The Contemporary World

Lecture Notes

CHAPTER 4 – GLOBALIZATION AND WORLD CULTURES

World culture encompasses the rich tapestry of human existence, woven together by diverse
traditions, beliefs, customs, and practices across the globe.
Facets of world culture:
Cultural Diversity:
• World culture celebrates the myriad ways people express their identities, histories, and
aspirations.
• It thrives on the uniqueness of each community, from the Maasai of Kenya to the Ainu of
Japan.
Shared Elements:
• Despite differences, common threads connect us all. These include storytelling, art, music,
dance, cuisine, and rituals.
• The universal language of humanity transcends borders, fostering understanding and
empathy.
Cultural Exchange:
• Travel, migration, and digital communication facilitate cross-cultural interactions.
• We borrow, adapt, and blend elements from other cultures, enriching our own.
Challenges and Opportunities:
• Tolerance: Embracing religious and ethnic differences fosters a harmonious world culture.
• Human Rights: Ensuring equitable resource distribution and promoting well-being are vital
components.
Perspectives on Global Flows of Culture:

Cultural differentialism

Culture hybridization

Cultural convergence

Cultural homogenization

A. Cultural differentialism
This refers to the recognition and appreciation of lasting differences among cultures.
It acknowledges that each culture possesses unique characteristics, values, and practices that
endure over time.
B. Cultural Hybridization
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This paradigm recognizes that cultures constantly interact, blend, and evolve. It celebrates the
creative fusion of diverse cultural elements, resulting in new forms of expression.
Cultural hybridization challenges fixed boundaries and embraces fluidity.
C. Cultural convergence
Cultural convergence is a fascinating phenomenon where two or more cultures gradually blend
together, resulting in the sharing of values, beliefs, customs, and behaviors.
Factors of cultural convergence
1. Globalization: As the world becomes more interconnected, cultures interact more
frequently. The internet, social media, and technological advancements have turned our planet
into a global village, allowing people from diverse backgrounds to freely exchange ideas and
influence one another.
2. Technological Advances: Streaming platforms like Netflix enable movies and television
series from different countries to reach a global audience instantly. Music preferences also
converge globally, with K-pop and hip-hop/rap music transcending borders.
3. Cuisine: World cuisine has become increasingly popular across the globe. In major cities, you
can find Japanese, Indian, Korean, Chinese, and other culinary delights.
4. Education: International and multicultural schools offer an alternative education experience,
fostering cross-cultural understanding.
5. Language: The accessibility of world languages and language learning tools promotes
communication and understanding across cultures.
6. Mobility: When populations move or emigrate, they create a blend of cultures in their new
environment.
D. Cultural Homogenization
Cultural homogenization is the process by which local cultures are transformed or absorbed by a
dominant outside culture. It results in a convergence of cultural expressions and practices.
Cultural homogenization raises questions about preserving cultural uniqueness while embracing
global interconnectedness.

LESSON 1 – Mass Media and Globalization

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Lecture Notes

“By media we mean the channels, the means or forums used for
disseminating information, providing entertainment with time
motto to create awareness among the masses” (Mehsood,
2006). Mass media are diversified and large-scale
communication devices for Information transmission to the large
audience which includes newspaper, books, radio, magazines,
television, and internet etc. Mass media are designed
technologies for mass society to produce mass communication
which is the product of more than one person. We all are
exposed to the media text to some extant as being part of the radio audience in the morning as we
get ready for school, college or work, watching breakfast television or reading newspaper, listening to
music on MP3 players, logging on to read our mails and surf the web, sharing photos and texting
friends on our mobile phones or glimpsing advertising hoarding as we travel to school, college and
work throughout the day consciously and unconsciously, exposed to different media products.(Rayner
& Wall, 2008).
Globalization has redefined international communication in many ways.
1. First, it has opened previously closed markets to conglomerate media corporations across the
world.
2. Second, the diffusion of high-speed internet and bandwidth has altered the nature of international
news content availability.
3. Finally, the combination of globalized media conglomerates and the internet/digital revolution has
changed the operations of global journalism and mass communication across the world (Pavlik,
2001).
Media globalization
Following Thompson (1995), we can say that media globalization is characterized by a number of
distinct features. These are:
1. The emergence of and continued dominance of the global media industry by a small number of
transnational media conglomerates.
2. The use by these media conglomerates of new information and communications technologies.
3. The increasingly deregulated environment in which these media organizations operate
4. The globalization of media content has resulted in a greater amount of homogenization and
standardization in certain media products produced and distributed by the global media
industries.
5. The uneven ¯ow of information and communication products within the global system and the
different levels of access that global citizens have to global networks of communication.
6. Media globalization is inextricably linked with the promotion of the ideology of consumerism
and is therefore bound up with the capitalist project.

