MODULE 3 – World of Regions What is the Connection of Cold War in the Global Divides?

Lesson 1 – Global Divides During this time, countries are being categorize according to its alignment
between Russia-East and the America- West. After the fall of Russia, they
In the previous Module, you learn the structure of globalization, history tells were classified as Second World Country together with China. America now
us that whatever system that the world is using in the contemporary world was classified as First World Country together with European countries. This
are the products of interconnections among nations through alliances, categorization left out many countries which were poorer than First World
forming global networks and institutions. The world has been divided even and Second World countries. This “poorer” countries were categorized now
during the early times as East and West, it is further given emphasis during as the Third World countries. In the contemporary world, global north
the exploration, colonization and imperialism age. Before you go further, comprises of countries belongs to more economically developed countries
answer the activity will test your prior knowledge. Don’t be scared because MEDC’s on the other hand global south comprises of countries belongs to
this is not recorded least develop countries LEDC’s. But there are exceptions like Australia, New
Zealand, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea,
Defining Global North and Global South
CHARACTERISTICS OF GLOBAL NORTH AND SOUTH
Geographically speaking, the term North referring to the countries belonging
in the Northern hemisphere, which includes the Western countries America,
Europe and Africa, while on the other hand, South referring mostly to the
Asian countries. Sawe (2017) pointed out that in the contemporary world, the
global division use to categorize the countries level according to its socio-
economic and political stability and not just of it geographical location.

The International Monetary Fund and World Bank use mechanisms in

determining the level of development among countries, such as the GDP
income per capita, level of industrialization, and infrastructure and
technological advancement. Noneconomic factor such as Human Capital
Investment (HDI), which quantifies the country’s level in terms of quality of
education, literacy, and health are also use in determining the degree of
economic development (Majaski, 2019).

What is Global North in the Contemporary World?

Global North refers to countries that are politically and economically stable,
also referred as “rich” and “develop countries”, more economically develop
countries MEDC’s, this includes the members of Group of 8 or the “G8”
(United States, France, Russia, Germany, Italy, United Kingdom, Canada, and
Japan). But in 2014, Russia was indefinitely suspended from the group after
annexing Crimea, an autonomous public of Ukraine, G8 is now referred as G7.
(Liberto, 2020). What makes the Global North “rich” and “develop”? Genrally, Why is that, as you go more on Southern part of the world it becomes poor
this countries have good economic standing, better quality living and quality and less developed? And as you go Northern, becomes richer and developed?
of life (Ferrer, 2018) There are theories that explains this situation of the world.

What is Global South in the Contemporary World? 1. Functionalist Perspective of Inequality

Global South refer as the “underdevelop countries”, “developing” the “poor • It is a belief that "inequality is not only inevitable but also
side” and “Third World Countries Butler (2020). These are mainly under necessary for the smooth functioning of society.”
develop agricultural countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America. Generally, • Economic inequality, is the unequal distribution of income and
countries that suffer from high poverty, high child mortality, low economic opportunity between different groups in society. It is a concern in
and educational development, and vulnerable to exploitation by large almost all countries around the world and often people are
corporations and industrialized nations, and they have high foreign debts trapped in poverty with little chance to climb up the social ladder
levels • Social inequality, is the issue pertaining to the lack of housing,
health care, education, employment opportunities, and status
When and How the Concept Begun?
2. Modernization theory
The Rise of Colonialism
• Is used to explain the process of modernization within societies.
As early as 17th century, during the age of exploration and colonization, the Refers to a model of a progressive transition from a 'pre-modern'
world was divided into West and East by Spain and Portugal. They compete or 'traditional' to a 'modern' society. (Talcott Parsons) Poverty is
in exploring the world for the purpose of finding gold and silver, since this is fundamental human condition
the means of measuring the wealth and power of a nation.
• First countries to adopt modern technologies, attitudes, and
This competition led to the signing of Treaty of Tordesillas, were they divide institutions will turn to be the most wealth and successful
the exploration route to east and west. Spain explore most of the Asian
countries like the Philippines in which it was incidentally found, because • Countries that hold on to traditional views and process will fall
originally they are looking for the Moluccas Island. behind until modern corporations and novel technological
advancements eventually overtake traditional institutions.
In the 19th and 20th century Britain and France was the leading colonial
powers, they were able to rule the whole African continent. The purpose now 3. Dependency Theory
is not just to find gold and silver, but to conquest established political and
economic power. Britain established colonies in America, and Asia, they • Can be defined as an explanation of the economic development
founded the East India Company, Netherlands, Dutch East India Company, of a state in terms of external influences- political, economic, and
where in they monopolize the trading and commerce in India. cultural- on national development policies (Raúl Prebisch)

