Social 10 Issue 1

Chapter 1 -Globalization and Identity - Detailed Notes

Globalization and Identity

Our Identity

  • Identity is a collective set of characteristics by which a person or group is definitively recognizable or known.

  • Each individual has a unique identity shaped by their surroundings.

  • Self-image is defined by incorporating appealing aspects of the world to create the desired self-perception.

Understanding Individual Identity

  • To understand globalization's connection to identity, we must first understand our own individual identity.

Individual Expression

  • Identity is expressed through various means:

    • Language spoken

    • Friends chosen

    • Clothes worn

    • Food eaten

    • Music listened to

    • Leisure activities

Expressing through Traditions

  • People express themselves through various traditions.

  • Traditions range from eating certain foods and wearing specific clothing to performing certain rituals.

  • Individuals, families, and groups create their own traditions.

Expressing through Language

  • Language is a crucial aspect of identity.

  • Language expresses how people view and understand the world.

  • Different ideas may have different meanings cross-culturally.

Expressing Individual Identity

  • Clothing and body adornment are common ways individuals express their identity.

Collective Expression of Identity

  • Expressed identity can be part of a larger collective identity.

  • People are born into and often maintain their collective identities.

  • This maintenance stems from deeply rooted values associated with the collective.

Identity in Context

  • Consider various contexts of interaction with others:

    • At home with family

    • At school in classes

    • After school with a sports team or club

    • At a house of worship

    • At the mall with friends

  • In these contexts, an aspect of collective identity may be expressed.

  • Collectives often have ground rules accepted without question.

  • These rules can be written or unwritten, expressed through customs, traditions, and rituals that affirm the beliefs and identity of members.

Summing Up

  • Identity is connected to creations, objects, choices, possessions, interests, values, friends, family, beliefs, appearance, work, hobbies, practices, habits, and ethnicity.

Chapter 2 -🌐 Globalization: Interconnectedness and Interdependence

Globalization is the process by which the world is becoming more interconnected and interdependent.

➡ Forces of Globalization:

  • Trade

  • Transportation

  • Communication Technology

  • Media

Transportation, communication technology, and the media have all sped up the pace at which the world’s people are becoming interconnected and interdependent.

🛒 Trade

Reasons why people trade goods and services:

  1. Obtain goods and services not available to them.

  2. Obtain better quality or less expensive goods and services.

  3. Obtain different goods and services than what is produced at home (variety).

✈ Transportation

  • Lowering transportation costs has made it economically sensible to ship products and unfinished materials throughout the world.

  • New forms of transportation of people have increased the pace of the globalization process (e.g., shipping containers).

📱 Communication Technology

How has the age of digital technology paved the way for communication technology?

  • Internet

  • Smartphones

  • MP3 players

  • Digital cameras

  • Satellites

  • Skype

📰 Media

  • What is media?

  • What are some forms of media?

  • What is the difference between media convergence and media concentration?

  • How might a reduction in the diversity of media voices affect your identity? Would these effects be positive or negative? Why?

  • What does this mean in terms of globalization?

⚖ Dimensions of Globalization

Globalization has several dimensions:

  • Economic

  • Political

  • Environmental

  • Social

💰 Economic Dimensions

  • Price of goods

  • Cost of labor

  • Cheap transportation

  • Supply and demand

Why do big companies look to other nations to manufacture or produce goods for sale?

🏛 Political Dimensions

  • Economic concerns affect political decisions and vice versa.

  • Transnational corporations versus government.

  • Who do governments try to support?

  • Who do transnational corporations support?

  • How do family-operated, small enterprises compete with transnational corporations?

  • In a world of globalization, with economies interconnected and interdependent, the decisions of different governments affect the economics and political decisions of other nations.

  • Other organizations like the WTO lobby and promote change both politically and economically.

  • Are economic and political decisions often in conflict with each other?

🌳 Environmental Dimensions

Resulting from increased economic development and the growing demands for consumer goods, our environment is often sacrificed to meet these demands as quickly as possible.

  • If we introduce new environmental standards and practices throughout the world, who will enforce these standards? What do we do when each party involved does not support these decisions?

  • Are environmental decisions political or economic?

  • How do we encourage economic development while protecting the environment?

  • At what cost are we willing to sacrifice our environment for profit?

  • Are you willing to pay more money for goods in order to protect our environment?

🫂 Social Dimensions

The decisions we make both environmentally, politically, and economically each influence how people live and interact with each other each day.

  • The demands of the world have many side effects often disregarded or unnoticed.

  • What you do in your part of the world has dramatic effects on the everyday life of others in other places in the world.

  • How do the things that you purchase and consume influence and affect others throughout the world?

  • How can you react positively to the negative side effects of globalization? Is it possible?

Chapter 3 - Identity, the Media, and Communication Technology

The chapter explores how media and communication technologies shape identity and influence culture. Key concepts include:

  • Digital divide: The gap separating those with and without access to up-to-date digital technology.

