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David Brooks

Globalization Is Over. The Global Culture Wars Have Begun.

By David Brooks

Opinion Columnist

I’m from a fortunate generation. I can remember a time — about a quarter-century ago — when the world seemed to be coming together. The great Cold War contest between communism and capitalism appeared to be over. Democracy was still spreading. Nations were becoming more economically interdependent. The internet seemed ready to foster worldwide communications. It seemed as if there would be a global convergence around a set of universal values — freedom, equality, personal dignity, pluralism, human rights.

We called this process of convergence globalization. It was, first of all, an economic and a technological process — about growing trade and investment between nations and the spread of technologies that put, say, Wikipedia instantly at our fingertips. But globalization was also a political, social and moral process.

In the 1990s, the British sociologist Anthony Giddens argued that globalization is “a shift in our very life circumstances. It is the way we now live.” It involved “the intensification of worldwide social relations.” Globalization was about the integration of worldviews, products, ideas and culture.

This fit in with an academic theory that had been floating around called Modernization Theory. The idea was that as nations developed, they would become more like us in the West — the ones who had already modernized.

In the wider public conversation, it was sometimes assumed that nations all around the world would admire the success of the Western democracies and seek to imitate us. It was sometimes assumed that as people “modernized,” they would become more bourgeois, consumerist, peaceful — just like us. It was sometimes assumed that as societies modernized, they’d become more secular, just as in Europe and parts of the United States. They’d be more driven by the desire to make money than to conquer others. They’d be more driven by the desire to settle down into suburban homes than by the fanatical ideologies or the sort of hunger for prestige and conquest that had doomed humanity to centuries of war.

This was an optimistic vision of how history would evolve, a vision of progress and convergence. Unfortunately, this vision does not describe the world we live in today. The world is not converging anymore; it’s diverging. The process of globalization has slowed and, in some cases, even kicked into reverse. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine highlights these trends. While Ukraine’s brave fight against authoritarian aggression is an inspiration in the West, much of the world remains unmoved, even sympathetic to Vladimir Putin.

The Economist reports that between 2008 and 2019, world trade, relative to global G.D.P., fell by about five percentage points. There has been a slew of new tariffs and other barriers to trade. Immigration flows have slowed. Global flows of long-term investment fell by half between 2016 and 2019. The causes of this deglobalization are broad and deep. The 2008 financial crisis delegitimized global capitalism for many people. China has apparently demonstrated that mercantilism can be an effective economic strategy. All manner of antiglobalization movements have arisen: those of the Brexiteers, xenophobic nationalists, Trumpian populists, the antiglobalist left.

There’s just a lot more global conflict than there was in that brief holiday from history in the ’90s. Trade, travel and even communication across political blocs have become more morally, politically and economically fraught. Hundreds of companies have withdrawn from Russia as the West partly decouples from Putin’s war machine. Many Western consumers don’t want trade with China because of accusations of forced labor and genocide. Many Western C.E.O.s are rethinking their operations in China as the regime gets more hostile to the West and as supply chains are threatened by political uncertainty. In 2014 the United States barred the Chinese tech company Huawei from bidding on government contracts. Joe Biden has strengthened “Buy American” rules so that the U.S. government buys more stuff domestically.

The world economy seems to be gradually decoupling into, for starters, a Western zone and a Chinese zone. Foreign direct investment flows between China and America were nearly $30 billion per year five years ago. Now they are down to $5 billion.

As John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge wrote in a superb essay for Bloomberg, “geopolitics is definitively moving against globalization — toward a world dominated by two or three great trading blocs.” This broader context, and especially the invasion of Ukraine, “is burying most of the basic assumptions that have underlain business thinking about the world for the past 40 years.”

Sure, globalization as flows of trade will continue. But globalization as the driving logic of world affairs — that seems to be over. Economic rivalries have now merged with political, moral and other rivalries into one global contest for dominance. Globalization has been replaced by something that looks a lot like global culture war.

Looking back, we probably put too much emphasis on the power of material forces like economics and technology to drive human events and bring us all together. This is not the first time this has happened. In the early 20th century, Norman Angell wrote a now notorious book called “The Great Illusion” that argued that the industrialized nations of his time were too economically interdependent to go to war with one another. Instead, two world wars followed.

The fact is that human behavior is often driven by forces much deeper than economic and political self-interest, at least as Western rationalists typically understand these things. It’s these deeper motivations that are driving events right now — and they are sending history off into wildly unpredictable directions.

First, human beings are powerfully driven by what are known as the thymotic desires. These are the needs to be seen, respected, appreciated. If you give people the impression that they are unseen, disrespected and unappreciated, they will become enraged, resentful and vengeful. They will perceive diminishment as injustice and respond with aggressive indignation.

Global politics over the past few decades functioned as a massive social inequality machine. In country after country, groups of highly educated urban elites have arisen to dominate media, universities, culture and often political power. Great swaths of people feel looked down upon and ignored. In country after country, populist leaders have arisen to exploit these resentments: Donald Trump in the United States, Narendra Modi in India, Marine Le Pen in France.

Meanwhile, authoritarians like Putin and Xi Jinping practice this politics of resentment on a global scale. They treat the collective West as the global elites and declare their open revolt against it. Putin tells humiliation stories — what the West supposedly did to Russia in the 1990s. He promises a return to Russian exceptionalism and Russian glory. Russia will reclaim its starring role in world history.

China’s leaders talk about the “century of humiliation.” They complain about the way the arrogant Westerners try to impose their values on everybody else. Though China may eventually become the world’s largest economy, Xi still talks about China as a developing nation.

Second, most people have a strong loyalty to their place and to their nation. But over the past few decades many people have felt that their places have been left behind and that their national honor has been threatened. In the heyday of globalization, multilateral organizations and global corporations seemed to be eclipsing nation-states.

In country after country, highly nationalistic movements have arisen to insist on national sovereignty and to restore national pride: Modi in India, Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Turkey, Trump in the United States, Boris Johnson in Britain. To hell with cosmopolitanism and global convergence, they say. We’re going to make our own country great again in our own way. Many globalists completely underestimated the power of nationalism to drive history.

Third, people are driven by moral longings — by their attachment to their own cultural values, by their desire to fiercely defend their values when they seem to be under assault. For the past few decades, globalization has seemed to many people to be exactly this kind of assault.

After the Cold War, Western values came to dominate the world — through our movies, music, political conversation, social media. One theory of globalization was that the world culture would converge, basically around these liberal values.

The problem is that Western values are not the world’s values. In fact, we in the West are complete cultural outliers. In his book “The WEIRDest People in the World,” Joseph Henrich amasses hundreds of pages of data to show just how unusual Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich and Democratic values are.

He writes: “We WEIRD people are highly individualistic, self-obsessed, control-oriented, nonconformist and analytical. We focus on ourselves — our attributes, accomplishments and aspirations — over our relationships and social roles.”

It’s completely possible to enjoy listening to Billie Eilish or Megan Thee Stallion and still find Western values foreign and maybe repellent. Many people around the world look at our ideas about gender roles and find them foreign or repellent. They look at (at our best) our fervent defense of L.G.B.T.Q. rights and find them off-putting. The idea that it’s up to each person to choose one’s own identity and values — that seems ridiculous to many. The idea that the purpose of education is to inculcate critical thinking skills so students can liberate themselves from the ideas they received from their parents and communities — that seems foolish to many.

With 44 percent of American high school students reporting persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, our culture isn’t exactly the best advertisement for Western values right now.

Despite the assumptions of globalization, world culture does not seem to be converging and in some cases seems to be diverging. The economists Fernando Ferreira and Joel Waldfogel studied popular music charts in 22 countries between 1960 and 2007. They found that people are biased toward the music of their own country and that this bias has increased since the late 1990s. People don’t want to blend into a homogeneous global culture; they want to preserve their own kind.

Every few years the World Values Survey questions people from around the globe about their moral and cultural beliefs. Every few years, some of these survey results are synthesized into a map that shows how the different cultural zones stand in relation to one another. In 1996 the Protestant Europe cultural zone and the English-Speaking zone were clumped in with the other global zones. Western values were different from the values found in say, Latin America or the Confucian zone, but they were contiguous.

But the 2020 map looks different. The Protestant Europe and English-Speaking zones have drifted away from the rest of the world cultures and now jut out like some extraneous cultural peninsula.

In a summary of the surveys’ findings and insights, the World Values Survey Association noted that on issues like marriage, family, gender and sexual orientation, “there has been a growing divergence between the prevailing values in low-income countries and high-income countries.” We in the West have long been outliers; now our distance from the rest of the world is growing vast.

Finally, people are powerfully driven by a desire for order. Nothing is worse than chaos and anarchy. These cultural changes, and the often simultaneous breakdown of effective governance, can feel like social chaos, like anarchy, leading people to seek order at all costs.

We in the democratic nations of the world are lucky enough to live in societies that have rules-based orders, in which individual rights are protected and in which we get to choose our own leaders. In more and more parts of the world, though, people do not have access to this kind of order.

Just as there are signs that the world is economically and culturally diverging, there are signs it is politically diverging. In its “Freedom in the World 2022” report, Freedom House notes that the world has experienced 16 consecutive years of democratic decline. It reported last year: “The countries experiencing deterioration outnumbered those with improvements by the largest margin recorded since the negative trend began in 2006. The long democratic recession is deepening.” This is not what we thought would happen in the golden age of globalization.

In that heyday, democracies appeared stable, and authoritarian regimes appeared to be headed to the ash heap of history. Today, many democracies appear less stable than they did and many authoritarian regimes appear more stable. American democracy, for example, has slid toward polarization and dysfunction. Meanwhile, China has shown that highly centralized nations can be just as technologically advanced as the West. Modern authoritarian nations now have technologies that allow them to exercise pervasive control of their citizens in ways that were unimaginable decades ago.

