Thursday, October 10, 2019

Cultural Globalization – Eric de Jong


Summary:
The article “Cultural Globalization” by John Tomlinson describes the relationship between globalization and one of its dimensions, culture.

Tomlinson starts of by talking about the complexities of globalization in general. He tells us that in a simple way globalization is a complex process of global connectivity. Tomlinson describes that globalization can be categorized in a network of interconnections of the social, economic and cultural life in the world basically a description of these dimensions and its relationships. Globalization is the way how we communicate and make living on the communication of these dimensions. Tomlinson describes examples such as the influence of terrorist attacks or our worries about global warming.
Tomlinson tells us that cultural globalization has a big influence on our capitalist system and the other way around. But he warns us that we must resist to speak of a causality between culture and our economic realm. Firstly, because there is an impractical narrow view on our economic. And secondly, because it negatively influences our view on the understanding of culture related to globalization.
To clarify this more Tomlinson goes on about the meaning of the concept of culture. He says culture is a construct created to give life meaning, it is something that is shared by others. Tomlinson says culture has a consequentiality for globalization, he names the example of hunger strikes which is a cultural decision but can have globalizing consequences.
He names cultural globalization as the ‘reflexivity’ of modern life, where small individuals actions of social institutions make for the drive of our lives.
In short he points out that culture as a dimension both generates and shapes globalization, and the other way around.

Tomlinson then goes on to talk about if there is a global culture. He starts of by talking about the speculation of globalization creating a single global culture and names an example of the economic sphere where a global market provides the model. Yet Tomlinson counters that by giving examples of areas where globalization is not so notable, for example in Africa. He says globalization is a distributed process with areas of more density and less density.
Though there are fears of a total global culture because of western-imperialism, such as Americanization or in general big companies taking over traditions, Coca-Cola for example.
Tomlinson fears the issue of global distribution of goods much more. 

Tomlinson goes on about the increasing wave of anti-Western feelings, specifically in Muslim parts of the world. Globalization causes quite opposite cultures to be in contact with each other, leading to contending cultural clashes.

Then Tomlinson gives an example of early globalization, or a global culture, with the use cartography around the 12th century. It showed the world as one place only divided by rivers and the sea surrounding the continent. It was inspired by the Christian unification of the world.
Tomlinson argues that a universal culture is not restricted to religious beliefs or pre-modern cultures but is a part of what he calls the ‘European Enlightenment rationality’ otherwise known as cosmopolitanism.
Tomlinson gives another example of the depiction of global culture via Karl Marx. He talks about how the manifesto which Marx wrote stated a communist future of the world without divisions of nations. He sees that in his manifesto Marx is very Eurocentric and is in favor of destroying any non-European cultures.
Tomlinson says that we can learn from Marx that universalizing thoughts of a global culture can exist next to rational humanistic visions.

Next Tomlinson goes in on the cultural challenge that globalization faces via deterritorialization, the loss of relations of culture regarding geographical and social areas. He says that culture is no longer tied to local circumstances, although there is a common conception about this. Tomlinson that this might be the most far-reaching effect of cultural globalization. Yet Tomlinson says that local, geographic places still maintain a distinctive culture. Deterritorialization implies that distant experiences weaken the hold on local customs in our modern-day life.
Tomlinson says that our increasing use of and dependence of electronic media communications and systems is at the root of deep cultural changes, otherwise known as telemediatization. This concept can be seen as a cultural activity and now a days can define our existence as a social being in this world.
All this connectivity and speed can have an impact on our cultural values, Tomlinson gives the example of patience.
He closes by saying that deterritorialization can give a new sense of cultural openness, human equality and ethical responsibilities.

Lastly, Tomlinson talks more about cosmopolitanism and cultural identity. The author suggests that we should take cosmopolitanism seriously, we should try to get a better understanding and ultimately reconcile the values of cultural differences with our belief of a bigger global human community.
He then goes on about the understanding of cultural identity. Some people think of cultural identity as belonging and see it as a existential collection of experiences and geographical locations and of collective treasures of local communities. To protect their cultural identity they oppose globalization What Tomlinson points out, though, is that cultural identity can differ in any kind of different context.

What was interesting/what did you learn:
What I found interesting was that culture nowadays is more connected than you think, even though some people claim their culture to be as something of historical inheritance. What we find out more and more is how all cultures influence each other and make for cultural changes. Then of course the question can arise weather if culture really is something to be owned by a specific group or was actually already something of the people of the world, because in essence everybody contributed to it.

Discussion Point:
My discussion point regards how we see that telemediatization is changing our culture. Do you think that telemediatization will have different impacts per culture or will that be the factor leading to a total global culture?

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