Global Culture and Cultural Flows

Cultural Differentialis

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Tracie Dean

Cultural Differentialism Culture diversity is a form of cultural

differentialism

Cultural differentialism emphasizes the fact that cultures are essentially different and are superficially affected by global flows

The process of globalization has involved the spread of religion which has impacted civilization for the past 2,000 years

Cultural Differentialism Culture differentialism defines culture as

a clearly bound entity with a specific geological location

Diverse cultures clearly have distinctions which allows observers to identify a specific component of a culture from another (i.e. French culture or Chinese culture each is distinct from one another)

Cultural Differentialism Each country has its own language,

values, norms, symbols, etc. A society which is not homogenous has

a few subcultures and countercultures which can sanctioned

Culture is clearly territorially bound. As culture adapts to its environment it changes very slowly and is long lasting

Cultural Differentialism Cultures cannot easily mix without

causing disruption Differentialism implies a cultural purity

that globalization threatens The Culturist differentialist argument

emphasizes the inherent differences between cultures and the destabilizing effects of cultural globalization

Cultural Differentialism Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations and

the Remaking of the World Order is a theory proposing that people’s cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post Cold War world

This theory was originally formulated in a 1992 lecture, then later developed in a 1993 Foreign Affairs article titled “The Clash of Civilizations” in response to Francis Fukuyama’s 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man

Cultural Differentialism Huntington’s thesis argues that a Sino-

Islamic connection is emerging in which China will cooperate more closely with Iran, Pakistan, and other states to augment its international position

Huntington also states that civilizational conflicts are “particularly prevalent between Muslims and non-Muslims”

Cultural Differentialism Huntington also sited some of the factors contributing to this

conflict that both Christianity (upon which Western civilization is based) and Islam share:

1. Missionary religions, seeking conversion of others2. Universal “all or nothing” religions, in the sense that only

their faith is the correct one3. Teleological religions, that is, that their values and beliefs

represent the goals of existence and purpose in human existence

Huntington has stated that all civilizations should adopt Western values which is another way of saying Western universalism

Cultural Hybridization

Sean Gillaspy

Cultural Hybridization Cultural Hybridization – Mixing of

cultures leading to unique combinations of those cultures that are not reducible to either global or local cultures

Example: the Muslim Girl Scouts, where the uniform and traditions are combined (Girl Scout Uniform with traditional Hijab head scarf

Cultural Hybridization Glocalization, meaning

interpenetration of the global and the local to produce unique outcomes in different geographic areas

Example: Salsa traditions, and how widely they vary around the world in each country where they are practiced, such as the U.S., Cuba, and Venezuela. In PR, the “New York” style is preferred, etc.

Cultural Hybridization Creolization, which is the combination

of languages and cultures that were formerly unknown to each other

Cultural Hybridization Hybridization, which are external flows

interacting with internal flows producing a unique cultural hybrid that combines their elements

Example: Thai boxing, Asian Rap, Chinese Tacos, Kosher Pizza

The Cultural “Landscapes” of Arjun Appadurai’s 5 Global Flows

Ethnoscapes, which are movements, real or imaged, of mobile groups and individuals

Examples: tourists, refugees, and guest workers

Cultural Hybridization Technoscapes, which are fluid, global

configurations of technology and the wide range of material that moves freely and quickly, at the internet’s pace, around the world

Examples: files, emails, information on websites

Cultural Hybridization Financescapes, which are high-speed

national movements of funding around the world

Example: the rapid pace at which the global recession of 2008 spread around the world

Cultural Hybridization Mediascapes, which contain

information and images capable of global technological transmission

Examples: Online blogs, independent films, newspapers and magazines

Cultural Hybridization Ideoscapes, which are flows of images,

primarily political in nature Example: state sponsored or rebel

sponsored information seeking political sway in a certain area of the world

Cultural Convergence

Sarah Arnold

Cultural Convergence Cultures are subject to many of the same global

flows and become increasingly more alike. Examples:

In Iran: Starcups and Kabooky Fried Chicken In the US: Bath and Body Works a copy of a British chain SUBWAY in 34,679 Restaurants in 98 Countries

From Subway’s International Homepage: “Wherever SUBWAY® restaurants are located, the core menu stays

relatively the same — with the exception of some cultural and religious variations. World travelers can expect the same high quality of ingredients regardless of what nation they are visiting. You can enjoy a footlong Turkey Breast Sub, with your choice of a variety of vegetables and condiments served on bread baked right in the restaurant in Jamaica, then travel to New Zealand and get the same footlong Turkey Breast Sub!”

Cultural Imperialism Cultural imperialism is the concept of one or

more cultures imposing on another and destroying its local culture.

-Traditional crafts and jobs- ex: Indian sari weavers and professional letter writers

replaced by mass production and technology.- Deterritorialization: culture is no longer constrained by geography

World Culture:The spread of global models (politics, business, education, family, religion, etc.) leading to cultural convergence.The result is isomorphism, or great uniformity throughout the world.

McDonaldization McDonaldization is the process by which the principles of fast-

food restaurants are coming to dominate more of the world. Five Basic Dimensions of McDonaldization:

Efficiency: social norms for both workers and consumers Calculability: emphasis on speed in prep and consumption Predictability: products, settings, employee and customer behavior

basically the same globally Control: comes from technologies, resulting in a less customized

experience for the consumer Irrationality of rationality: The idea that rationality leads to

irrationality. For example:

efficiencies are replaced by inefficiencies (long lines, long waits) dehumanization for employees and customers (eating in the car) increasing global homogeneity because of the system (same product

different country)

McDonaldization:Beyond Fast Food

Higher education Church Social work Sex

The system and principles of McDonaldization can work to varying degrees, but they often provoke resistance and can help lead to greater differences in certain parts of the world.

Globalization of “Nothing” Implies a growing convergence based

on the notion that nations are increasingly characterized by various forms of “nothing.”

Nothing- social forms lack distinctive content (chains)

Something- rich in distinctive content (local)

Four Sub-Types of Nothing Non-places: settings with no distinctive

content (malls, chain stores) Non-things: objects with no distinctive

content (chain store products, credit cards)

Non-people: employees associated with non-places (telemarketers)

Non-services: services with no distinctive content (ATMs)

Grobalization Imperialistic ambitions on the part of

corporations, nation-states, organizations to impose themselves across the globe to grow profits.

Capitalism, McDonaldization, and Americanization are all driving forces in grobalization and the spread of nothingness (increasing convergence).

Sports & Globalization First global sport was tennis (late 1800s) Modern Olympic games first held in Athens in 1896.

Originally 13 nations, now over 200 participate. Media broadcasts to vast audience (4 billion in 2004). Global corporations and brands as sponsors. Soccer is the most global. Its teams and stars, such as

Manchester United and David Beckham, are bigger than U.S. sports teams/stars.

Global sports companies: Nike, Adidas, Reebok. Logos are recognized worldwide.

Sports: The limited role of the U.S. The U.S. is not a hegemonic power when it comes to sports

(more players flow in rather than out of the U.S.) Baseball: slow to spread because of owner monopoly and

because it was so closely tied with American values. It was also not spread via colonialism. Japan: the baseball played in Japan looks the same but is different in

nature. Increased number of Japanese players in MLB.

-American football is almost exclusive to the U.S.-Basketball is becoming more global and the U.S. has more competition at the Olympic Games. Also, more foreign players are coming to the U.S. to play, and lesser U.S. players often compete for teams abroad.- However, the commercialization of sports was first evident in America (entertainment, celebrity, sports broadcasting).

Local, glocal, grobal glocal + grobal = unique product

influenced by the “scapes” of an area.

British grobalized cricket (nothing) and India has glocalized it (something).

The self-contained and highly local cannot be globalized (Gaelic football and hurling).