Reading Assignment 2: What is The Relation Between Culture and Globalization?——ZHENGYAYUAN정아원

Cultural Globalization - Tomlinson

(1) Summary

‘Culture is not a power, something to which social events can be causally attributed’ says Clifford Geertz (1973: 14) and this is surelyright to the extent that we should think of cultural processes primarily as oriented towards the construction of socially shared meanings. If we were to ask the stark functional question, ‘what is culture for?’, the most satisfying answer is that it is to generate meaning in life. The need for ‘meaning’ is at the deep centre of the human condition, it is the cognitive-existential equivalent of the material needs for shelter and sustenance. Indeed it may be considered more than these, since people, in certain conditions, are willing to sacrifice these other needs to their convictions about the purpose and the good ends of existence.In fact, in the process of globalization, the spread of culture across borders has not always produced a positive response. It is widely speculated that the process of globalization will lead to a "single global culture", especially in the economic sphere, where the tightly integrated system of global markets provides an intensive, and in the cultural sphere, where globalization is the center of modern culture and cultural practices are central to globalization.

(2) Interesting point

In the article, Tomlinson makes a point that I think is interesting when he says that a rather interesting interpretation of the effects of globalization is that far from destroying cultural identity, as many believe, it is perhaps the most important force in the creation and diffusion of cultural identity (Tomlinson 2003).In fact, I think this is a very good point, cultural integration globalization, with the development of cultural exchanges, the collision of different cultures more and more, under the impact of the wave of globalization, people live in a cultural environment is difficult to be unchanged homogeneous culture, or maintain pure traditional culture, which will intensify the cultural metabolism and hegemonic behavior, but the result of this may also be from the opposition to unity, through the conflict to achieve integration, to achieve the harmonious coexistence of diversity and balance.

(2) Discussion point

If the globalized culture becomes strange and complicated to us, will you choose to accept the new globalized culture or keep the traditional cultural thinking?