The Globalization of Culture: Cultural Homogenization

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Cultural individuality and distinctiveness is the pride of every nation. All communities rejoice in the richness and exoticness of their own cultural symbols, be it dressing, architecture, language or way-of-life. With the dawn of globalization, however, cultural variety and distinguishing characteristics are vanishing; giving rise to a monoculture common to all. While this may be a harbinger of unity and relatedness among all people of the world, it also damages the unique cultural identities they once took pride in. This paper discusses the effects of globalization on culture, along with its positive and negative effects. Since the effects of globalization on culture are non-exhaustive, it is attempted to incorporate a few of the most significant ones. The origins of globalization are also discussed.

I. Globalization—Towards a Homogenous Culture

A. What is Globalization

As Yazdani, (2009, p. 54) writes, globalization refers to the growing “interconnectedness” of peoples and nations from all over the world via investment, trade, and travel. According to him, globalization is the transformation process in which “local/regional phenomena” are converted into “global ones”. Globalization is viewed from various perspectives, such as social, economic as well as cultural (Sanagavarapu, 2010, p. 36). A major consequence of globalization is the increase in transnational transportation, especially migration to “western and industrialized societies” (Castles & Miller, 1998; Papastergiadis, 2000 as cited in Sanagavarapu, 2010, p. 36).

B. A Mono-Cultural World

It is an indomitable fact that globalization is diminishing physical boundaries between nations and increasing cultural homogeneity, as more and more people from different culture...

... middle of paper ...

...pts are taking place, the world is still accelerating towards cultural homogenization and a mono-cultural identity.

Works Cited

Buzan, B. (2010). Culture and international society. International Affairs, 86, 1-25.

Haynes, J. (2010). Democratisation in the Middle East and North Africa: What is the Effect of Globalisation? Totalitarian Movements and Political Religions, 11, 133-149.

Jaenicke, U. (2010). Does globalization affect our dreams? An inquiry into the subject matter of dreaming. International Forum of Psychoanalysis, 19, 92-97.

Sanagavarapu, P. (2010). What does cultural globalisation mean for parenting in immigrant families in the 21st century? Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 32, 36-42.

Yazdani, E. (2009). Globalization and the Role of Islam in the post-Soviet Central Asia. Alternatives: Turkish Journal of International Relations, 8, 53-69.

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