Autocratic regimes are now serious economic rivals to the West. They account for 60 percent of patent applications. In 2020, the governments and businesses in these countries invested $9 trillion in things like machinery, equipment and infrastructure, while democratic nations invested $12 trillion. If things are going well, authoritarian governments can enjoy surprising popular support.

What I’m describing is a divergence on an array of fronts. As scholars Heather Berry, Mauro F. Guillén and Arun S. Hendi reported in a study of international convergence, “Over the last half century, nation-states in the global system have not evolved significantly closer (or more similar) to one another along a number of dimensions.” We in the West subscribe to a series of universal values about freedom, democracy and personal dignity. The problem is that these universal values are not universally accepted and seem to be getting less so.

Next, I’m describing a world in which divergence turns into conflict, especially as great powers compete for resources and dominance. China and Russia clearly want to establish regional zones that they dominate. Some of this is the kind of conflict that historically exists between opposing political systems, similar to what we saw during the Cold War. This is the global struggle between the forces of authoritarianism and the forces of democratization. Illiberal regimes are building closer alliances with one another. They are investing more in one another’s economies. At the other end, democratic governments are building closer alliances with one another. The walls are going up. Korea was the first major battleground of the Cold War. Ukraine could be the first battleground in what turns out to be a long struggle between diametrically opposed political systems.

But something bigger is happening today that is different from the great power struggles of the past, that is different from the Cold War. This is not just a political or an economic conflict. It’s a conflict about politics, economics, culture, status, psychology, morality and religion all at once. More specifically, it’s a rejection of Western ways of doing things by hundreds of millions of people along a wide array of fronts.

To define this conflict most generously, I’d say it’s the difference between the West’s emphasis on personal dignity and much of the rest of the world’s emphasis on communal cohesion. But that’s not all that’s going on here. What’s important is the way these longstanding and normal cultural differences are being whipped up by autocrats who want to expand their power and sow chaos in the democratic world. Authoritarian rulers now routinely weaponize cultural differences, religious tensions and status resentments to mobilize supporters, attract allies and expand their own power. This is cultural difference transmogrified by status resentment into culture war.

Some people have revived Samuel Huntington’s clash of civilizations theory to capture what’s going on. Huntington was right that ideas, psychology and values drive history as much as material interests. But these divides don’t break down on the neat civilizational lines that Huntington described.

In fact, what haunts me most is that this rejection of Western liberalism, individualism, pluralism, gender equality and all the rest is not only happening between nations but also within nations. The status resentment against Western cultural, economic and political elites that flows from the mouths of illiberal leaders like Putin and Modi and Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil sounds quite a lot like the status resentment that flows from the mouths of the Trumpian right, from the French right, from the Italian and Hungarian right.

There’s a lot of complexity here — the Trumpians obviously have no love for China — but sometimes when I look at world affairs I see a giant, global maximalist version of America’s familiar contest between Reds and Blues. In America we’ve divided along regional, educational, religious, cultural, generational and urban/rural lines, and now the world is fragmenting in ways that often seem to mimic our own. The paths various populists prefer may differ, and their nationalistic passions often conflict, but what they’re revolting against is often the same thing.

How do you win a global culture war in which differing views on secularism and gay rights parades are intertwined with nuclear weapons, global trade flows, status resentments, toxic masculinity and authoritarian power grabs? That’s the bind we find ourselves in today.

I look back over the past few decades of social thinking with understanding . I was too young to really experience the tension of the Cold War, but it must have been brutal. I understand why so many people, when the Soviet Union fell, grabbed onto a vision of the future that promised an end to existential conflict.

I look at the current situation with humility . The critiques that so many people are making about the West, and about American culture — for being too individualistic, too materialistic, too condescending — these critiques are not wrong. We have a lot of work to do if we are going to be socially strong enough to stand up to the challenges that are coming over the next several years, if we are going to persuade people in all those swing countries across Africa, Latin America and the rest of the world that they should throw their lot in with the democracies and not with the authoritarians — that our way of life is the better way of life.

And I look at the current situation with confidence . Ultimately, people want to stand out and fit in. They want to feel that their lives have dignity, that they are respected for who they are. They also want to feel membership in moral communities. Right now, many people feel disrespected by the West. They are casting their lot with authoritarian leaders who speak to their resentments and their national pride. But those leaders don’t actually recognize them. For those authoritarians — from Trump to Putin — their followers are just instruments in their own search for self-aggrandizement.

At the end of the day, only democracy and liberalism are based on respect for the dignity of each person. At the end of the day, only these systems and our worldviews offer the highest fulfillment for the drives and desires I’ve tried to describe here.

I’ve lost confidence in our ability to predict where history is headed and in the idea that as nations “modernize” they develop along some predictable line. I guess it’s time to open our minds up to the possibility that the future may be very different from anything we expected.

The Chinese seem very confident that our coalition against Putin will fall apart. Western consumers won’t be able to tolerate the economic sacrifice. Our alliances will fragment. The Chinese also seem convinced that they will bury our decadent systems before too long. These are not possibilities that can be dismissed out of hand.

But I have faith in the ideas and the moral systems that we have inherited. What we call “the West” is not an ethnic designation or an elitist country club. The heroes of Ukraine are showing that at its best, it is a moral accomplishment, and unlike its rivals, it aspires to extend dignity, human rights and self-determination to all. That’s worth reforming and working on and defending and sharing in the decades ahead.

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David Brooks has been a columnist with The Times since 2003. He is the author of “The Road to Character” and, most recently, “The Second Mountain.” @ nytdavidbrooks

Transtext(e)s Transcultures 跨文本跨文化

Journal of Global Cultural Studies

Accueil Numéros 4 Why do Cultures Change? The Chall...

Why do Cultures Change? The Challenges of Globalization

This essay explores cultural change in the context of the economic globalization currently underway. It aims at analysing the role that theoretical inventiveness and ethical value play in fashioning broader cultural representation and responsibility, and shall explore issues of cultural disunity and conflict, while assessing the influence that leading intellectuals may have in promoting a finer perception of value worldwide. The role of higher education as an asset in the defence of democracy and individual self-development shall be discussed with a view to evaluating its potential for an altered course of globalization.

Texte intégral

• 1  Ralph Waldo Emerson “Napoleon; or, the man of the world” in Joel Porte, Essays and Lectures , New Y (...)

2  Emerson, p. 731.

1 We are always in need of definitions whenever we want to explore why cultures change. We are pressed to come up with answers as to what culture might be and how the idea of culture might fit into a nutshell. The general applicability of the answer we struggle to devise invites theoretical formulas and abstraction from specific historical developments. It also, as a result, cautions us to choose fields from which to cull situations and conflicts that may help deliver the concepts we want to grasp, and invites to understand the theory of culture as shaped by how events unfold, and how society moves along. In particular, one may have in mind what the American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote about Napoleon (our favourite dictator, to us French people) in a book he devoted to figures of historical importance ( Representative Men ): “Such a man was wanted, and such a man was born” 1 . This strikes a negative note, as does a quote from Napoleon himself that Emerson has unearthed from the vast body of memoirs the Napoleon era has handed down to us. Emerson is reported to have once declared: “My hand of iron […] was not at the extremity of my arm; it was immediately connected with my head” 2 . The remark and the quote hold a tentative definition of culture. Culture begins when sheer force is mitigated by intellect, intellect itself being shaped by a response to facts, and, we hope, as Emerson hopes, abstracted from fact by ethical imperative. On top of this, we feel Emerson’s attempt at rationality is run through by doubt: what if one might never discriminate between intellect and action? What if one might never grasp how ethics can disengage us from the cogs of history and were incapable of controlling an ongoing process that leads to disaster and apocalypse? Whenever one tries to define culture, culture breaks down into its many components: it splinters into action and responsibility, and we feel there might never be a connection between them. There lies Emerson’s historical pessimism, which it is hard to tone down.

• 3  Hubert Damisch, “A Crisis of Values, or Crisis Value ?”, in Daniel S. Hamilton (ed.), Which Values (...)

2 In recent years, a debate has been brought to the foreground, for reasons that have to do with our increasingly globalized world. Are there any values left? If such a thing as culture exists, then, there might be precise contents of an ethical sort that we want to pin down. Might not this sense of emptiness be the result of a crisis of value, as if the very idea of value had been swept away? This is what the French cultural critic Hubert Damisch thinks has happened, in a recent contribution to a volume aptly titled Which Values for our Time , published by the Gulbenkian Foundation of Lisbon. Damisch rounds up his interrogation as follows: “Crisis of values, or crisis value?” 3 The suggestion is of course that value is no longer visible on the horizon of our history to be, that the trend should be resisted, and that intellectual resistance is what we need. It is by no means new to be aware, among philosophers and cultural critics alike, that values are hard to come by. In Plato’s Republic , book seven, humankind is looking at the walls of a cave, noting the shadows dancing there, and being taught that our poor sight precludes the perception of good and evil, and the difference between them. Now that the walls of the cave have turned into television screens, one image is chased away by the next one, while our sense of global responsibility dissolves into thin air even though all the fields of human action hold perspectives of responsibility within them. Culture, like values, is a plenum and a void, a constant expectation and in the end something impossible when one looks at results and facts.

• 4  Peter Fenves, (ed.), Raising the Tone of Philosophy  ; Late Essays by Immanuel Kant, Transformative (...)