The decline of Western Kingdoms, led to the global changes such as, the • Colonial imperialism, Exploits other countries by excessive
decline of monarchial type of government system, abolition of monopoly in exportation of resources, taking additional profits and controlling
trading. New world order emerged when America and Russia arose into through neo-colonialism
power, such as introducing a new political, governmental and economic
system, America pursuing democracy and capitalism, while on the other • Poverty is created as a result of capitalism, imperialism, and
hand, Russia pursued the socialism and communism. colonialism

After WWII, colonize countries were given freedom and establish its own 4. Neoliberalism Theory
government and secure its sovereignty but they still dependent to powerful
nations like America in terms of economics and governance. • policy model—bridging politics, social studies, and economics—
that seeks to transfer control of economic factors to the private
 sector from the public sector. It tends towards free-market organization that will support the welfare and development of the region.
capitalism and away from government spending, regulation, and The ASEAN Association of Southeast Asia Nations, under the banner of
public ownership. cooperative peace and prosperity, its chief projects centre on economic
cooperation, the promotion of trade among ASEAN
Furthermore, countries that have a high Human Development Index, GDP
income per capita, with technological advancement most likely offer a quality The Post-Cold War motivated the third phase of the development of Asian
of living among its people. The pursuit of happiness may vary among people, regionalism. ASEAN during this time remained the centre of regionalism, to
it can be quantify according to the quality of life, such as material wealth, develop strong economic ties among nations, ASEAN Free Trade Area was
good health, quality education, which are the result of good governance. The formed, and the establishment of ASEAN Regional Forum, this was the first
Worlds Happiness Report in 2019, focuses on happiness and the community, multilateral security organization, security is defined not in military or
how happiness has evolve over the past dozen years, with a focus on the collective defense, but as cooperative security measures aimed at developing
technologies, social norms, conflicts and government policies that have confidence and avoiding conflict among Asian nations and the rest of the
driven those changes. world.

The Top 10 happiest countries in the world are: What is Now the Standing of Asia as a Region? (Asia Pacific & South Asia:
Northeast Asia, SEA, Pacific Islands, South Asia)
1. Finland 2. Denmark 3. Norway 4. Iceland 5. Netherlands 6.
Switzerland 7. Sweden 8. New Zealand 9. Canada 10.Austria • Diversity: most progressive: South K, Japan, and Singapore
• Poorest Countries: Cambodia, Laos, Nepal
Lesson 2- ASIAN REGIONALISM • Most populated: China and India World’s smallest: Bhutan and
Maldives
Defining Asian Regionalism
• As a region: 1/3 of the world's land mass 2/3 of the global
Regionalization refers to "societal integration and the often undirected population Largest share of global GDP (35%); USA 23%; Europe 28%
process of social and economic interaction." There is a regional concentration Over 1/3 of world's exports Prevalence of poverty, HIV/AIDS,
of economic flows and countries respond economically and politically to gender inequality and other socio econ problems
globalization in various ways.
Why Do We Need to Form Alliances? (Claudio, Lisandro and Patricio
Regionalism refers to the formal process of intergovernmental collaboration Abinales, 2018)
between two or more states. It is a set of conscious activities carried out by
I. Military Defense purposes North Atlantic Treaty
states within a region to cooperate while regionalization is a less conscious
Organization (NATO) -Formed during cold war when several
process which is the outcome of these states policies. It is more on political
Western European countries plus the United States agreed to
process characterized by economic policy cooperation among countries.
protect Europe against the threat of the Soviet Union
Combining these concepts, Asian regionalism is a product of societal Response of Soviet Union:
integration brought by the undirected process of social and economic WARSAW Pact- regional alliance created by Soviet Union -
interaction. Asian regionalism focuses on economic interaction, whereby the comprise Eastern European Countries under Soviet
