CULTURAL

GLOBALIZATION
BELIEF AND TRADITIONS
Definition

OBJECTIVES

 Explain how globalization affects, traditions, religious

practices and beliefs;
 Recognize connection of beliefs and traditions to Cultural
Globalization
Definition

WHAT ISISGLOBALIZATION?
WHAT GLOBALIZATION?

 Globalization is the word used to describe the growing

interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and
populations, brought about by cross-border trade in
goods and services, technology, and flows of investment,
people, and information. Countries have built economic
partnership to facilitate these movements over many
centuries.
Globalization
AS A TOOL FOR PROSPERITY AND PEACE
 After the world war II, the united states helped build a global economic
order governed by mutually accepted rules and overseen by
multilateral institutions. The idea was to create a better world with
countries seeking to cooperate with one another to promote prosperity
and peace.

 The institutions established include:

 IMF - International Monetary Fund (established 1944 with 189 member countries)
 UN – United Nations (Established 1945 with 193 countries)
 WB – World Bank (Established 1945 with 189 member countries)
 WTO – World Trade Organizations (Established 1948, as the General Agreement on Tariffs
and Trade (GATT) Replaced by the WTO with 164 member countries.
 NATO – North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Established 1949 with 29 member countries)
Definition

WHAT IS CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION?

 Refers to the rapid movement of ideas, attitudes,

meanings, values and cultural products across national
borders.
 It refers specifically to idea that there is now a global and
common mono-culture-transmitted and reinforced by the
internet, popular entertainment transnational marketing of
particular brands and international tourism – that
transcends local cultural traditions and lifestyles, and that
shapes the perceptions, aspirations, tastes and everyday
activities of people wherever they may live in the world.
Definition
WHAT IS CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION?

 The circulation of cultures enables individuals to partake in

extended social relations that cross national and regional
borders. The creation and expansion of such social
relations is not merely observed on material level. Cultural
globalisation involves the formation of shared norms and
knowledge with which people associate their individual
and collective cultural identities . It brings
interconnectedness among different populations and
cultures.
Cultural Globalization
MIGRATION
 Is an important aspect of cultural globalisation, and in
this sense, this process has been going on for several
centuries, with languages, religious beliefs, and values
being spread by military conquest, missionary work,
and trade. However, in the last 30 years, the process of
cultural globalisation has dramatically intensified due
technological advances both transportation and
communications technology.
Cultural Globalization
Globalization of Food

 Is one of the most obvious examples of cultural

globalisation – food consumption in an important aspects
of culture and most societies around the world have
diets that are unique to them, however the cultural
globalisation of food has been promoted by fast food
giants such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola and Starbucks.
The spread of these global food corporations has
arguably led to the decline of local diets and eating
traditions.
Cultural Globalization
Globalization of Sports

 Is another fairly obvious example of cultural globalisation –

think of all the international sporting events that takes
place - most notably the World Cup and The Olympics,
and formula 1 which bind millions together in a shared, truly
global, leisure experience.
Cultural Globalization

Globalization and Culture: Its Interaction

 It allows people to communicate more with each other and

learn about each other.
 Expansion of cultural contacts in the modern world,
communication and knowledge to bridge gaps between
nations. It contributes to the expansion of expansion of
cultural ties and human migration.
Cultural Globalization

Globalization and Culture: Its Interaction

 However, is it continuing the dangerous loss of unique cultural identity

causing them to look like a frequently simply faceless.
 Potential loss of cultural identity lies in the growing threat of
ASSIMILATION – absorption of low culture of the larger, dissolution
culturally minority in the culture of a great nation.
 Preservation of culture identity in contemporary society was measured
as the highest achievement of civilisation. Previously, it did not pay
attention, so absorb by another, one nation, dissolving without the rest of
the conquered people.
Cultural Globalization

Converging Global Consumption Patterns

 Today you can go to pretty much any major city in the world and
share in a similar consumption experience. Also, more and more
people in Asia and South – America are coming to enjoy high-
consumption lifestyles like in the west – Car ownership and tourism
are both on the increase globally for example. Central to this is the
growth of similar styles of shopping malls, and leisure parks which
provide a homogeneous cultural experience in different regions
across the world.
Cultural Globalization

The Global Village/ Global Consciousness

 Individuals and families are now more directly plugged into
news from outside the world - some of the most gripping
events of the past decade have unfolded in real time in
front of a global audience.

