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Cultural globalisation refers to the transmission of ideas, meanings and values around the world in such a way as to extend and intensify social relations.
Through the democraticisation of international travel and propagation of technological tools like the Internet, we now see an era marked by the common consumption of cultures across the world. This is not to say that cultural globalisation is something new. Through the spreading of religion by traders along the silk road, to colonialists claiming the rest of the world as part of their sphere of influence, we see the different cultures of the world being interwoven into a vibrant tapestry.
Indeed, the interaction of the different cultures enables individuals to partake in extended social relations that cross national and regional borders. But while the increasing interconnectedness among different populations and cultures lends itself to an excitingly eclectic experience, others may be threatened by the consequent diminishing of deep-rooted traditions.
To best understand cultural globalisation -- and by extension, the topic of globalisation as a whole -- one needs to identify and understand the tensions that exist between opposing values and ideas.
Think:
Think:
Does globalisation unite or fragment?
Are we seeing a global “clash of civilisations”?
3 Social Globalisation.mp4Lecture clip: Cultural/social globalisation
Lecture clip: Cultural/social globalisation
RV department lecture
Does globalisation unite or fragment our cultures, identities & values?
Are we seeing a global "clash of civilisations' (Samuel Huntington)?
Duration: 9:08
It is easy to see this homogenization in terms of loss of diversity, identity or the westernization of society. But, the rapid pace of change also raises the more interesting question of why – over our relatively short history - humans have had so many distinct cultures in the first place.
Think:
If diversity is a part of our psychological make-up, how we will fare in a world that is increasingly bringing together people from different cultural backgrounds and traditions?
Almost 400m people speak it as their first language; a billion more know it as a secondary tongue. It is an official language in at least 59 countries, the unofficial lingua franca of dozens more. It is aspirational: the golden ticket to the worlds of education and international commerce, a parent’s dream and a student’s misery, winnower of the haves from the have-nots. It is inescapable: the language of global business, the internet, science, diplomacy, stellar navigation, avian pathology. And everywhere it goes, it leaves behind a trail of dead: dialects crushed, languages forgotten, literatures mangled.
Think:
Think:
What do societies gain or lose when they adopt the English Language?
In just a few decades, South Korean culture has taken the world by storm. Since the country’s democratisation in the late 1980s, the relaxation of censorship, the reduction of travel restrictions, and the push to diversify the economy have all contributed to the global spread of its culture. This hasn’t occurred by accident. Hallyu, or the ‘Korean wave’ of culture, has been a deliberate tool of soft power.
Think:
Think:
How does the Kpop industry help serve the interests of the Korean government?
See: Young people in China want traditional Han clothing back in fashion
See: Young people in China want traditional Han clothing back in fashion
Think:
How do foreign cultures affect individuals living within a society?
Why would individuals want to hold on to traditional culture?
What difficulties would individuals face when they try to hold on to traditions?
Duration: 6:23
Cantonese is the lingua franca of Hong Kong, and language is intimately tied to Hong Kongers’ identity as one that is distinct from the mostly Mandarin-speaking mainland. As China has tightened its grip over Hong Kong in recent years, speaking Mandarin and using simplified Chinese characters—as opposed to the traditional type used in Hong Kong and Taiwan—in the semi-autonomous city has even come to be regarded as taboo by some of the younger generation.
Think:
How does language empower communities?
Conversely, how might eradicating languages harm local communities?
Researchers from around the world went through 50 years of data gathered by the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization to identify trends in the global menu. They found that human diets have grown increasingly similar—by a global average of around 36%—as a few staple crops like wheat and maize (corn) and soybeans come to play a bigger and bigger part of mealtime, displacing regional crops like cassava and sorghum.
Think:
Why would Netflix aspire for more representation of minorities in their shows?
How would this greater diversity affect a global audience?
Can you identify other media outlets that have leveraged on presenting greater diversity?
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