The Globalization of Culture Cultural Homogenization

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†¦show more content†¦Even now, most nations have adopted westernization as a means of remaining on the global circuit. As Suzuki points out in his study on Japan and China, Japan has tried to conform to the so called â€Å"standard of civili zation† so that it can be accepted in the western international society, whereas China has only selectively adopted some western elements to gain strength for the protection of its own culture against western impact (as cited in Buzan, 2010, p. 8). B. Syncretist Model In contrast to the one-way cultural exchange proposed by the Vanguardist model, the Syncretist model holds that cultural exchanges occur among all civilizations, because of which, cultures not only evolve internally, but also as a result of â€Å"encounters† with other cultures (Buzan, 2010, p. 10). For instance, Islam spread from the Middle East to Asia and Africa and Buddhism spread from India to East Asia. Moreover, as implied by Hobson, Europe imbibed the â€Å"technologies and commercial innovations† from China, Arabia and India, referred to as â€Å"oriental globalization† by Hobson (as cited in Buzan, 2010, p. 13). III. Effects of Globalization on Culture As is evident from the preceding discussion, globalization has greatly affected the culture of all nations worldwide. Some of these are discussed below: A. Effect on Habits Globalization has affected people’s habits in a multitude of ways. Be it eating, networking or entertainment. The same snacks and junk food are sharedShow MoreRelatedGlobalization : Positive And Negative Effects On Todays Society1582 Words   |  7 Pagesincreasingly growing at an all-time high and cultures are changing because of these changes, this has led to the world being more globalized. 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