3 We should keep in mind Jacques Derrida’s anthropology of culture, and the degree to which it identifies conflict as the prime-mover within our cultural narratives. In a major contribution at a Cerisy conference in Normandy in 1980, titled “On a Newly Arisen Superior Tone in Philosophy” 4 , Jacques Derrida opposes two sets of attitudes: seeking rationality, and seeking mystery. Derrida views culture as the competition between the Aüfklarer and the mystics, and suggests there are possibilities that the two trends in cultural discourse might eventually reach some kind of truce achieved as a result of an interaction between them. No doubt he was trying to hold historical pessimism at a distance by suggesting gain might be reached in the historical development of cultures if rationality were capable of reading through the language of mysticism, and curb the influence of those he chose to call the mystagogues, in whom he saw a danger for democracy and human dignity. Cultures change, and when they do, they are pulled in opposite directions if we abide by Derrida’s critical thinking. They change to eliminate reason, even, as Derrida puts it, to emasculate it, and we must, as a result, apply pressure to preserve amity, and to uphold the values of democracy. To be sure, Derrida’s onslaught upon mystery is no onslaught upon religious values: there are many other targets we might think of in the current context of globalized liberal economies and environmental overuse, such as religious fundamentalism, terrorism, and the emergence of a global self-appointed elite, although Derrida’s inquiry was started some thirty years ago, and he never gets that precise about what should be indicted.

Disaster and Apocalypse

• 5  See in particular Making Globalization Work , New York, Norton, 2007, chapter 7, “The Multinational (...)
• 6  Richard Rorty, “Globalization, the politics of identity and Social Hope” in Philosophy and Social (...)

4 Our globalizing societies offer alternatives to an ideal world. In particular, market mechanisms and the rise of global capital have impoverished some non-European nations, while Europe has, in recent years, worked to thin the immigration flux while downsizing out of their jobs the low-skilled workers of a once predominantly industrial economy that has now turned to services. As a result, local communities have been struck, either in Europe or the United States, by being impoverished within the more glitzy context of affluence. In China as elsewhere, industrial activity has surged, while working conditions have never been worse among the former peasants driven to urban areas. Globalization may well pass for an agenda of disaster and social apocalypse, as Joseph Stiglitz has demonstrated 5 . Welfare and human rights have hardly benefited from the promise economic liberalism keeps harping on, and human development has been restricted to the rising middle-classes of China, or India, if we look at the most significant examples. Richard Rorty, meditating on social hope, has brought home the idea that globalization has been a blow to democracy. He wrote the following in an essay published in 1993: “We now have a global overclass which makes all the major economic decisions, and makes them entirely independently from the legislatures, and a fortiori of the will of the voters, of any given country” 6 . Rorty’s remark comes as an apposite reminder that there is no such thing as a world government, a fact that we all tend to overlook. The ideology of economic growth heralds human development, but delivers little in terms of the strengthening of local communities, both in rising nations as well as in Western ones. Might not this ideology form the most recent embodiment of some pseudo-thinking the mystagogues parade as rationality for us to kneel to?

5 Communities, we hear, have gone global, which means they are now glocal. The portmanteau word means more than it seems to say. On the one hand, the buzzword suggests that local communities may be strengthened by globalization; on the other, it suggests that local communities are shaped, in ways that cannot all be positive, by the advance of global liberalism. However, one of the unsought effects of glocalization may well be that cultural interference with distant or unknown communities might emerge from the pressure of global liberalism, by dissolving national, or even nationalist perspectives, and favouring international contacts. Let us be cautious in this: international interaction, in the context of globalizing economic exchange, may well be no other than buying and selling, and one more version of materialism without national values being cross-fertilized.

• 7  Jürgen Habermas, The New Conservatism: Cultural Criticism and the Historian’s debate , Cambridge, M (...)

6 Globalization cannot control the rise of a new conservatism, in spite of the surge in optimism that comes with it in some areas, if we look at the poor condition of welfare systems across developed countries and elsewhere. As Habermas has pointed out, “modernity sees itself as dependent exclusively upon itself” 7 , and utopian ideals are increasingly wiped out of the Zeitgeist. Globalization is in dire need of strengthening, not exhausting, utopian energies. If it proves incapable of effecting this, renewing utopian energies, the road down globalization may well be what one supposes it to be from recent evidence: a hurdle-race, with one winner, a few good athletes, and vast crowds of anonymous losers. Jacques Derrida has pointed out that we need peace in culture, and that peace can be achieved when the mystagogues accept to interact with rationality. Rationality however, to him, is not an empty bottle, or an instrument by which societies may solve practical questions. Rationality involves moral choice, and one may well suggest that the Habermas notion that utopian ideals have to be upheld is the best way to reorder, and refashion global liberalism. No doubt, the culture wars must go on, to stay the current backlash and its related traumas, terrorism East and West, the political violence within national borders and without, the religious fundamentalism which has found in globalization its ecotope, in Israel, in the Arab world, in the United States, and elsewhere, while environmental disasters from North to South take their toll upon communities. Cultures, as a result of globalization, change, for reasons that have to do with the innate systemic risks that globalization runs through them, risks which are supra-human, but which, for that very reason, have to be identified, deconstructed, and eliminated, although we do know that this process cannot be the work of one sole generation. Indifference as well as naïveté ought to be avoided. If, as Habermas thinks they are, utopian values are used-up, because they are targeted, then, they must be invigorated.

• 8  Emery Roe and Michel J.G. Van Eeten, “Three – Not Two – Major Environmental Counternarratives to G (...)

7 No doubt any such invigoration, if we want it to have pragmatic efficiency, we need specific measures, and precautions. Intellectual clarity can help. And meditation upon what is and what is not scientific can be an asset. It is true odium has been cast on the precautionary principle by some scholars of environmental studies. In a fairly recent issue (2004) of the M.I.T. Press quarterly Global Environmental Politics, scholars Emery Roe and Michel Van Eeten have condemned the precautionary principle in matters of environmental policy on the grounds that scientific evidence is not sufficient, calling for empirical knowledge, supposed to be an index to what is and what is not scientific 8 . Is it that globalization has reshaped the image of science in academia, making us wistful once again, and inviting us to find peace of mind in a belated version of science which is reminiscent of the nineteenth century, when science was largely considered to rely on empirical observation, whatever this might mean? Empiricism and dogmatic thinking are birds of a feather flocking together. More open intellectual attitudes are necessary to face the risks of globalization upon our environment. Doubt, in particular, may be protective, in this respect. Without it, scientific thinking can be stultified. Science cannot be independent of general interest and social respect, and requires critical detachment to shelter us from the systemic dangers inherent in its objects of inquiry and the applicability of its fundamental findings. In scientific knowledge as well, the culture wars loom large, though they tend to be overlooked. These wars may lead both ways: to cultural changes that will crush social hope, and to cultural changes that will uplift a sense of community and cooperation.

The Secularization of Value

9  Jean-Pierre Dupuy, Petite Métaphysique des Tsunamis , Paris, Seuil, 2005, p. 85.

8 The values of science, therefore, should be secularized, and scientists should avoid generating systems which hold dangers in them that might express their potential for destruction. The French philosopher and Stanford scholar Jean-Pierre Dupuy has pointed out that the atomic bombing of Japan was the result of systemic danger, in an amazing remark: “Why was the bomb ever used? Because it existed, quite simply” 9 . The implication of what he says is that science too, and what was at one point presented as an advance of the civilized mind, may lead to pragmatic consequences that reshape thinking and emasculate it, if we want to harp on the Derrida proposition that the mystagogues are able to emasculate rationality (let us pardon Derrida’s male chauvinism if we can). Human thinking involves systemic dangers, and one therefore has to rethink thinking in different terms, which has been the task of modern philosophy. Perhaps we might suggest at this point that cultural change involves the thinking of rationality in secularized terms. This means that technology may well lead us astray, tethered as it is to scientific knowledge which we tend to view as total, whereas any inquiry into the results of science tends to demonstrate that science is provisional, and that its propositions will sooner or later be refined, or redefined, and that intellectual inquiry, whatever its field, rarely comes to conclusions that will never be reworded, or revised. Knowledge is an ongoing process, and if we keep this in mind, we secularize science, instead of projecting it onto the higher plane of superior frozen truths. Science, like any other human adventure, unfolds through time, and taking this into consideration helps science respond to social needs.

9 Political scientists are struggling for secular views, as John Rawls has amply demonstrated. Behind his eulogy of democracy as a condition and an effect of economic and political liberalism, one finds an attempt to define the nature of rationality as the mainspring of social hope. It is striking, when reading John Rawls, to realize the extent to which rationality is assessed in conjunction with its effects upon social organization, which yields workable political conceptions of justice. John Rawls, in his second major opus, Political Liberalism , defines political rationality as outcome-centered, and this leads to a list of primary goods, which reads as follows:

basic rights and liberties […];

freedom of movement and free choice of occupation against a background of diverse opportunities;

powers and prerogatives of offices and positions of responsibility in the political and economic institutions of the basic structure;

income and wealth;

• 10  John Rawls, Political Liberalism , New York, Columbia University Press, 1993, p. 181. Joseph Stigli (...)

and finally, the social bases of self-respect. 10

• 11  Slavoj Zizek, “Le Tibet pris dans le rêve de l’autre”, Le Monde Diplomatique , n° 650, mai 2008, p. (...)

10 Rawls’ agenda relies on the traditions of the common-sense philosophy of the English-speaking world and the theoretical culture of pragmatism, which he found ready for use in his New-England intellectual environment. Nowhere do we find perspectives that would be disconnected from and independent from day-to-day preoccupations. Rawls wants to harness human development to democracy, to wring democracy out of economic growth, while there is an increasing belief, in this century, that our globalized economies hold a promise of democracy as an expectation which will always be contradicted by fact. Just recently, in a major contribution to the debate, the Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek has pointed out that China allies a vicious use of the Asian bludgeon in Tibet with the logics of the European stock-market, and that this betrays the belief that democracy is an obstacle to economic growth. As a result of this, Zizek’s assumption is that our global culture might be brought to understand that democracy is no longer needed to back human development, which might lead global cultural change in the wrong direction 11 . Democracy has to be maintained as a horizon of belief, and as the sole teleology worthy of respect. Rawls helps us understand that teleology should be one version of practicality, though we tend to think that any political teleology is an empty promise. His contribution to political philosophy views rationality not just as a belated version of theology, but as a tool that may help deliver collective results, following in the footsteps of American intellectual traditions which assess value in terms of their pragmatic consequences rather than in terms of otherworldly conceptual exploration.

