Reading Assignment 2: “What is the relation between culture and globalization?”

                                      cultural globalization - Tomlinson

1) Summary

Globalization is a hot topic right now, but debates are always locked into certain academic discourses. In the contemporaneous network of world connections examined in this book, the author cannot find a proper place for global culture within the economic, political, military, social, technological, and environmental explanations of the past. Tomlinson seeks to correct a misconception that global culture is motivated by factors other than culture alone. Unlike scholars who turn differences into opposites, Tomlinson's research method is full of dialectical thinking, and his classification is therefore more detailed and objective. For example, Tomlinson cites the example of Anthony Giddens to criticize, Tomlinson distinguishes between "culture and the science and technology that underpin it." He believes that the improvement of communication technology should not be regarded as the main reason for the rise of global culture. His emphasis is aimed at correcting a tendency that when people talk about culture, they are always talking about another thing that is different from culture, namely the means of spreading culture such as globalized communication and media.

In addition, Tomlinson believes that in order for any culture to develop, it must absorb the nutrition of other cultures. The practice of declaring one culture as modern and others as backward is actually detrimental to any country. In other words, world culture is developing in a pluralistic pattern, and each national culture contributes to world civilization. It can even be regarded as the foundation of global cultural development. For example: Chinese traditional Chinese medicine, calligraphy, Peking Opera and Western poetry, ballet and oil painting are the banners of national culture. This banner will not disappear in the process of globalization. Instead, it will become more distinct and easier to be accepted and understood by other countries and peoples because of its outstanding contributions. In other words, cultural communication relies on excellence and complementarity. As long as there are scientific standards of excellence, it cannot be avoided that the superior will win the inferior, and the acceptance of excellent things in the world cannot be avoided. 

2) Interesting point

I read this book 10 years ago, when globalization seemed to be cold and now it is the norm, but the arguments in the book are not out of date. Involves modernity, media, cosmopolitanism and other aspects, and finally discusses the relationship between globalization and culture. I agree with the view that globalization does not dissolve local and national cultures, it only brings out and preserves truly local cultures. 

3) Discussion point

Tomlinson is instructive in his statement that globalization refers to the complex interconnectedness of the modern world, a characteristic of modern social life that is interconnected and interdependent, especially fast-developing, increasingly dense interconnected and interdependent networked systems. So what does this complex connection look like? Some talk of "homogeneity," the idea that the world is becoming more alike and that local heterogeneity is under greater threat than ever before. Some people think it is a kind of "Westernization", that is, western economic, political and cultural conquest of non-Western countries; Some people believe that globalization is "Americanization" and American domination of the world. What do you think? Or do you think there is another point of view?