countries adopt the principle of free flow of goods and services which are Domination
coordinated with foreign economic policies between countries. Long before RESULT: Soviet imploded in December 1991, but NATO
the colonization and emergence of globalization, they had developed remains in place
interaction between Asian regions, this manifest in early trading through II. Pool Resources
Barter System. Fine textiles, silk, gold and other metals are valuable products. This is to get better returns for their exports and expand
leverage against trading partners Sample Organization:
The Silk Road is another breakthrough in the development of trading and • Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries
commerce not just among Asian people but and to the rest of the world. This (OPEC)- established in 1960 by Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia
is a trading route connecting East to West (Gregorio Zaide and Sonia Zaide, and Venezuela to regulate the production and sale of oil.
2015). III. Protect Independence from the Pressures of Super Power
Politics
Asian Regionalism Example: NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT- created by the
Presidents of Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia and Yugoslavia
In the recent years, integration and development in Asian region has been the in 1961. (120 members) the prime goals to pursue world peace
center of discussion among Asian leaders. Geopolitics, economic alliances, and international cooperation, human rights, national
and forming international organizations at par with other regions in the world sovereignty, racial equality, non- intervention and peaceful
are the key measure in forming regionalism among Asia countries. This also conflict resolution.
contributed in forming a new global order. IV. Economic Crisis Compels Countries to Come Together
Example: -Thai economy collapsed in 1996. Troubled
What is the Foundation of Asian Regionalism?
international banks demanded that the Thai government pay
We can understand the foundation Asian regionalism through historical back its loans. -Crisis spread to Asian countries. IMF tried to
approach. The first phase was the First Asian Relations Conference in 1947 reverse the crisis, but it was only after ASEAN countries along
and 1949 India convened which. The primary aim of the conference was to with China, Japan and South Korea agreed to establish an
create political pressure for decolonization and to give a collective voice or emergency fund to expect a crisis that the Asian economies
identity to the nationalist aspirations and newly independent countries of stabilized.
Asia. Example #2: ASEAN- formed as a coalition country which
were pro-American and supportive of the United States
The chief point of this phase was the Asia-Africa conference in Bandung, intervention in Vietnam. After Vietnam War, it continued to
Indonesia in 1995. The purpose goes beyond decolonization to developing act as a military alliance to isolate Vietnam after it Invaded
rules of conduct in international affairs and exploring ideas and avenues for Cambodia resulted to the beginning of Economic
economic cooperation. These conferences discuss matters in line with Cooperation.
political security and economics, but this also resulted to contest on
economic nationalism and economic liberalism as understood in Asian regionalism change across time, from forming political regional
development countries to advance free trade (Acharya, 2012). At this point, alliances to economic integration. Formation of the regional trading bloc, free
you can understand that slow Asian region forming cooperation to achieve a trade, and forming an international organization that will support the
specific goal. development of each Asian country. The Post- Cold War resulted to the
formation of "new regionalism", those who shares the same values, norms,
The second phase of the development of Asian regionalism was the institutions, and systems that exist outside of the traditional, established
formation of ASEAN and the Pacific community notion. Prior to this, United mainstream institutions and systems. The key factors in the "new
States and Japan plays a vital role in forming regionalism, US sought to create regionalism" are the collaborative multi-level governance, innovation and
security and economic regionalism, Japan focus on economic, with security learning, integrated development, rural-urban interactions and placebased
being an indirect goal, a byproduct of economic cooperation. development.