• 12  Samuel Huntington, “Foreword” in Lawrence E. Harrison & Samuel Huntington (eds.), Culture Matters: (...)

11 What if, beyond this sound conception of political values, and the organic laws that go to frame them, human culture was unresponsive, thus precluding cultural change, and sustainable development? It is this situation that Samuel Huntington examines, leaving little room for hope, suggesting that cultures cannot change, or will change slowly or with difficulty, on the grounds that society will not change and that there is no connection between assumptions, beliefs, and the economic and political opportunities that the modern liberal state offers if we are willing to grasp them. Huntington’s dream is to get rid of cultural obstacles to economic development, while it is yet unclear whether there is any strong belief in the virtues of democracy in what he has to say. Huntington’s answer does not intend to demonstrate that it is democracy which has to be left out of his global picture. In his case, if progress is not fast enough, it is because those cultures which resist progress as seen from Massachusetts are obstacles which one must remove, but Huntington is no clear analyst of how culture and democracy might hinge. “[…] We define culture, Huntington writes, in purely subjective terms as the values, attitudes, beliefs, orientations, and underlying assumptions prevalent among people in a society” 12 . His vision of culture has left one notion unmentioned: what about solidarity, the cornerstone of Richard Rorty’s vision of social hope? It may well be that this is one value that the modern liberal state has eroded, and that solidarity is a basic asset to those communities forming the lesser developed countries of Africa, Latin America and parts of the Asian world, where welfare is weak, and institutionalized education poorly developed, where, for political reasons, states are not ready to reach out to populations and areas left to their own resources and inventiveness in terms of welfare. Huntington’s discourse, as a result, is a perfect illustration of the New Conservatism that Habermas has targeted. Modernity, in Huntington’s world-view, is seen as totally dependent on itself. Beliefs, in particular, are taken to task, in Huntington’s definition of culture. What if beliefs were an adequate instrument of the progress Huntington has in mind, one notion which is empty enough, and which Huntington parades to conceal his conservative views? Inherited ideas and attitudes are more of a survival-kit than an obstacle to social cohesiveness. One hardly knows, when reading Huntington, whether progress, the norm of his perspective, is one serious academic case of mystagogic thinking, or whether it may have practical applicability. It is arguable that progress, with Samuel Huntington, is an abstract notion.

13  Lucian W. Pye, “’Asian Values’: from dynamos to dominoes?”, Culture Matters , p. 249 .  

• 14  On this consider Françoise Lemoine, L’Economie de la Chine , Paris, La Découverte, 2006, esp. pp. 6 (...)

12 Asian culture turns out to be an epistemological obstacle to many political scientists. Once considered incapable of generating economic growth, Asian values are seen as an asset in the ongoing economic race, with growth rates that belittle Europe and the United States alike in some quarters of the Asian world. Can one blame economic stagnation on them yesterday, and now say that some basic values of Asian cultures are the leverage of change helping those so-called miracle economies make some headway? There may well be an emphasis on hard work in Chinese culture, but one cannot see how this is specifically Chinese, or American, or British. Lucian Pye, one prominent M.I.T. scholar in Chinese studies, has suggested that Taoism and the belief in good fortune, supposed to be specific to Chinese culture (although I am aware this might be challenged), has produced outgoing dynamic character in the Chinese people, which makes them ready to grasp any opportunity likely to turn to their advantage. Pye’s view of Chinese culture may easily be taken to task, as he implies that Chinese culture leaves no room for introspection. This is most probably a typical misconception such as New-England protestant culture wants to bring home. Lucian Pye, in particular, writes the following when considering the reasons for China’s rapid expansion: “This stress of the role of fortune makes for an outward-looking and highly reality-oriented approach to life, not an introspective one” 13 . This is, we guess, one academic version of prejudice insisting that the Chinese have no soul, and no interest for an inner life. Economists, on the other hand, go for a more mundane vision of China’s development, insisting on the capacity to attract foreign investors 14 . This is also quite true of many other rising Asian economies besides China.

13 However, these observations lead us to want to extend our definition of culture. Culture is not just simply a cluster of beliefs and attitudes outside the realm of economic and political development. Culture is probably much more than beliefs and attitudes. It encompasses what we might call material culture, in the sense that attitudes matter in economic development, which is no big news, if we refer to Max Weber’s understanding of the ethic of capitalism, shaped as it is by the sense of insecurity that goes with the necessity to devise for oneself advancement in this world, the better to advance in the next one, or the higher or more sophisticated one in the rich oriental spiritual heritage. No wonder then that Derrida should suggest that between rationality and mystery, there is one connection to be established. And, in Derrida’s view of how rationality and mystery interact, one finds an abiding agreement occurring, and this is of course desirable to establish peace in what he calls culture, which to him is more of a socially encompassing substance than a mere individual determinant of behaviour.

15  Pye, “’Asian Values’: from dynamos to dominoes?”, p. 250.

16  Pye, p. 250.

14 Lucian Pye is interesting as an analyst of Chinese social development, not for what certainties he may have in store for us, but for the scepticism which his propositions will cause in most areas of the academic world, and across disciplines. Examining the reasons for China’s economic advance, he writes that “[...] the driving force in Chinese capitalism has always been to find out who needs what and to satisfy that market need” 15 . One might meditate for quite a while to determine whether markets are out there for anyone to grab, or whether one should shape markets, create needs, and respond to one’s ambition to grow by being inventive. Nevertheless, Lucian Pye views Chinese economy as a simplistic answer to world needs, and the capacity to adapt to them, whereas the West is seen as technology-driven, and culturally more sophisticated: “Western firms seek to improve their products, strengthen their organizational structures, and work hard to achieve name recognition” 16 . We wonder whether Chinese firms have not always tried to do precisely this, which can only be generalized with a vast highly educated workforce, which China is trying to obtain by adequate investment in higher education. This path is promising, from what we can judge when considering our Chinese students in our higher learning European institutions.

Cultural Change and Universities

17  Habermas, The New Conservatism , p. 104.

18  Jacques Derrida, L’Université sans condition , Paris, Galilée, 2001, p. 16.

19  See “The Idea of the University”, The New Conservatism , pp. 100-127.

15 If therefore, cultures change, not just private cultures, but also public ones, as we increasingly suspect cultures to be collective assets, university education has a major role to play in this process. We, as academics, either experienced or aspiring ones, must address the issue of what a university education ought to be like. So far in this discussion, we have acknowledged that academics should avoid voicing social prejudice, and this has not always been accomplished, to say the least. Jacques Derrida has meditated extensively on this, with a view to promoting the role education might play in defending the values of democracy, no doubt because Derrida’s understanding of the effects of academic training is combined with the idea of a political education for youth. This may be easily understood when one looks at the moral paralysis of the German university system and its many graduates embracing Nazism and providing the Nazi regime with its most destructive propagandists and functionaries. However, Habermas is clear on this point. German universities cannot be blamed for what befell. Habermas, in particular, points out that the number of students was halved during Nazism in Germany, dropping from 121 000 in 1933 to below 60 000 right before the Second World War 17 . One reason why this happened, although Derrida is not explicit on this point, is that universities tend to over-specialize knowledge. This has caused the decline of humanistic study. Habermas offers similar views, though they are cast in a more sociological mould. To Derrida, higher education should be critical of whatever rationality wants to assess. He calls this “the university without conditions”, which to him involves an ambitious agenda thus defined: “the primal right to say anything, be it in the name of fiction and of knowledge as experiment, and the right to speak publicly, and to publish this” 18 . Habermas offers a more accurate version of what ought to be done, and has been insufficiently accomplished so far: integrating humanistic study and technical expertise to curb the specialization of knowledge 19 .

20  Derrida, L’Université sans condition , p. 69.

16 This may sound vague enough, and we wonder where it might lead, because one doubts whether knowledge, in various disciplines, might efficiently refrain from becoming specialized. This is why Derrida comes up with more practical propositions as to the contents and orientations of higher education in the book he published in 2001, L’Université sans condition . There are seven such propositions, all having to do with what one might call the architecture of knowledge, all answering the need to redefine humanistic study, which should come alongside more specialized training, either in established scholarly disciplines, or the training of students towards professions outside the academic world. The new humanities should, according to Derrida, deal with what he calls “the history of man”, which calls us to devote more attention than has so far been devoted to human rights, be they for men or women. To him, these rights are “legal performatives” 20 , which sounds otherworldly owing to the weight of abstraction in the phrase. However, this might basically mean that these rights are to be upheld because they can be applied to the various fields of human activity. Furthermore we must bear in mind that these so-called “legal performatives” are performatives because they hold within them an applicability that may be constantly expanded, in practical terms, to various areas of cultural practice, among which of course science and business, two areas of higher education that are growing to meet the social needs of human development.

