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GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURE 2
Introduction.
The concept of culture has always been difficult to describe especially in the modern
times where there is constant growth of globalization. The notion of globalization has brought
new viewpoints on cultural differences. The two main common views, are cultural convergence
and cultural differentialism, on the other hand the world has witnessed cultural hybridization
which is aa a result of recent globalization. Jan Pieterse book is thoughtfully discussed from
different perfectives. The authors argues that the world is seeing the establishment of global
Cultural differentialism is perhaps the oldest viewpoint which is frequently linked to the
The second viewpoint, which is cultural convergence, or the McDonaldization reinforces the
viewpoint, hybridization, which “refers to the politics of assimilation without the necessity of
When describing the cultural differentialism the book discusses “human mosaic” which
refers to cultural variety. I found this statement interesting and inspiring because it empowers the
readers like me to look beyond the common thinking process and understand that there are things
which can be fixed and static in terms of culture, it makes us to realize that there are things
which we have no control of. And since they are open-ended and fluid-like they can ultimately
GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURE 3
bring transformations into stability of the indigenous culture and generate the infiltration of
different cultures from other parts of the world. Therefore, cultural differentialism can be
considered as the first step of a long process of convergence or hybridization, or even both.
In support of Pieterse viewpoint Cabello (2014) offers a summary giving different writers’
models. The author notes that different writers to about the concepts globalization and culture
using a different language. For example, what Jan Pieterse refers to as differentialism
culture Hanner, defines it as peripheral corruption scenario, on the other hand Hall, calls it
hegemonic code, saturation scenario and global homogenization scenario. For hybridization,
Holton applies the same phrase, however, Hanner refers to it as the maturation scenario while
ANALYTICAL INSIGHTS.
identified with shallow and misleading generalizations about clashing civilizations and
homogenization. According to my view this piece of work offers a complex perspective, realer to
the ever-moving realities of 21st century life. As for the readers the books empower you to
establish yourself as a world-class philosopher giving you rich imagination about the world.
The homogenizing powers have the same effects as the heterogenizing powers. We are in a
globally linked world, we may assume that we are homogenized however this is not true. For
example, the Internet allows the homogenizing power of English language as the common
language of the globe. On the other hand, it empowers the speakers of several small dialects to
link up and build communal content such as local Wikipedia, dictionaries, and Social media. In
the past five decades, were there dictionaries or encyclopedias in regional vernaculars? No.
Majority of them were published in English. In modern times however we have, range of social
media or contents in different languages that allows knowledge creation in small languages.
In the globalized world, I have witnessed the spread of big companies such as Starbucks and
McDonalds everywhere around the globe. On the other hand, globalization lets cookeries or food
of various countries to be discovered by societies across the globe. Try to reflect on all the
quality Chinese, Indian, Mexican and Thai restaurants sprouting around the globe over the past
GLOBALIZATION AND CULTURE 5
two decades. Again, a linked world also allows people like me to discover different religious
conviction and spiritual routes which were formerly out of bound due to geographical distance. I
can be relaxing in Jakarta and discovering Taoism, Hinduism or many African as well as native
American religious conviction. In the past, my choices were very restricted to what local divine
Globalization gives a voice to different individuals from numerous cultures. Few years ago,
I could only depend on big media houses such as BBC and The New York Times to develop the
views and these viewpoints would form the majority views - highly biased on one culture. Today
we are being able to get numerous varied opinions heard as numerous filters are replaced by
democratic systems.
Globalization and culture starts a vicious attack on ‘anti hybridity backlash' with the
contemporary matters. Globalization forms cultural relations, new transformations, and new
diversity which Pieterse persuasively supports. Whether we support Pieterse’s Work or not, this
work is essential for people who want an intellectual and lively direction to the discussion about
In summary, there are numerous viewpoint which usually try to define the issue of
globalization and culture, however the topic still remains a heated debate. All in all, the effect of
globalization on culture has been widely felt across different cultures. Globalization has greatly
changed the way we see culture and the way we behave. In the past few decades we could hardly
pass the news from one continent to the other this has greatly changed due to the introduction of
technology and machinery which has further ignited the issue of globalization and its impacts on
approach to the globalization is vital as it can help us confront the ever growing conflicts which
References
Madrid: methaodos. working papers, nº2. ISBN: ISBN: 978-84-697-0316-8. Retrieved from:
https://www.methaodos.org/aworkingpapers/methaodoswp/methaodoswp2.pdf
Pieterse, J. N. (2015). Globalization and culture: (3 Ed.), Globalization and Culture: Global
Mélange. (pp.41-58). Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.