The rising urgency of regionalism, motivated by globalization cooperation

among neighbouring countries, takes into its full take off when ASEAN was
formed. Just like the other regions in the world, Asia establish an international For example: ASEAN issued its Human Rights Declaration in 2009, but the
regional body left it to member countries to apply the declaration's principle
as they see fit. ASEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR HUMANRIGHTS resulted to Globalization have been a big player in our lives. In this unit the student will
non-governmental organizations and civil society groups pushing to prevent be enlightened with the various driving forces of the globalization process
discrimination, uphold political freedom, and promote democracy and human while focusing on the economic and political aspects. This will first track how
rights throughout the region. big institutions created a large-scale change historically. At the end of the
module, you are expected to have knowledge, understanding and analysis of
But despite of the positive impacts brought by the regionalism there are the role of globalization in the modern world and its effect on our lives.
certain instances where it encounters problems and conflicts. On the other
hand, before we proceed on identifying problems let’s first define the Religion and Globalism
difference between the new regionalism from state to state regionalism for
us to have a firm grasp of the lesson. Ready? Come on! In your previous lesson, you learn the impact of globalization to media, how
media transforms into a powerful medium. This lesson will focus on the ideas
DIFFERENCE OF NEW REGIONALISM TO STATE-TO-STATE REGIONALISM of globalization from the context of religion.
WHEN IT COME TO IDENTIFYING PROBLEMS (Claudio, Lisandro and Patricio
Abinales, 2018) Globalization, as you know, refers to the interconnectedness among people
across world time and space. The fast pacing production of technology made
STATE TO STATE REGIONALISM this interconnectedness possible. This resulted to the emergence of the
concept of cultural pluralism in which non dominant countries could share to
States treat poverty or environmental degredation as technical or economic the world their unique culture and accepted by the dominant countries.
issues that can be resolved by refining existing programs of state agencies,
making minor changes in economic policies and creating new offices that On the other hand, religion refers to the set of belief of people in the divine
address these issues creator which considers as holy and sacred (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020).
People from early civilization, religious practices are already visible. For
NEW REGIONALISM example, in the ancient Sumerian religion who worships great god Marduk
who defeated Tiamat and the forces of chaos to create the world.
New Regionalism advocates such as NGO Global Forum see the issues as
reflections of flawed economic development and environmental models. By As defined by Haynes (2006), the concept of religion has two distinct
flawed mean economic development plans that are market-based, profit meanings. There are three ways of how social and individual of believers are
driven, and hardly concerned with social welfare, especially among the poor. organized in spiritual sense. First is that it involves the idea of transcendence,
referring to supernatural realities. For example, talking to God. Second, It
NEW CHALLENGES FOR NEW REGIONALISTS relates with sacredness or holiness and system of practice and language . An
example of sacred is confession, baptism and more. Third, it concerns
1. Disagreements surface over issues like gender and religion Example: Pro-
ultimacy, on how it relates to people to the ultimate conditions of existence.
choice NGOs breaking from religious civil society groups that side with the
In the material sense, religious beliefs are capable of motivating individuals
Church, Muslim imams, or governments opposed to reproductive rights and
and groups to collectively mobilize to achieve political goals and
other pro-women policies
consequences, suppress mass actions as tool of repression.
2. Some civil society groups are not welcoming to the new trend and set up
While religion takes advantage of communication and transportation
an obstacle after another. Example: Migrant Forum Asia and its ally, the
technology, it is at the same time the source of globalization’s greatest
Coordination of Action Research on AIDS (CARAM), lobbied ASEAN
resistance by acting as a haven for those standing in opposition to its power.
governments to defend migrant labor rights. Their program of action
On the other hand, because globalization allows for daily contact, religion
however, slowed down once countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand
enters a circle of conflict in which religions become “more self-conscious of
refused to recognize the rights of undocumented migrant workers and the
themselves as being world religions.
rights of the families of migrants.
HISTORY OF THE MAJOR RELIGIONS
CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
In an article by Preceden (2020), Judaism is an abrahamic belief based on the
1. Resurgence of militant nationalism and populism Example:
teachings of Moses. The holy book of Judaism is the Torah. It is the oldest
A. The refusal to dismantle NATO after the collapse of the Soviet Union for religion of the group and starts around 4,000 years ago. A main figure from
example, has become the basis of the anti-NATO rhetoric of Vladimir Putin in Judaism is Moses who freed the Israelites from bondage. One particular
Russia. scene from Judaism is Moses with the Ten Commandments. It shows a older
long bearded and long haired standing upon a big jagged grey rock. He is
B. The relationship of United States- the alliance's core member- with NATO holding 2 stone tablets with older Roman numeral on it carved deeply in the
has become problematic after Donald Trump demonized the organization as tablet.
simply leeching off American military power without giving anything in
return. Next is Hinduism, according to Hornak (2019) most scholars believe Hinduism
started somewhere between 2300 B.C. and 1500 B.C. in the Indus Valley, near
2. Continuing financial crisis of the region Example: modern-day Pakistan. But many Hindus argue that their faith is timeless and
has always existed. Unlike other religions, Hinduism has no one founder but
A. European Union. Continuing financial crisis of the region is forcing is instead a fusion of various beliefs. Around 1500 B.C., the Indo-Aryan people
countries like Greece to consider leaving the union to gain more flexibility in migrated to the Indus Valley, and their language and culture blended with
their economic policy; that of the indigenous people living in the region.

B. Anti-immigrant sentiment and a populist campaign against Europe have Confucianism. As stated by Clayton (2020), it was developed in China by
already led to the United Kingdom voting to leave the European Union in a Master Kong in 551- 479 BC, who was given the name Confucius by Jesuit
move the media has termed “BREXIT” missionaries who were visiting there. However, the fundamental principles of
Confucianism began before his birth, during the Zhou Dynasty.
3. Sacrificing sovereignty to maintain regional stability
At that time, the ideas of respect and the well-being of others were prevalent,
Example: -Philippines and China but there was also an emphasis on spiritual matters - specifically, the
goodness of the divine and the mandate to rule given to those in power.
4. Differing visions of what regionalism should be for
These ideas were meant to unite the people, create stability and prevent
Example: -Non-Western and developing societies have different view rebellion. Confucius believed his philosophy was also a route toward a civil
regarding globalization, development and democracy -Singapore, China and society. However, he shifted attention away from ruling authorities, the
Russia see democracy as an obstacle to the implementation and deepening divine or one's future after death, focusing instead on the importance of daily
of economic globalization because constant public inquiry about economic life and human interactions. This new, refined version of the philosophy did
projects and lengthy debates slowdown implementation or lead to unclear not completely take root until the next dynasty, the Han (140-87 BC). It is the
outcomes: DEMOCRACY=EFFICIENCY. Confucianism that many people are familiar with today.