 According to Giddens this means that more and more

people have ‘Global Outlook’ and increasingly identify with
global audience.

 For example : television reporting of natural disasters in

developing countries result in people in wealthier countries
donating money to charities to assist relief efforts.
Cultural Globalization

The Global Village/ Global Consciousness

 Giddens developed the concept of “COSMOPOLITANISM”
to describe this process of an emerging global identity.

“A criticism of Gidden is that some people perceived

increasing globalisation as a threat to their ways of life and
retreat into fundamentalism and/or Nationalism as a
defensive response, suggesting that Globalisation could go
into reverse …”

 In his classic 1999 text, Runway World, Anthony Giddens argues that one
consequence of globalisation is DETRADITIONALISATION.
The Global Village/Global Consciousness

DETRADITIONALISATION
 Where people question their traditional beliefs about religion,
marriage, and gender roles and so on. Gidden used the concept
of “Detraditionalisation” rather tha “Decline of Tradition” to reflect
the fact that in many cases people continue with their traditional
ways of life, rather than actually changing them.

 The very fact that they are now actively questioning aspects of
their lives means cultures are much less stable and less
predictable than before globalisation, because more people are
aware of the fact that there are alternative ways of doing things.
Cultural Globalization
Positive Influences

 Globalization in Cultural aspect allows self-representation and

information sharing on a whole new level. It also allows the
indigenous people to voice out their concerns and promote
awareness and provide public knowledge and understanding of
their stories and identities – allowing them to retain diversity.
 The positive spin off is the greater the opportunity for employment
in the service industry of locals.
Cultural Globalization

Negative Influences

 As a result of globalization may indigenous groups are

being widely exploited through the tourism industry. The
increasing ease to access of these cultures. Tourist often
view indigenous groups as quaint relics of the past that
they can observe and report back to their friends and
families.
Cultural Globalization

Negative Influences
 Even the display of cultural practices (dances etc.) may not be
accurate reflections of traditions as they may be altered for the
entertainment of the tourist. Also the use of tradition for entertainment
simply commercializes the local cultures to the point where its
significance me be compromised.
 The fear of the indigenous groups is that this global pressure on their
culture is only going to lead to the erosion of their traditional values to
the point that there will be only one large homogenous culture world
wide.
Cultural Globalization

RELIGION AND GLOBALIZATION

 As goods and finance crisscross across the globe, globalization shifts the
cultural makeup of the globe and creates a homogenized “global
culture”. This process has truly made the world a smaller place in which
political, social, and economic events elsewhere effects individuals
anywhere. as a result, individuals “search for constant time and space
bounded identities” in a world ever changing by the day. One such is is
Religion.
Cultural Globalization

GLOBALIZATION IN RELIGION

 The relationship between globalization and religion is one with new

possibilities and furthering challenges.

 Religion takes advantage of communication and transportation

technology, it is at the same time the source of globalization’s
resistance by acting as a haven for those standing in opposition to its
power.
Cultural Globalization

Impacts of Globalization on Belief and Religion

 From religious or theological perspectives, globalization calls
forth religious response and interpretation. Globalization can be seen
as being hardwired into humans, in the form of a basic urge for a better
life. This instinct results in the spread of globalization through commerce,
religion, politics, and warfare.
 Globalization has diverse, even paradoxical implications for religion:
o First, religion is being eroded because of extensive and intensive
secularization process.
o Second, religion is being strengthened because of resistance to
globalization.
o Third, religion is declining but it has developed new identities of
hybridity.
 Thank you!

Prepared by:

JEROME SARDUAL