diversity in particular, is facing 3 challenges: 1) Globalization, in its powerful extension of market principles, by highlighting the culture of economically powerful nations, has created new forms of inequality, thereby fostering cultural conflict rather than cultural pluralism; 2) States are increasingly unable to handle on their own the cross-border flow of ideas, images and resources that affect cultural development; 3) The growing divide in literacy (digital and conventional) have made the cultural debates and resources an increasingly élitist monopoly, divorced from the capabilities and interests of more than half the world’s population who are now in danger of cultural and economical exclusion.  


To illustrate the current state of cultural diversity, Unesco mentions the following numbers:
To illustrate the current state of cultural diversity, [http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=11605&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html Unesco] mentions the following numbers:
    *The approximately 6000 languages that exist in the world do not all have the same number of speakers: only 4 % of the languages are used by 96 % of the world population.
- The approximately 6000 languages that exist in the world do not all have the same number of speakers: only 4 % of the languages are used by 96 % of the world population.
    *50 % of the world languages are in danger of extinction.
- 50 % of the world languages are in danger of extinction.
    *90 % of the world’s languages are not represented on the Internet.
- 90 % of the world’s languages are not represented on the Internet.
    *Some 5 countries monopolize the world cultural industries trade. In the field of cinema, for instance, 88 countries out of 185 in the world have never had their own film production.
- Some 5 countries monopolize the world cultural industries trade. In the field of cinema, for instance, 88 countries out of 185 in the world have never had their own film production.


== Enablers ==
== Enablers ==

Revision as of 11:37, 16 September 2009

This page is being edited by Rosalie Kuyvenhoven EMBA09. In case of any questions/remarks contact me.

Description:

Globalization refers to the rapidly developing and ever densening network of interconnections and interdependencies that characterize modern social life [1]. One implication is that people, and also cultures, are being drawn together. Some people think this will lead to a single global culture. However, this process is considered to be uneven: the Western world, and especially America, dominates the global culture. In the last 50 years the US culture has dominated much of the global electronic culture (films, tv). This resulted in a huge impact of the American lifestyle and personal value system on cultures that are both remote from the US geographically and culturally. Consuming the products of this industry results in a consistent change of the indigenous culture’s values, affecting its language, its social structure and even its appearance (from clothes and cars to billboards and advertisements).

The dominant cultural perspective of globalization today is the fear that globalization will bring uniformity and not unity. Western (American) brands like Coca-Cola, Walt Disney and Microsoft might totally dominate global culture at the cost of non-western cultural traditions [2].

According to Unesco, globalization may be either positive or negative, depending on our viewpoint. Nonetheless, culture in general, and cultural diversity in particular, is facing 3 challenges: 1) Globalization, in its powerful extension of market principles, by highlighting the culture of economically powerful nations, has created new forms of inequality, thereby fostering cultural conflict rather than cultural pluralism; 2) States are increasingly unable to handle on their own the cross-border flow of ideas, images and resources that affect cultural development; 3) The growing divide in literacy (digital and conventional) have made the cultural debates and resources an increasingly élitist monopoly, divorced from the capabilities and interests of more than half the world’s population who are now in danger of cultural and economical exclusion.

To illustrate the current state of cultural diversity, Unesco mentions the following numbers: - The approximately 6000 languages that exist in the world do not all have the same number of speakers: only 4 % of the languages are used by 96 % of the world population. - 50 % of the world languages are in danger of extinction. - 90 % of the world’s languages are not represented on the Internet. - Some 5 countries monopolize the world cultural industries trade. In the field of cinema, for instance, 88 countries out of 185 in the world have never had their own film production.

Enablers

  • Modern transportation and communication techniques enable quick and easy interaction between countries and cultures
  • Loosening of old traditions and cultural structures
  • Power of big companies
  • Increased wealth enables people to buy (western) goods
  • High costs for complete local programming
  • Internet advertising and information
  • Advertising of imported products
  • Content of TV/films/music that perpetuates further consumption of US products and brands
  • Acceptance of cheap entertainment from the US for syndication
  • Satellite TV

Inhibitors

  • Support of indigenous culture by local governments and NGOs
  • Anti-globalists movements
  • Creating local brands that celebrate locality instead of globalization
  • Subsidizing local brands, increase price of global brands
  • Education
  • Localized programming
  • Limiting syndicated programming

Paradigms

1. Globalization is not a process based on equality. In fact, the Western (American) world dominates the global culture

2. The US creates the entertainment products, sells them abroad, and they perpetuate US-based model for a society. Individuals are self-brainwashed by these to accept this model and further consume that culture’s products.

Experts

Anthropologists

Timing

15th century: Discovery of new lands and cultures by Marco Polo and Columbus

20th century: Progress in communication and transport technology has enabled us to overcome geographical boundaries and revolutionize our way of living.

In 2010 various programming agencies get together to formulate alternatives to US entertainment. By 2015 90% of the programming around the world is originating from the US. Local cinema industries, with few European exceptions along with India and China, are producing a very small percentage of the movies shown in each country. A growing number of languages used around the world is adopting more and more English terms instead of using their own words to describe words that originate in the US.

Web Resources

1. Globalization of Culture - to what End? A "Marxisit" (i.e. critical) View of the problem

2. The International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA) is a private sector coalition formed in 1984 to represent the U.S. copyright-based industries in bilateral and multilateral efforts to improve international protection of copyrighted materials.

3. To see UNESCO’s view on the subject

4. About Indigenous languages under threat

5. Academic paper by John Thomlinson discussing views on cultural globalization