Aside from the above mentioned religion, we also have Buddhism. As

identified by Chu (2019) it is a faith founded by Siddhartha Gautama (“the
MODULE 4 – World of Ideas Buddha”) more than 2,500 years ago in India. With about 470 million
followers, scholars consider Buddhism one of the major world religions.
When Gautama passed away around 483 B.C., his followers began to organize
a religious movement. Buddha’s teachings became the foundation for what After your sharing, its time to continue with your journey in this lesson.
would develop into Buddhism. Religion and globalization persistently engage in a flexible relationship in
which the former relies on the latter in order to thrive and flourish while at
In the 3rd century B.C., Ashoka the Great, the Mauryan Indian emperor, made the same time challenging its globalization’s hybridizing effects.
Buddhism the state religion of India. Buddhist monasteries were built, and Undoubtedly, religion is not immune from these changes and their
missionary work was encouraged. Over the next few centuries, Buddhism burgeoning effects brought about by globalization. However, religions still
began to spread beyond India. The thoughts and philosophies of Buddhists have their respective homes in specific territorial spaces where they originally
became diverse, with some followers interpreting ideas differently than appeared and where their respective shrines exist.
others. In the sixth century, the Huns invaded India and destroyed hundreds
of Buddhist monasteries, but the intruders were eventually driven out of the Secularization: The Consequences of Modernization (TOCQUEVILLE, 2020)
country. Islam began to spread quickly in the region during the Middle Ages,
forcing Buddhism into the background. At the most abstract level of analysis, modernization leads to what Max
Weber called “the disenchantment of the world.” It calls into question all the
Next in line is Christianity which is a religion based on the teaching of Jesus superhuman and supernatural forces, the gods and spirits, with which
Christ. The religion was started 2,000 years ago, when Jesus Christ was born. nonindustrial cultures populate the universe and to which they attribute
Early Christians were persecuted for their faith by both Jewish and Roman responsibility for the phenomena of the natural and social worlds. In their
leaders. place it introduces as a competing cosmology the modern scientific
interpretation of nature by which only the laws and regularities discovered by
In 64 A.D., Emperor Nero blamed Christians for a fire that broke out in Rome. the scientific method are admitted as valid explanations of phenomena. If it
Many were brutally tortured and killed during this time. Under Emperor rains, or does not rain, it is not because the gods are angry but because of
Domitian, Christianity was illegal. If a person confessed to being a Christian, atmospheric conditions, as measured by the barometer and photographed by
he or she was executed. Starting in 303 A.D., Christians faced the most severe satellites.
persecutions to date under the co-emperors Diocletian and Galerius. This
became known as the Great Persecution. When Roman Emperor Constantine In short, modernization involves a process of secularization that is, it
converted to Christianity, religious tolerance shifted in the Roman Empire. systematically challenges religious institutions, beliefs, and practices,
During this time, there were several groups of Christians with different ideas substituting for them those of reason and science. This process was first
about how to interpret scripture and the role of the church. observable in Christian Europe toward the end of the 17th century. (It is
possible that there is something inherently secularizing about Christianity, for
In 313 A.D., Constantine lifted the ban on Christianity with the Edict of Milan. no other religion seems to give rise spontaneously to secular beliefs.) At any
He later tried to unify Christianity and resolve issues that divided the church rate, once invented in Europe, especially Protestant Europe, secularization
by establishing the Nicene Creed. Many scholars believe Constantine’s was carried as part of the “package” of industrialism that was exported to
conversion was a turning point in Christian history. In 380 A.D., Emperor the non-European world. Wherever modern European cultures have
Theodosius I declared Catholicism the state religion of the Roman Empire. The impinged, they have diffused secularizing currents into traditional religions
Pope, or Bishop of Rome, operated as the head of the Roman Catholic Church. and non-rational ideologies.
Catholics expressed a deep devotion for the Virgin Mary, recognized the
seven sacraments, and honored relics and sacred sites. When the Roman Although secularization is a general tendency or principle of development in
Empire collapsed in 476 A.D., differences emerged among Eastern and modern societies, this does not imply that religion is driven out altogether
Western Christians. from society. In fact, as one of the most modernized countries in the world,
the United States is also among the world’s most religious. Against a deep
In 1054 A.D., the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox church background of tradition, modernization inevitably leaves many religious
split into two groups. Between about 1095 A.D. and 1230 A.D., the Crusades, practices in place and may even stimulate new ones. Religious rituals, such as
a series of holy wars, took place. In these battles, Christians fought against Christian baptism and church weddings, persist in all industrial societies; the
Islamic rulers and their Muslim soldiers to reclaim holy land in the city of church may, as in England and Italy, continue to play an important moral and
Jerusalem. The Christians were successful in occupying Jerusalem during social role. The majority of the population may hold traditional religious
some of the Crusades, but they were ultimately defeated. beliefs alongside more scientific ones. There may even be, as in the United
States and in industrializing societies such as India, waves of religious
After the Crusades, the Catholic Church’s power and wealth increased. In 1517, revivalism that involve large sections of the population.