17 The idea of democracy comes second in Derrida’s architecture of the new humanities. It comes second for reasons of clarity in the presentation of the programme he has in mind. Yet the idea of democracy is not a second-thought, because it runs, let us be reminded, through all his oeuvre as a philosopher. Let us note that democracy, as far as what Derrida has to say about it, is not tethered to nationhood. Nationhood is dangerous, and one may easily understand this in the light of European history, and also of Asia. From this, we can easily infer that cultural change in the future should not rely on national traditions, and that, in this respect, globalization offers opportunities for positive cross-fertilization. Derrida’s meditation on this hinges on the concept of sovereignty. While sovereignty is a desirable goal for each and every one of us; the idea is viewed as misleading, as it has often been a concept without practical consequences, while we may still hope that sovereignty will remain a horizon of belief for individuals, and a value that will guide collective decisions. Yet, if Derrida invites us to abide by this concept (sovereignty), he also believes that any collective formalization of the idea of sovereignty should avoid reliance on the nation-state, which may too easily lead to a betrayal of individual dignity.

21  Derrida, p. 72.

18 Derrida then focuses on the necessity to recuperate the authority of teaching, and of literature, whose proposals cannot be easily understood. One suspects, when reading Derrida’s proposals, that teaching as well as literature have to do with amity, a concept that emerges from Derrida’s body of works. This is not a norm, neither is it prescriptive, nor can it be strictly defined as a doctrine or a set of mandatory rules. We gather this is to be understood as an opening to otherness on the part of the teacher, and a eulogy of respect for the other person, which involves inventiveness and the by-passing of any sort of regulation that defines the other person in some way or other that might lead to a position of authority of a colonial or exploitative nature. It certainly is an attitude of respect, which elbows aside the very notion of authority, “routs it”, as Derrida says 21 . Universities, therefore, should constitute an idea that transcends any specialized discourse on the technicalities of education; it consists in letting the other reach out for his or her potential towards self-development. The institutional strength of higher education springs, in Derrida’s view of it, from the interaction of the person who teaches and the one being taught, to live to the full his or her aspirations. Derrida’s ideal is so elevated that it transcends any definition one might come up with. It certainly is a call to confront the normative nature of higher education in order to recuperate a lost sense of human warmth that has been eliminated by the technocratic complexities of institutions seeking intellectual identity in the measurement of student skills and their willingness to comply to them. One also cannot rule out that a backlash has been underway in higher education itself owing to the rising number of first-generation graduates from the less educated groups of our national cultures. This has been more of an opportunity for universities to fulfil their cultural mission from the sixties onwards than a serious obstacle to the growth of higher education, and one can argue that Derrida was balking away from the pessimistic discourse one hears in most academic circles today – ill-grounded as it is on the relative accessibility to higher education.

• 22  On this, consider Daniel Parrochia, La Forme des crises : logique et épistémologie , Seyssel, Champ (...)

19 The challenges that higher education has to face, in the context of an ever-increasing cross-fertilization of cultures, points to one underlying question that surfaces from an examination of current economic and social trends. Is what we call culture tethered to social and economic factors? The question is by no means new, and was handed down to us by the industrial revolutions of the nineteenth century, and by Marxist theory. We now tend to believe that culture is one mode of collective representation that one may disengage from submission to social and economic facts. On this point, the French sociologist Emile Durkheim referred to real structures , that he saw as disconnected from institutions or working facts . 22 There is still much thought to be devoted to whether the degree of autonomy of culture as collective representation involves radical or relative autonomy from economic factors. We are also hard pressed to determine whether, in this framework of analytical thinking, autonomy is or is not hampered by the necessities of those real structures and the institutions that shape them, and even perhaps discreetly justify them. Hence, Stiglitz’s view that one must respond to a democratic deficit, and Derrida’s view that one must face the serious issue of a democratic deficit in higher education. The question is not benign, and it calls forth an autonomy of the mind to bend social realities and economic factors to purposes that do not derive from them.

1  Ralph Waldo Emerson “Napoleon; or, the man of the world” in Joel Porte, Essays and Lectures , New York, The Library of America, 1983, p. 731.

3  Hubert Damisch, “A Crisis of Values, or Crisis Value ?”, in Daniel S. Hamilton (ed.), Which Values for our Time, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Center for Transatlantic Relations, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007, p. 57.

4  Peter Fenves, (ed.), Raising the Tone of Philosophy  ; Late Essays by Immanuel Kant, Transformative Critique by Jacques Derrida , Baltimore and London, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993, pp. 117-171; French edition : « D’un ton apocalyptique adopté naguère en philosophie » in Philippe Lacoue-Labarthe et Jean-Luc Nancy (ed.), Les Fins de l’Homme: à partir du travail de Jacques Derrida , Paris, Galilée, 1981, pp. 445-479.

5  See in particular Making Globalization Work , New York, Norton, 2007, chapter 7, “The Multinational Corporation”.

6  Richard Rorty, “Globalization, the politics of identity and Social Hope” in Philosophy and Social Hope , London, Penguin, 1999, p. 233.

7  Jürgen Habermas, The New Conservatism: Cultural Criticism and the Historian’s debate , Cambridge, Mass., The M.I.T. Press, (1989) 1997, p. 48.

8  Emery Roe and Michel J.G. Van Eeten, “Three – Not Two – Major Environmental Counternarratives to Globalization”, Global Environmental Politics , 4:4, November 2004; see in particular pp. 36-39.

10  John Rawls, Political Liberalism , New York, Columbia University Press, 1993, p. 181. Joseph Stiglitz follows suits with a set of more technical criteria in Making Globalization Work; s ee the section“Responding to the Democratic Deficit”, pp. 280-285.

11  Slavoj Zizek, “Le Tibet pris dans le rêve de l’autre”, Le Monde Diplomatique , n° 650, mai 2008, p. 32.

12  Samuel Huntington, “Foreword” in Lawrence E. Harrison & Samuel Huntington (eds.), Culture Matters: How Values Shape Human Progress , New York, Basic Books, 2000, XV.

14  On this consider Françoise Lemoine, L’Economie de la Chine , Paris, La Découverte, 2006, esp. pp. 67-68.

22  On this, consider Daniel Parrochia, La Forme des crises : logique et épistémologie , Seyssel, Champ Vallon, 2008, esp. pp. 104-128.

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Alain Suberchicot , « Why do Cultures Change? The Challenges of Globalization » ,  Transtext(e)s Transcultures 跨文本跨文化 [En ligne], 4 | 2008, mis en ligne le 20 septembre 2009 , consulté le 28 mai 2024 . URL  : http://journals.openedition.org/transtexts/237 ; DOI  : https://doi.org/10.4000/transtexts.237

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Globalization and Culture

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• Chantal Crozet 2  

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Introduction

Given the wide interest in both globalization and culture from diverse academic fields such as anthropology, sociology, communication and media, cultural and language studies, colonial and indigenous studies, and political science and international relations, it is not surprising to find little consensus in the literature on the definitions of these two concepts, let alone consensus on how they relate to each other and on their role and impact on individuals and societies.

This entry provides insights into the links between globalization and culture, based on a selective review of the literature, aiming to offer some reference points for further reflection to professionals, researchers, and students in public administration and public policy. It reflects first on the concepts of culture and of globalization, what characterizes both and how they relate to each other. It then focuses on the links between culture, globalization, and language followed by concluding remarks.

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Crozet, C. (2017). Globalization and Culture. In: Farazmand, A. (eds) Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_1319-1

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Cultural globalization: short essay on cultural globalization.

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Cultural Globalization: Short Essay on Cultural Globalization!

Nowadays, there is much talk and discussion about cultural globalization, i.e., a common culture is developing across the globe. To some extent, it is true despite some resistance from national culture, as both are developing side by side. Generally, the word ‘culture’ is used to mean ‘the total way of life’ to include economic, political and social norms, values and behaviour.

Globalization is seen as the intermixing of people, cultures, economies and technologies. Modem cultural globalization is a new phenomenon. It started with economic global­ization—spread of transnational corporations and global commodities, especially food and drinks items like pizza and coke, and dress material such as Levi jeans, Reebok and Nike shoes, etc.

In this way, we are all sharing in a common transna­tional form of consumption. This developing consumerism has encouraged mass common consumer culture which reflects a powerful grip on societies throughout the world. As consumerism spreads, changes are visible in lifestyles, cultural tastes, food habits, dress patterns and in modes of entertainment also.

As an example, gastroenteritis—a disease associated with eating habits—reflects the impact of globalization. The rise of eating disorder, use of more and more fast foods and irregularity in eating have contributed much to the disease of gastric disorder.

Neo-Marxist sociologists argue that the process of globalization is not only limited to consumer articles, but it is also accompanied by ideas and more generally ideologies which sustain the consumer culture. Changes even in norms and values are quite striking. Globalization encourages a growing integration and convergence of cultural relations.

The concept of cultural globalization is closely linked with economic globalization. Mike Featherstone (1990) argued that as a result of the devel­opment of financial markets, the main actors share many business and lifestyles norms and values.

As an example, he cited that there is a close relationship between leisure activities and work. Other scholars have stressed on the emergence of global patterns of consumption and consumerism, the cultivation of cosmopolitan lifestyles, and the spread of popular culture (e.g., Madonna or Michael Jackson’s latest songs) as the basis of the development of cultural globalization.

Thus, increased economic linkages led to cultural influences across countries. The key agents of globalization of culture are transnational corporations, cultural and media agencies that go beyond the nation-state.

In spreading cultural globalization, technology has played a crucial role. Technology, in reality, has shrunk the world in our palm. Revolutions in electronic communication (such as radio, TV, cinema, telephone, mobile, fax, Internet, etc.) and rapid means of transportation have produced an indelible impact on local, regional and national cultures because these means can now reach swiftly even the remotest corner of any country.

As a result, the world is slowly and slowly becoming as one place. Both the media and geographical mobility feed this perception. Giddens (1997) has called this phenomenon as ‘time-space distantiation’ meaning separation of time and space brought about by modern communication.