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Lecture Notes

A. The Global Village

The concept of the global village describes the phenomenon of the
entire world becoming more interconnected due to the widespread
propagation of media technologies. This term was coined by
Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan in his influential works,
including “The Gutenberg Galaxy: The Making of Typographic Man”
(1962) and “Understanding Media” (1964).
• Other forms of communication, such as Skype, allow easier
communication and connection with others, especially in other countries.
• Interchanging messages, stories, opinions, posts, and videos through telecommunication
pathways can cause miscommunication.
B. Cultural Imperialism
Cultural imperialism refers to the imposition, by a usually politically or
economically dominant community, of various aspects of its own
culture onto another nondominant community. This phenomenon
involves the forceful extension of the authority of one way of life over
another population, either by transforming or replacing aspects of the
nondominant community’s culture.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND Contemporary Examples:

• Media and Brands: The global spread of Western media,
brands, and consumer culture exemplifies cultural imperialism.
• Americanization: The influence of American culture worldwide, from Hollywood movies to fast
food chains, reflects cultural imperialism.
• Language Dominance: English as a global lingua franca perpetuates cultural imperialism.
• Media Hegemony: Media conglomerates shape global narratives, impacting local cultures.
• Tourism and Travel: Tourists often carry cultural norms and practices, affecting local
communities.
• Digital Platforms: Social media platforms and streaming services disseminate cultural content
globally

LESSON 2 - Religion and Globalization

It is the belief in and worship of a controlling supernatural power, often containing moral codes. The
two main types are monotheistic, believing in one god, and polytheistic, believing in many gods. Five
major world religions are described briefly: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

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Source: https://open.lib.umn.edu/sociology/chapter/17-3-sociological-perspectives-on-religion/

Importance of Religion in contemporary world

1. It gives meaning and purpose to life
2. It reinforces social unity and stability. Religion has the function of uniting a society by ensuring that
people meet regularly to affirm common beliefs and values. It provides shared sacred beliefs and
practices and provides shared moral order and social unity. Religion brings us together.
3. Promotes physical and psychological well-being - Religion may benefit psychological well-being
because it encourages supernatural beliefs that can help people deal with stress. Social
psychologists identify “stress buffering” mechanisms, such as a perceived connection with the
divine, as keyways people may deal with difficult life events.
4. Motivate people to work for positive social change.
Peter Beyer (1994) identified three key impacts of globalization on religion:
 Particularism – religion has increasingly been used as an avenue for anti-globalization
activity. While one feature of globalization is a sort of cultural homogenization (the creation of a
single, global popular culture) religion is often seen as the 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 fundamentalism and is a feature of political conflict in many areas of the world.

 Universalism – however there is also some evidence of the opposite trend. While small
fundamentalist groups might emphasize their difference from other people, the major religions
have increasingly focused on what unites them. Far from the feared clash of civilizations
(which will be returned to later) religious leaders emphasize shared values and common
concerns. Indeed, inter-faith dialogue through global communication has helped to diffuse
conflict between religions.

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 Marginalization – Beyer also notes that religion is increasingly marginalized in contemporary

society, playing less part in public life, although this may well be a rather Eurocentric view and
may be caused by other social changes rather than globalization

A. Secularization of religion
Secularization, a multilayered concept, generally denotes “a transition from a religious to a more
worldly level.” It encompasses various dimensions, and most forms of secularization do not
necessarily lead to atheism or irreligion.
Secularization, as elaborated by Steve Bruce, is a multifaceted concept that goes beyond a simple
decline in religious influence. Let’s delve into the defense of this “unfashionable theory”:
Definition:
• Secularization refers to the decline in power, popularity, and prestige of religion across the
modern world.
• It is not a short-term or localized trend; rather, it results from subtle but powerful features of
modernization.
Three Dimensions of Secularization:
• Declining Importance of Religion:
• Religion becomes less relevant for non-religious roles and institutions (such as the state and
the economy).
• Social standing of religious roles and institutions diminishes.
Reduced Religious Practices and Beliefs:
• People engage less in religious practices
• Display of religious beliefs wanes.
• Other aspects of life become less informed by religious beliefs.

B. Religion and globalism

Globalism - A widespread belief among powerful people that the global integration of economic
markets is beneficial for everyone.

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Lecture Notes

Religion Globalism

Link
between Human
human & action can
Follows Place value Abide lead to the
Concerned divine
divine on material human- highest
with sacred. confers
command. wealth. made laws. material
some social
powers to satisfaction
the latter. & wisdom.

Less concerned with Less worried about

Religious people

Globalist

wealth & all that whether they will end

comes along with it. up in heaven or hell.
Main duty is to live a Aims are to raise
virtuous, sin-less life profits, seal trade
such that s/he assured deals, improve
a place in heaven government revenue
collection, protect
elites, and enrich
themselves.