a German monk named Martin Luther published 95 Theses which is a text that
criticized certain acts of the Pope and protested some of the practices and Secularization is but one manifestation of a larger cultural process that
priorities of the Roman Catholic church. Later, Luther publicly said that the affects all modern societies, the process of rationalization. While this process
Bible didn’t give the Pope the sole right to read and interpret scripture. is epitomized by the rise of the scientific worldview, it encompasses many
Luther’s ideas triggered the Reformation which is a movement that aimed to more areas than are usually associated with science. It applies, for instance,
reform the Catholic church. As a result, Protestantism was created, and to the capitalist economy, with its rational organization of labour and its
different denominations of Christianity eventually began to form. (Studio rational calculation of profit and loss. It applies also to artistic developments,
Three Dots, 2019). such as the rational application of the geometry of perspective in painting and
the development of a rational system of notation and rational harmonic
Then Islam, based on an article by Ifansasti (2019), Islam is the second largest principles in music.
religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion Muslims
worldwide. Although its roots go back further, scholars typically date the For Max Weber, the most careful student of the process, it referred above all
creation of Islam to the 7th century, making it the youngest of the major to the establishment of a rational system of laws and administration in
world religions. Islam started in Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia, during modern society. It was in the system of bureaucracy, seen as the impersonal
the time of the prophet Muhammad’s life. Today, the faith is spreading rapidly and impartial rule of rationally constituted laws and formal procedures, that
throughout the world. Islam is a monotheistic and abrahamic religion, they Weber saw the highest development of the rational principle. Bureaucracy
believe that Muhammad was the last prophet of god. Muslims has many meant a principled hostility to all traditional and “irrational” considerations
beliefs for example they believe that god is one and incomparable and that of person or place, kinship or culture. It expressed the triumph of the
the purpose of existence is to love and serve god. scientific method and scientific expertise in social life. The trained official, said
Weber, is “the pillar both of the modern state and of the economic life of the
Lastly, according to Mcleod (2020), Sikhism, religion and philosophy founded West.”
in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent in the late 15th century. Its
members are known as Sikhs. The Sikhs call their faith Gurmat (Punjabi: “the Rationalization is a process that operates at the highest, most general level
Way of the Guru”). of social development. It would be surprising if its effects were to be found in
every nook and cranny of modern society. Everywhere one should expect to
According to Sikh tradition, Sikhism was established by Guru Nanak (1469– find the persistence of nonrational and even antirational attitudes and
1539) and subsequently led by a succession of nine other Gurus. All 10 human behavior. Superstition is one example; the occasional rise of personal,
Gurus, Sikhs believe, were inhabited by a single spirit. Upon the death of the charismatic leadership breaking through the rationalized routines of
10th, Guru Gobind Singh (1666–1708), the spirit of the eternal Guru bureaucracy is another. These should not be thought of simply as vestiges of
transferred itself to the sacred scripture of Sikhism, Guru Granth Sahib (“The traditional society. They are also the expressions of essential needs,
Granth as the Guru”), also known as the Adi Granth (“First Volume”), which emotional and cultural, that are in danger of being stifled in a scientific and
thereafter was regarded as the sole Guru. In the early 21st century there were unillusioned environment.
nearly 25 million Sikhs worldwide, the great majority of them living in the
Indian state of Punjab. Weber stressed another significant point. Rationalization does not connote
that the populations of modern societies are, as individuals, any more
reasonable or knowledgeable than those of nonindustrial societies. What it
means is that there is, in principle, scientifically validated knowledge available Kirillova (2016) describes the primitive culture of a people as synthetic or
to modern populations, by which they may, if they choose, enlighten differentiated in form. In 2000 BCE. When the Mesopotamian cuneiform
themselves about their world and govern their behaviour. In practice, as writing and hieroglyphs of Egypt was invented, the life of people change
Weber knew, such knowledge tends to be restricted to scientifically trained specifically in acquiring information. The government, religion, education
elites. The mass of the population of a modern society might in their daily lives systems and day-to-day life of people are scripted into text and can be read
be relatively more ignorant than the most uneducated peasants, for peasants and preserve.
usually have a comprehensive and working knowledge of the tools they use
and the food they consume, whereas modern people may well use an The early Greek and Roman people also contributed to the development of
elevator without the slightest idea of its working principle or eat food means of communication and information which became the basis for Latin
manufactured in ways and with materials of which they are totally unaware. and Slavic alphabets. Books like Iliad and Odyssey in which the political,
religious, economics and society of the early Greeks was described. The
IMPACTS OF GLOBALIZATION TO RELIGIOUS PRACTICES AND BELIEFS freedom of expression during this time was clear among the Athenians, it
manifested in their arts, music, literature, philosophy, and public speaking and
Peter Beyer (1994), identified three key impacts of globalization on religion: debate were encouraged.