Problems, like floods in Thailand or Indonesia, famine in Ethiopia, tsunami in Japan and events like World Football Compe­tition or Olympics in China or England have a global dimension. Similarly, creations of international economic, political, social and other agencies like UNO, WHO, UNESCO, UNDP, IMF, World Bank, human rights organizations, and the complex interchange between world systems, have contributed to a large extent global cultural homogeneity.

Over and above, science and secularization of thought are the main factors in developing the critical and innovative character of the modern outlook and this in turn has helped in spreading cultural globalization. People no longer assume that customs or habits are acceptable merely because they have the age-old authority of tradition.

On the contrary, our ways of life have increas­ingly based on rationality. In addition to how we think, the content of ideas has also changed. Ideals of self-betterment, freedom, equality and democratic participation are largely creations of the past two or three centuries. Such ideals have served to mobilize the process of globalization of culture.

Globalization has affected cultures in two ways: Firstly, it has tried to homogenize the cultures. We can see this in dress pattern such as pent and shirt and to some extent in food recipes—pizza, Chinese noodles, etc. On the other hand, globalization has helped in the resurgence of local culture. This we can observe in the revival of traditional cultures and reforming of the identity.

Cultural globalization is also marked with some new trends in human relations. Recognition of a worldwide ecological crisis, the development of worldwide concern about health problems such as AIDS and other diseases, extension of the concept of human rights and the creation of global democratic movements are a few examples of integration that is taking place between different nation-states.

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World Studies Extended Essay: Global Themes

• Introduction
• Getting Started
• Global Themes
• Interdisciplinary Research
• What Makes Up a "Discipline"?
• Evaluating the Insights of Academic Disciplines
• Multiple Forms of Integration
• Evaluating Your Essay
• Common Stumbling Blocks
• Examples of Globally Conscious Students

World Studies Global Themes

Conflict, peace, and security Culture, language, and identity Environmental and/or economic sustainability Equality and inequality Health and development Science, technology and society

Conflict, peace, and security

Culture, language, and identity, environmental and/or economic sustainability, equality and inequality, health and development, science, technology and society, wsee documents.

WSEE Subject Guide and worksheets

• IB EE Subject Guide - World Studies, 2018
• Making Meaningful Connections Use this worksheet to help you think about your research plans: the concepts or methods your will be using, the global topic you're focusing on, and the academic disciplines you will be using.

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• Sample Prompts for the WSEE RRS What should you write in your RRS? Use these questions and prompts to help you think through the various stages of the research for your WSEE: your initial ideas, your thoughts and reflections during the process, and your conclusions.
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• RPPF Example 5 - World Studies
• RPPF Example 7 - World Studies

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Essay on Globalization for Students and Children

500+ words essay on globalization.

Globalization refers to integration between people, companies, and governments. Most noteworthy, this integration occurs on a global scale. Furthermore, it is the process of expanding the business all over the world. In Globalization, many businesses expand globally and assume an international image. Consequently, there is a requirement for huge investment to develop international companies.

How Globalization Came into Existence?

First of all, people have been trading goods since civilization began. In the 1st century BC, there was the transportation of goods from China to Europe. The goods transportation took place along the Silk Road. The Silk Road route was very long in distance. This was a remarkable development in the history of Globalization. This is because, for the first time ever, goods were sold across continents.

Globalization kept on growing gradually since 1st BC. Another significant development took place in the 7th century AD. This was the time when the religion of Islam spread. Most noteworthy, Arab merchants led to a rapid expansion of international trade . By the 9th century, there was the domination of Muslim traders on international trade. Furthermore, the focus of trade at this time was spices.

True Global trade began in the Age of Discovery in the 15th century. The Eastern and Western continents were connected by European merchants. There was the discovery of America in this period. Consequently, global trade reached America from Europe.

From the 19th century, there was a domination of Great Britain all over the world. There was a rapid spread of international trade. The British developed powerful ships and trains. Consequently, the speed of transportation greatly increased. The rate of production of goods also significantly increased. Communication also got faster which was better for Global trade .

Finally, in 20th and 21st -Century Globalization took its ultimate form. Above all, the development of technology and the internet took place. This was a massive aid for Globalization. Hence, E-commerce plays a huge role in Globalization.

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Impact of Globalization

First of all, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) increases at a great rate. This certainly is a huge contribution of Globalization. Due to FDI, there is industrial development. Furthermore, there is the growth of global companies. Also, many third world countries would also benefit from FDI.

Technological Innovation is another notable contribution of Globalization. Most noteworthy, there is a huge emphasis on technology development in Globalization. Furthermore, there is also technology transfer due to Globalization. The technology would certainly benefit the common people.

The quality of products improves due to Globalization. This is because manufacturers try to make products of high-quality. This is due to the pressure of intense competition. If the product is inferior, people can easily switch to another high-quality product.

To sum it up, Globalization is a very visible phenomenon currently. Most noteworthy, it is continuously increasing. Above all, it is a great blessing to trade. This is because it brings a lot of economic and social benefits to it.

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20 Global Culture Examples

The era of globalization has created a global culture where people around the world share experiences, ideas, norms, and symbols that unite them.

Music, movies, clothes, and phones in the era of globalization are designed to appeal to a global market. This has helped to create global interconnectedness.

Examples of global culture include Hollywood films, fast food restaurants, and pop music. These examples can be used in human geography studies .

Examples of Global Culture

1. hollywood film.

Hollywood’s film industry produces movies that are watched around the world. These films consequently spread US culture and values far and wide.

Movies like the Marvel and DC film franchises make US culture and values known around the world. They idealize and promote an American way of life and are persuasive in getting youths around the world to embrace Western culture (Song, 2018).

2. English as the Global Language of Business

Each country has its own national language or mother tongue, but when the need for international communication arises, a common language has to be used.

Given the dominance of the United States in the 20 th Century, English has become the business world’s lingua franca .

Multinational companies like Samsung, Microsoft in Beijing, Renault, to name a few use English as the common corporate language.

Companies around the world have pivoted to English as their form of communication so they can break into the large US domestic market, attract American talent, and communicate seamlessly with US-based investors (Barancicova & Zerzova, 2015).

3. Fast Food Restaurants

When it comes to eateries, Fast food restaurants are very easy to spot in almost any developed and developing country.

Many people around the world are familiar with names like McDonald’s and KFC. 

These fast-food restaurants have become a part of a modern lifestyle through their integration into societies around the world and it shows the scope of food globalization. 

Even in societies that don’t have McDonald’s, the fast-food style eatery that was pioneered by the Mcdonald’s franchise has spread far and wide. This even has a name: McDonaldization .

Mcdonald’s started as a single restaurant in the United States of America but over the years it has become one of the biggest food chains in the world with over 39,000 locations in over 100 countries.

4. The Five Great Religions

The five religions of the world were some of the first examples of global culture – they all spread into nearly every multicultural country, influencing each country’s culture and development.

These religions are Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism.

These religions share many similarities and beliefs. All believe that God created the universe and all that exists in it. Another similarity is that they all emphasize the importance of ethical behaviors and a sense of community all over the world.

These religions share common practices too such as praying, fasting, and giving to charity.

During Ramadhan, Muslims all over the world get to celebrate. This is also the same during the Christmas season, where Christians all over the world get to celebrate. These holidays are similar because they foster the spirit of giving and sharing with the less fortunate in society.

5. The United Nations

The United Nations is a global body that all recognized nations of the world contribute to and, to one extent or another, most countries obey the UN charter and rules.

The UN was founded in 1945 as an International Organization. It is made up of 193 Member states and they are guided by the purpose and principles which are contained in the founding charter.

This International Organization has evolved over the years with its work to keep pace with a rapidly changing world.

The UN represents global culture inasmuch as all the world’s nations gather together to discuss common problems so as to try to seek solutions that can benefit all humanity.

It is also through the UN that we have the Sustainable Development Goals which unite us all. These Sustainable goals are a call for action by all countries poor, rich and middle income to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.

6. International Fashion Trends

Globalization has opened up a clothing market with a massive demand for fashionable and trendy clothes. The trends from Paris rapidly make their way to New York, London, and Tokyo.

Fashion images in magazines, music videos, the Internet, and television have helped create a global style across borders and cultures.

Across the world, from Europe to Africa, you will find people wearing jeans, designer sports shoes, T-shirts, and dresses.

Asian, African and Western fashion systems borrow style and textile elements from each other. Each consumer is catered for, different ages, gender, ethnicity, profession, and subculture in high tech bazaars.

World-known celebrities also play a role in spreading a particular fashion through Instagram.

Most emerging fashion trends emerge here where millennials and Generation Z are very much active. An example of a relatable fashion is the Yeezy shoes which have become a fashionable trend among youths around the world.

7. Pop Music

Pop music charts have clearly become more globally oriented since the 1960s. In addition to that, the arrival of music televisions such as MTV in 1981 helped music from different artists to be broadcasted across the globe.

Today, pop music is marketed through radios of different frequencies, and more TV shows have emerged internationally

The distribution of pop music has become easier than ever. We have online streaming platforms that have made the exchange of recorded music instant and weightless. 

Today, music consumption globally is often through mobile phones, laptops, or sound playback systems in automobiles (Rojek, 2011).

Pop music brings different talented artists from all over the world through awards such as American Music Awards, MTV, and Grammy Awards which are loved across the world.

8. Football (Soccer)

Football/Soccer is the most loved sport globally because it brings people together from different nationalities. It is known as the “world’s game”.

Every four years nations get to compete on the playing field in the famous World Cup.

There are also the Premier Leagues that are played by Football clubs affiliated with English cities. Despite the fact these teams are English, they have followers all around the world.

These soccer clubs are also made of players from different countries and not natives only. 

9. Online Identities

Online culture has allowed young people around the world to identify with their transnational online communities rather than their local communities.