  • Propaganda: Information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view.

  • Pop culture: Culture that is popular and widely disseminated, especially through mass media.

  • Universalization: The spread of culture, trends, customs, and practices across the world.

  • Hybridization: The mixing of cultural elements to create new forms.

📱 Identity and Communication

Digital technology has revolutionized communication by:

  • Enabling instant feedback on TV programs and websites.

  • Affirming people's membership in the world community through connections.

One significant impact of digital technology is the near-elimination of distance as a barrier to communication.

Smartphones and Choice

Smartphones have become incredibly popular, raising questions about how technological changes influence our identities.

🌐 The Digital Divide

The digital divide is the gap that separates people who do and do not have access to up-to-date digital technology.

The map highlights disparities in internet usage across the globe, with North America, Europe, and Australia showing higher usage compared to Africa and parts of Asia. This divide can significantly impact people's identities and access to information.

⚙ Technology at Work

In 1972, Canada launched the Anik A1 satellite, marking a new era of communication in remote areas like Canada’s North. In 1999, this technology aided the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network in creating a nationwide TV service, affirming their culture and identity.

🏘 Living in the ‘Global Village’

Marshall McLuhan is a key figure in understanding the concept of the "global village."

🌍 How is diversity influenced by the media and communication technologies?

While cultural exchange has always occurred, the speed and complexity of these exchanges have increased dramatically. Balancing the positive and negative effects of these exchanges is a significant challenge.

📱 Techno-Isolation

Current communication technologies can enable the creation of personalized worlds.

  • MP3 players provide customized soundtracks, blocking out the external world.

  • Individuals can be physically present with others yet communicate solely through text messages.

This raises concerns about becoming "High Tech Hermits," experiencing reduced socialization, and a diminished sense of community due to excessive choice and less common ground with those around us.
Affirming and Promoting Language in a Globalizing World 🗣

People express their traditions, values, worldviews, and cultures through language. It's a crucial part of cultural identity. Peoples, governments, and organizations use different strategies to affirm their language in a globalizing world.

Dominance of English 🌐

English is the main language of:

  • Business

  • Scientific research

  • Popular culture

  • The Internet and the World Wide Web

There are 350 million people who speak English as their first language and one billion who speak it as a second or third language. Thanks to the British Empire and the United States, English is a world language. Business people, travelers, and tourists around the world are most likely communicating in English. A German businessman in Tokyo will most likely be speaking English.

International organizations warn that the dominance of English could lead to a loss of cultural diversity.

Reflection 🤔

  • What difference will it make if the number of people who speak English as a first language declines?

  • In a globalizing world, which is more influential: the number of speakers of a language or the dominance of a language group?

Magic Carpet 🪄

"The loss of a language is more than the loss of the ability to communicate with others." Consider what this statement means and how Mitali Perkins’s story illustrates it.

Chapter 4 - Affirming and Promoting Culture in a Globalizing World 💃

When you affirm your identity, you strengthen your sense of self through your personal expressions. Collectives affirm their identity when they speak their language or express their culture through traditions or ceremonies. Some people affirm their cultural identity by reclaiming what has been lost.

Cultural Revitalization — Challenges and Opportunities ✊

Cultural revitalization is one way for a nation or a people to keep their cultural identity from being absorbed into the "industrial-strength blender" of globalization. The First Nations University of Canada was founded to preserve the history, language, culture, and artistic heritage of First Nations people.

Governments Affirming Languages and Cultures 🏛

In 1971, Canada became the first country in the world to adopt multiculturalism as official government policy (under Pierre Trudeau). According to Michaëlle Jean, former Governor General, national unity must be founded on confidence in one’s own individual identity. She believes that diversity enriches us all but is also a challenge that all of humanity must now face in this age of globalization.

What role might your community or school play in helping citizens become stronger by affirming and promoting their various languages and cultures?

CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) 📺

Much of the television that Canadians watch is produced in the United States, which some Canadians believe puts Canadian stories, songs, myths, and dreams at risk. As a result, Canada has passed cultural content laws to protect artists, performers, songs, movies, and literature. The goal of the CRTC rules are to protect and preserve Canada’s cultural identity by ensuring that Canadians hear Canadian voices and see Canadian stories.

International Organizations Affirming Languages and Cultures 🤝

UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is one of the largest international organizations promoting cultural diversity. In November 2001, UNESCO adopted the Universal Declaration on Cultural Diversity, which includes the motto: "The cultural wealth of the world is its diversity in dialogue."

Assembly of First Nations and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples 📜

In October 2006, Indigenous peoples from around the world met in New York to try to persuade the United Nations General Assembly to adopt the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, but it was not adopted by the UN. Under the umbrella of the AFN, these groups work together to achieve common goals: Aboriginal and treaty rights, self-determination, and rights over natural resources.