Particularism During the Medieval period, the culture of people center on religion. Church
has an enormous influence in people’s lives like the monasteries became the
Religion has increasingly used as an avenue for anti-globalization activity. center of source of information, they limited freedom to information during
While one feature of globalization is a sort of cultural homogenization (the this time, they even prohibit and self-expression and religious rights. (Zaide,
creation of a single, global popular culture) religion is often seen as the 2015)
opposite of that: a symbol of how people are culturally different from one
another, rather than the same. This has contributed to a rise in Renaissance period introduces a new way culture, this period marked the
fundamentalism and is a feature of political conflict in many areas of the rebirth of people’s interest in acquiring new learning. Richest and wisest
world. people focused again on arts, music, education where they build libraries in
parts of Europe like in Milan, Florence and Venice. Communication and
Universalism information also flourished because of the interconnection of people from a
different part of the world through trading and commerce. Renaissance
There are also some evidences of the opposite trend. While small
resulted to the awakening of people’s idea on freedom eventually leads to
fundamentalist groups might emphasize their difference from other people,
the revolution of the colonized places. (Zaide, 2015)
the major religions have increasingly focused on what unites them. Far from
the feared clash of civilizations, religious leaders emphasize shared values and The Age of Enlightenment further expands the idea and way of thinking of
common concerns. Indeed, inter-faith dialogue through global people, the rise of philosophers give another way of resolving problems of
communication has helped to diffuse conflict between religions. the society. Philosophers like Rene Descartes, John Locke. Jean-Jacques
Rousseau believed that science and reason could solve major problems facing
Marginalization
society. Issues on government economic, education and culture were being
Beyer also notes that religion is increasingly marginalized in contemporary challenge through the “new ideas” “new way of thinking” that they
society, playing less part in public life, although this may well be a rather introduced.
Eurocentric view and may be caused by other social changes rather than
The Industrial Revolution and French Revolution proved that scientific and
globalization.
cultural ideas were the motivating force in social development. The rise of the
Another way in which globalization has impacted on religion is the way money-lending class, bourgeoisie, help in promoting culture by patronizing
religions have made use of global communications. Religious groups are able energetic people of all backgrounds. The emergence of the “new class”
to take advantage of modern technology to recruit new members, spread the powered by their money, forced their own utilitarian ideals in the society and
word and keep in contact with other members of the religion. While with this led to introducing “new culture” “mass culture” referring to mass media.
some of the more fundamentalist, antimodern, anti-global religious
In the contemporary world, advance technology, invention of television,
organizations this can hold a certain irony, it is one of the ways in which
radio, cellphones and computers, help in the emergence of mass culture and
religion is much less linked to nationality than it once was. Furthermore, the
change the global social norms. Information is sinking into one global
media plays the same important role in the dissemination of religious ideas.
perspective and making the people live in a global community.
In this respect, a lot of TV channels, radio stations and print media are
founded solely for advocating religions. Taking Islam as an example, we find The Creation of Global Media Culture
such T.V channels as Iqrae, Ennass, Majd, El Houda, Erahma, etc. as purely
religious channels created for the strengthening and the fortification of Islam. To further widen your knowledge about global media culture, you will now
proceed to the indepth discussion on media, focusing on the creation of
Lesson 2- Global Media Culture global media and its impact to global community.
Conceptualizing Global Media Culture You can easily gain Information across The concept of global culture is driven by the emergence of mass media. The
the world through different media platforms powered by technology. media plays an important role in the development of global media culture.
Communication and information on Government economic alliances, issues They provide an extensive transnational and transmission of cultural products
on global poverty, environmental problems, inequality, global security, and and they contribute to the formation of communicative networks and social
even the day-to-day life of people are accessible with less or no censorship. economics, and even political structure. The fast production of technology
The UN Declaration of Human Rights, the freedom to information is an creates a continuous cultural change across the world, such as cellphones,
integral part of the fundamental right of freedom of expression. tablets, and android television, data internet, which makes the information
accessible.
Media was defined as various means of communication. This is through print
materials like newspaper, magazine, television, radio and social media. The The emergence of “new media” or the so-called digital media (Southern
collection of these forms of media that use for communication is what we call University Online Learning, 2020) social media has shrink the world into a
the mass media. (https://techterms.com/definition/media) global community. International organization like United Nations use social
media to inform the people about the development of COVID 19. In the
Mass Media helps in communicating government’s program and policies,
Philippines, television networks like PTV, GMA and ABS-CBN stream via social
issues concerning poverty, security, etc. In the Philippines, giant television
media.
networks like ABS-CBN and GMA are the means of informing the public and
the rest of the world. International news agencies like Reuters, CNN, CBS, etc. Another online source of information is the twitter, President of US Donald
are the source of information as to the happenings around the globe. Trump is active in posting the happenings in US government. This is a free
speech online for global media where you can post your personal, societal,
Now that we have clearly defined media, we also have to trace how it started.
and government sentiments.
Ready? Come on! How does this Media Started?
You Tube and Instagram, where you can follow people from different parts
The intensification of interconnectedness among people across world time,
of the world, enable to share their lifestyle, societal events, government, and
as motivated by globalization, resulted to the change of perception of people
you can even tour places any time because social media makes them available
on media and its impact on the global way of life, system, and processes such
to you.
as global media cultures. In which this refers to the mass communication on
a global level, letting people across the world to share and access Have you seen the fist fight in Taiwan Parliament? Hong Kong riot? What
information. about black American and their sentiments? Or are you updated in the lives of
British Royal family? Beautiful places in New Zealand, Ireland or even the
Iceberg in North Pole? They make all these possible because of the “new
media”. In the contemporary world, this is the major force in accelerating
trend of globalization. This brought society into the top level of
interconnectedness that made global societal transformation possible.