This has, in turn, helped to facilitate a move away from national identities and toward niche identities shared among disparate groups of people.

Put simply, a young person need not identify with their physical community anymore. If they don’t like or get along with people around them, they can turn to the internet to find people on the other side of the world who share their niche hobbies, interests, and passions.

Examples include gamer culture, Manga and Anime groups, YouTuber culture, and blogger culture.

10. Gamer Culture

One prominent online community that has become its own globalized cultural group is the gamer culture community.

South Korea has become a global center for online gaming and has simultaneously initiated and expanded into ancillary sectors such as E-sport and Pro-leagues around the world.

Players have cult followings and can earn up to US$1million by competing in publicly staged events (Hjorth, 2011). The public events are streamed globally.

This gamer culture has evolved because there are so many worldwide games online and very popular among young people.

Examples of games around which global groups of youths coalesce include Call of Duty, Halo, and World of Warcraft.

11. Consumer Culture

Global consumer culture has emerged during the previous few decades. 

This culture has been promoted through the rise of standardized online shopping platforms like Amazon, as well as the spread of capitalism in the 20th Century.

Consumers no longer shop only locally and in-person. They also routinely buy things from other countries, both online and offline.

Many companies offer their goods all over the world. As a result, businesses are adjusting their marketing tactics to appeal to growing global customer segments who are interested in foreign and/or global market goods.

12. Formula 1 Car Racing

Formula One has become a global phenomenon, with fans from all over the world coming together to celebrate the world’s premier motor racing sport.

With the ease of television coverage and growing global fame, races from any country can be simulcast globally (Blake, 2015).

To cement its global appeal, Formula 1 races are hosted all around the world. There are circuits in Austin, Malaysia, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, and other global cities.

13. Tennis (Grand Slams)

Like Formula 1, tennis is now a truly global sport with fans from every country around the world.

The tennis grand slam circuit involves tournaments in 4 different nations (Wertheim & Bourkoff, 2017). The four competitions are the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and the US Open. They are hosted yearly in Australia, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America.

14. Currency

The first-ever currency, the Mesopotamian shekel, was in circulation about 5000 years ago .

This currency rapidly spread through the Greek and Roman worlds until, today, every nation in the world relies on currency to operate their economies.

The use of coins, which is now the global standard for any economy, is an example of how good ideas spread throughout the world. Humans didn’t need the fast-paced internet and air travel to create a global culture: this example from ancient times shows how the globalization of culture has always been a part of our world.

15. Television

Television is a means by which culture spreads. Like film, people flock to television to see the latest and most entertaining shows.

And like film, the United States has been the dominant culture producer on the television medium.

A quintessential example is The Simpsons, a long-running cartoon that shows an average American family’s lifestyle. The Simpsons alone broadcasts into 52 countries worldwide . As it spreads, the show promotes American values, jokes, and culture to a global world.

16. Business Etiquette

To become successful multinational companies, businesses need to adhere to international norms of business etiquette.

Businesses, no matter which country they are from, need to be enculturated into the norms, customs, skills, and values necessary to participate in the global business community.

Examples of international business etiquette include the shaking of hands after striking a deal during contract negotiation, wearing western-style suits, and taking potential business partners out to dinner.

17. Philosophy and Enlightenment

Philosophy has been a pastime of nearly every culture throughout human history. Two prominent schools of philosophy – Eastern and Western – have each spread throughout the world.

But perhaps the most prominent and successful philosophy that led to an emerging global culture is the philosophy of humanism that underpins the enlightenment.

Humanism led to the rise of secularist states, the decline of Religious rule in nations throughout the East and West, and the liberalization of many parts of the globe (see more examples of humanism ).

Even without the enlightenment, however, it’s clear that the practice of philosophy is itself a cultural pursuit that transcends borders and could, therefore, be considered a global cultural phenomenon.

18. Birthday Celebrations

Birthdays have been celebrated for centuries. They were celebrated by the ancient Egyptians and the Greeks, who introduced candles to the occasion.

The “Happy Birthday” song was first composed in the 1800s, while there is some debate about who composed the melody and who owns the rights to it. 

While it is customary to celebrate another amazing year, how individuals celebrate birthdays differs tremendously.

There are many unique birthday celebrations all around the world, from singing around a cake with candles in the United States to Ghanaians waking up their children with “oto,” a cooked sweet potato pancake, to commemorate their birthday.

Later in the day, the child throws a party for relatives and friends, where they consume kelewele stew (Meleen, 2021). Ampe, a popular birthday activity, is another option for kids.

Here, we see an example of a global cultural phenomenon (celebrating birthdays) mixing with localized traditions in a practice called glocalization .

19. The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are a major global sporting event that is celebrated by almost every nation around the world. It draws large crowds of people from all nationalities.

The modern Olympic Games pique the attention of people of all ethnicities and ages globally.

Over 4.8 billion people, more than half the population of the earth, tune in to watch this important cultural and sporting event.

However, sport continues to be a tool for asserting and sustaining national identity. It is a symbol of pride to represent a country in world championships, particularly at the Olympic Games. 

Again, here we see glocalization where global culture mixes with local cultures.

20. Democracy

One of the other benefits of globalization is that it has led to the cultural diffusion of democratic values across boundaries.

For theorist Arjun Appadurai, democracy is an example of ideoscapes – the spread of political ideas around the world.

The more democracies that surround non-democratic countries, the greater their prospects of a nation becoming democratic (Crockett, 2011).

As a result, democracy has spread to and liberalized a number of nations, including Iraq and several others in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Read Next: Culture vs Society (What’s the Difference?)

Cultural globalization is controversial because it can have both positive and negative impacts. On the one hand, a global culture promotes understanding across cultural groups, leads to the sharing of good ideas, and more efficiency for businesses. But on the other hand, it may lead to cultural homogenization which will dilute local and indigenous cultures. It may break down the rich cultural tapestry of the world and lead to the loss of many of the unique cultures that make our world beautiful.

Barančicová, J., & Zerzová, J. (2015). English as a lingua franca used at international meetings. Journal of Language and Cultural Education , 3 (3), 30-51. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1515/jolace-2015-0018

Blake, R. (2015). The globalization of formula 1: A new world . BAC Sport – Bespoke Sports Travel and Hospitality Packages. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.bacsport.co.uk/the-globalisation-of-formula-1/  

Crockett, S. (2011, August 27). Has globalization spread democracy around the world? E-International Relations. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.e-ir.info/2011/08/27/has-globalization-spread-democracy-around-the-world/  

Hjorth, L. (2011). Games and Gaming: An introduction to new media. Oxford: Berg.

Inglis, D., & Gimlin, D. (2015). The globalization of food . NewYork: Bloomsbury.

Meleen, M. (2021, September 21). Birthday traditions around the world: Celebrations of a lifetime . LoveToKnow. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://family.lovetoknow.com/cultural-heritage-symbols/birthday-traditions-around-world  

OpenStax. (2018, September 20). The relationship between Business Ethics and culture . Business Ethics. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://opentextbc.ca/businessethicsopenstax/chapter/the-relationship-between-business-ethics-and-culture/  

Poepsel, M. (n.d.). Preface and overview . Media Society Culture and You. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://press.rebus.community/mscy/front-matter/overview/  

Rojek, C. (2011). Pop music, pop culture. London: Polity.

Song, X. (2018). Hollywood movies and China: Analysis of Hollywood globalization and relationship management in China’s cinema market. Global Media and China , 2018;3(3):177-194. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F2059436418805538

Sweet, W., & McLean, G. F. (2013). Philosophy emerging from culture . Retrieved March 15, 2022, from http://www.crvp.org/publications/Series-I/I-42.pdf  

Wertheim , J., & Bourkoff, A. B. (2017, November 13). World can look to tennis for Globalization Lessons . Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 16, 2022, from https://www.si.com/tennis/2017/11/13/roger-federer-tennis-atp-world-tour-finals-globalization  

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Home — Essay Samples — Sociology — Globalization — The Impact of Globalization on Cultural Homogenization

The Impact of Globalization on Cultural Homogenization

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Published: Mar 6, 2024

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Homogenization of consumer culture, loss of cultural diversity, opportunities for cultural exchange.

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Global Culture essay

Culture is deeply embedded in the way the people lived. It reflects the views and principles that the people in a certain area posses. In America, the United States was considered as a “melting pot” wherein different kinds of races and people lives. A large number of the people that come and go the United States are composed of tourist and foreigners. Actually the whole American population is comprised of different races that came from different civilizations and who are exposed from different cultures.

The clash and mixture of this different cultures result to the American Culture that have emerged today. Since the United States have been the center of globalization and global business and intellectual transaction, it has nonetheless influenced most other countries. The country has been influential to almost all of the countries in the world because of its economic advantage. Financially, it is the most stable, with some of the richest men and women residing in its borders. It has also been influential to other countries politically and is considered as a great force of power in global relations.

Having this great influence, the united States have been able to affect the cultures of other countries, in such ways that most countries are said to become Americanized. Hot dogs, hamburgers, French fries, and ice cream have long been considered national favorites. This can best be attributed to the fast-paced culture that emerged in highly industrialized society such as United States. These foods are easy to cook, delicious and easy to eat or carry, compared to pasta’s and rice which are popular in other countries. Time is a very important matter in an American life.

Since American value independence, it is important for them to earn in their own way. In doing so, time has been a precious part of their lives that not a single second shall be wasted doing nonsensical or unprofitable things. I think that since America has been very influential in most parts of the world, there can be a global culture that is emerging. But this does not mean that everywhere around the world there is one single culture. What can be seen in today’s world is actually a global common culture across different cultures. It is also hard to say that there is one American culture since United States is much diversified.