Globalization and Global Media Culture

The emergence of globalization strengthen the concept of global media

culture. This creates the idea that the culture is molded by Westerners,
powered by mass media. Do you have I-phone? I-Pod? Mac book? Are you
eating in McDonald? Are you watching MTV? CNN? Or perhaps Netflix? They
are being use and purchased worldwide and these are all American products.
Are you patronizing Nestle, Adidas, Nokia, Spotify, Rolex, H&M, and Sephora? In January 2019, it was reported that Philippines topped social media users
These are all European products, just like America, they are available worldwide. See figure below. (abs-cbn news, 2019)
worldwide. (Slauer, 2018). So, what these means? These created the idea of
cultural imperialism.

What is Cultural Imperialism?

As stated by Tobin (2020) and (Tomlinson, 2012), they define cultural

imperialism as imposition by one usually politically, economically, culturally
dominant community to non dominant community. In this manner, there is
enforced adaption of culture and habit resulted to homogeneity but this time,
motivated by western mass media and not of the use of military power. In the
case of the Philippines, colonial mentality strengthen this dominance of
westerners.

Moreover, Sreberny (2001) mentioned in an article on Media Imperialism,

cultural imperialism tend to see culture as singular, cited example American
television impacted on Iran. There is increased in loosening of the hyphen in
the nation-state and thus the “national culture” is better seen as a site of
contest. Sreberny (2001) pointed out that issue on media imperialism is also
happening in different parts of the world and resulted to conflicts among
nations.

Critiques on cultural imperialism resulted to the emergence of cultural

pluralism. Singh (2006) describes cultural pluralism as equal legal status,
enjoy minimum status of equality in educational, economic and political
opportunity, these will restraint the politically, and economically dominant
countries in intervening and giving the non-dominant countries to be heard
and propose solutions on global problems.

Is there also imperialism in mass media? Yes! Domination

of US in global media markets, which refers to television, film, news

broadcasting like CNN, Reuters etc. resulted to the idea that the largest mass
media company are from America, hence, resulted to the idea of cultural
homogeneity. (encyclopedia.com, 2020)

Globalization challenge the concept of cultural imperialism in the context of

digital media. Western mass media have been viewed as biased in probating
culture because they are in favor of industrialized countries, hence influenced
the politics, economics, society and culture of the developing and under
developing countries. (Kraidy, 2002)

Worlds culture impacted the world society, conflicts arises on the economic
and cultural domination of Western countries less develop countries in Africa
and Asia. The formation of international organization like United Nations
becomes the platform for less develop countries and called for the
restructuring of New World Economic Order and New World Information
Order. Former colonies pursued the principle of world cultural equality. (J.
Boli , F.J Lenchner, 2001)

Digital media change the phase in acquiring information, the use of social
media platforms, the access to internet, and the fast production of cellphones
and alike, becomes the medium of enforcement that affects the lives of
people around the globe. The First quarter of year 2020, statistics reveals that
there are 4.57 billion people were active internet users, encompassing 59
percent of the world’s population. China, India, and United States ranked
ahead all other countries in terms of internet users. Among the media
platforms, Facebook ranked first, with 1 billion registered active accounts.
This leading platform are available in multiple languages and enable the users
to connect across geographical, political and economic borders. (Clement,
2020)

In the Philippines, data shows that ages 18-24 makes up the largest proportion
of social media users. See figure below.

Social Media Users in terms of Age (talkwalker, 2019)