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I believe that a global culture is something positive and at the same time negative. Positive in the sense that it somehow creates equality among different people’s beliefs and traditions making communication of ideas more fluid. On the other hand, a global culture somehow removes a person or a country’s personal identity, since it would belong to a global community in which everyone thinks the same way or acts under the same principle.

Trask, H. K. Globally Speaking: The Politics of Globalization. Retrieved on November 9, 2007. Retrieved from the World Wide Web: http://www. abc. net. au/global/sitemap. htm

Culture and Global Business Essay

Culture and business decision-making, culture and business structure, culture and human resources management, culture and marketing.

According to Mohammad Bakhtazmai in the article, “ A study of Globalization in International Business” is of the observation that the world is undergoing massive globalization; international trade has facilitated exchange of goods and services across borders.

In the international trade and globalization, culture of a nation has an effect on business processes, products, and management approach. To produce products that meet people’s needs, it is important to understand cultural factors likely to influences business in international markets. This paper analyzes the role of culture in modern globalized markets.

When operating across the board, managers need to make decisions that are responsive to the needs of a particular market; different markets require different management approaches. When discussing the decision of management, we will restrict the discussion to process and products decisions.

Some cultures may not support certain commodities, they may find them as an omen in their culture, and thus a business producing such goods should probably be forced to change the nature of their business. For example, incase a company in operating a meat supply business, if it operates in a Muslim cultural environment, then it is likely to be forced not to supply pork meat that is considered an omen by the Muslim culture (Walker, Walker & Schmits, 2003).

Organizational structure determines how processes and functions within an organization are structured for the good of the company. When operating in the global arenas, management is forced to have structures that fit the level of development in the country of operation. For example, the supply and logistics management systems should be structured in such a way it will use the available infrastructures effectively; the level of technology in the country will probably affect the rate of technology that a new venture will use.

For effective operations, organizations need human resources to undertake different tasks within the organization; when operating across boundaries, the management approach that need to be adopted should be adjusted to ensure that it will effectively cater the needs of human capital in the country of operation.

Human resources management has to develop such effective policies that will assist in managing the diverse human capital that the organization will deploy from international labor markets.

National cultures have close linkage with institutional cultures and the approach taken by institutions; this means that when managing at businesses across the board, the organizations will be forced to adjust their processes to fit the general trend of the nation of operation.

After the production of goods and services, companies need to sell the products to their target customers; the approach to use for marketing the products should be acceptable by the believes, values, and have the power to persuade the markets that they will be sold; this calls for adjustments of marketing approach to suit the culture of a people.

Although there is the emergence of Cosmopolitan nations, the differences in culture prevails among different nations thus when operating or selling to those markets, the management are compelled to understand the culture and general belief of the people (Noruzi, 2011).

When operating in the global scenes, organizations are affected by the culture of a people in the country of operation. To ensure that they remain competitive amidst the negative effects of culture, managers need to have culture intelligence programs.

Noruzi, M. (2011). A study of Globalization in International Business. INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY RESEARCH IN BUSINESS , 2(9) , 88-90.

Walker, D., Walker, T., & Schmits, J. (2003 ). Doing business internationally: The guide to cross-cultural success (2nd ed.). BostoN: McGraw-Hill.

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IvyPanda. (2018, September 19). Culture and Global Business. https://ivypanda.com/essays/culture-and-global-business/

"Culture and Global Business." IvyPanda , 19 Sept. 2018, ivypanda.com/essays/culture-and-global-business/.

IvyPanda . (2018) 'Culture and Global Business'. 19 September.

IvyPanda . 2018. "Culture and Global Business." September 19, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/culture-and-global-business/.

1. IvyPanda . "Culture and Global Business." September 19, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/culture-and-global-business/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Culture and Global Business." September 19, 2018. https://ivypanda.com/essays/culture-and-global-business/.

Tracing the Life and Legacy of Beyoncé: a Look at her Birth and Early Years

This essay about Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter explores her early life and formative experiences in Houston, Texas, detailing her rise from a talented child performer to a global icon. It highlights her cultural background, early successes with Girl’s Tyme and Destiny’s Child, and her seamless transition to a successful solo career. The essay also underscores her influence as a cultural icon and philanthropist, emphasizing her resilience, dedication, and impact on the music industry and society.

How it works

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, widely known simply as Beyoncé, is a global icon whose influence transcends music, fashion, and culture. Her journey to superstardom began in Houston, Texas, where she was born on September 4, 1981. To understand the full scope of her impact, it’s essential to trace her life from her birth and early years, delving into the formative experiences that shaped the woman who would become one of the most influential artists of her generation.

Beyoncé’s roots are steeped in a rich blend of African American, Louisiana Creole, and French ancestry, which played a significant role in her cultural identity.

She was born to Mathew Knowles, a Xerox sales manager, and Tina Knowles, a hairdresser and salon owner. Her parents’ diverse backgrounds and strong work ethics set the foundation for Beyoncé’s ambitious spirit and multifaceted talents.

From an early age, Beyoncé exhibited an extraordinary talent for performing. At just seven years old, she won a school talent show with a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” showcasing a voice that belied her years. Recognizing her potential, her parents enrolled her in dance classes, where she learned ballet, jazz, and hip-hop, disciplines that would later influence her dynamic stage presence.

In 1990, Beyoncé joined the all-girls singing group Girl’s Tyme, managed by her father. The group participated in the nationally televised talent show “Star Search.” Although they did not win, the experience was pivotal for Beyoncé. It taught her resilience and the importance of perseverance in the face of setbacks. This early exposure to the music industry also provided invaluable experience, setting the stage for her future endeavors.

The transformation from Girl’s Tyme to Destiny’s Child marked a significant turning point in Beyoncé’s career. Mathew Knowles rebranded the group, and after several lineup changes, Destiny’s Child emerged in the late 1990s as one of the most successful girl groups of all time. Their self-titled debut album, released in 1998, featured the hit single “No, No, No,” which catapulted them to fame. However, it was their second album, “The Writing’s on the Wall,” that solidified their status, featuring chart-topping hits like “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name.”

Beyoncé’s role as the lead vocalist and her undeniable stage presence made her the focal point of Destiny’s Child. Her distinctive voice, characterized by its power and emotion, became a defining feature of the group’s sound. Despite the pressures of fame and the complexities of managing interpersonal dynamics within the group, Beyoncé emerged as a poised and focused leader.

While her career with Destiny’s Child was flourishing, Beyoncé was also preparing for a solo career. The group’s hiatus in 2001 allowed her to explore solo projects, culminating in the release of her debut solo album, “Dangerously in Love,” in 2003. The album was a critical and commercial success, earning her five Grammy Awards and cementing her status as a solo artist. Songs like “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy” showcased her versatility and ability to blend different musical genres, from R&B and pop to hip-hop.

Beyoncé’s transition from group member to solo superstar was seamless, yet it was underpinned by years of dedication and an unwavering commitment to her craft. Her early experiences, from performing in talent shows to facing rejection on “Star Search,” instilled in her a resilience that would be crucial in navigating the competitive music industry. Moreover, her family’s support and her father’s managerial guidance provided a stable foundation that allowed her to flourish creatively and professionally.

Beyond her musical achievements, Beyoncé’s early years were marked by a strong sense of identity and cultural pride. Growing up in Houston, she was immersed in a vibrant cultural milieu that celebrated African American heritage. This influence is evident in her music and public persona, where she frequently references her roots and addresses issues of race and empowerment. Her upbringing in a household that valued hard work and self-expression undoubtedly shaped her approach to her career and her commitment to using her platform to advocate for social justice.

Beyoncé’s legacy is not only defined by her musical prowess but also by her role as a cultural icon and philanthropist. From her early days in Houston to her rise to global stardom, she has consistently pushed boundaries and redefined what it means to be an artist. Her impact extends beyond the stage, as she continues to inspire generations with her talent, resilience, and unwavering dedication to her craft.

In tracing the life and legacy of Beyoncé, it is clear that her journey is a testament to the power of talent nurtured with determination and support. Her early years, filled with both triumphs and challenges, laid the groundwork for a career that has not only redefined the music industry but also made significant contributions to culture and society at large. Beyoncé’s story is one of relentless pursuit of excellence, and it serves as an enduring inspiration to aspiring artists and fans around the world.

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Tracing the Life and Legacy of Beyoncé: A Look at Her Birth and Early Years. (2024, May 28). Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/tracing-the-life-and-legacy-of-beyonce-a-look-at-her-birth-and-early-years/

"Tracing the Life and Legacy of Beyoncé: A Look at Her Birth and Early Years." PapersOwl.com , 28 May 2024, https://papersowl.com/examples/tracing-the-life-and-legacy-of-beyonce-a-look-at-her-birth-and-early-years/

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Tracing the Life and Legacy of Beyoncé: A Look at Her Birth and Early Years . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/tracing-the-life-and-legacy-of-beyonce-a-look-at-her-birth-and-early-years/ [Accessed: 29 May. 2024]

"Tracing the Life and Legacy of Beyoncé: A Look at Her Birth and Early Years." PapersOwl.com, May 28, 2024. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://papersowl.com/examples/tracing-the-life-and-legacy-of-beyonce-a-look-at-her-birth-and-early-years/

"Tracing the Life and Legacy of Beyoncé: A Look at Her Birth and Early Years," PapersOwl.com , 28-May-2024. [Online]. Available: https://papersowl.com/examples/tracing-the-life-and-legacy-of-beyonce-a-look-at-her-birth-and-early-years/. [Accessed: 29-May-2024]

PapersOwl.com. (2024). Tracing the Life and Legacy of Beyoncé: A Look at Her Birth and Early Years . [Online]. Available at: https://papersowl.com/examples/tracing-the-life-and-legacy-of-beyonce-a-look-at-her-birth-and-early-years/ [Accessed: 29-May-2024]

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