5 PPT 3e 2024

Chapter 5: Globalization and Culture

5.1 Introduction to Globalization

  • Key Questions:

    • Is the world really getting smaller?

    • What are the outcomes of global integration?

    • Doesn’t everyone want to be developed?

    • If not homogenized, what is happening?

    • How do anthropologists study global interconnections?

5.2 Learning Objectives

  • Understand the impact of intensive global interconnections on cultural processes.

  • Key goals:

    • Describe transnational flows of people, finance, information.

    • Critically assess the desire for development in diverse cultures.

    • Analyze theories of cultural convergence and hybridization.

    • Identify opportunities and dilemmas for anthropologists in studying globalization.

5.3 The Impact of Globalization on Culture

  • Globalization leads to both similarities and changes in cultures.

    • Anthropologists study these dynamics to understand cultural shifts due to global interconnections.

5.4 Social, Economic, and Political Interconnections

  • Historical Perspectives:

    • Early 20th-century diffusionists emphasized cultural spread.

    • Marxist anthropologists like Eric Wolf highlighted the context of non-Western societies within global capitalism.

  • Focus of mainstream anthropology shifted from local village research to global influences.

5.5 The Concept of Globalization

  • Differences in participation in globalization lead to inequalities.

  • Some anthropologists prefer "transnational" over "globalization" to emphasize specific relationships that cross national boundaries without assuming comprehensive coverage.

5.6 Innovations in Global Communication

  • Modern technologies (cell phones, Internet) facilitate global communication.

    • However, there are significant access disparities; e.g., very low computer access in sub-Saharan Africa.

  • Wealth and poverty greatly affect global communication participation.

5.7 Mobility of People

  • An increase in human mobility under globalization:

    • Types of mobile populations include migrants, immigrants, refugees, and exiles.

    • Dramatic changes in migratory flows observed through maps:

      • Map A: European colonial migration patterns.

      • Map B: Post-WWII decolonization and shifts towards Europe and the US.

      • Map C: Current trend of most migrants remaining within their regions of origin.

5.8 Global Economic Changes

  • The history of financial globalization since the 1870s, which has gained momentum in recent decades.

    • Growth of transnational corporations in low-cost labor countries.

5.9 Outcomes of Global Integration

  • Two perspectives on globalization:

    • Proponents highlight economic growth and prosperity.

    • Critics focus on increased poverty and inequality.

  • Anthropological analysis must consider cultural dimensions including inequality, resistance, and adaptation.

5.10 World Systems Theory

  • The division between core and periphery countries:

    • Core nations thrive at the expense of peripheral nations, which often face poverty and dependency.

5.11 Perspectives from Postcolonial Studies

  • World systems theory relates closely to postcolonial studies, examining legacies of colonialism and their impact on culture and economics.

5.12 Resistance in Peripheral Contexts

  • Resistance from peripheral groups can take many forms, from overt actions to subtle protests.

  • Example: Female workers in Malaysia used spiritual practices as a subtle form of resistance against poor conditions.

5.13 Localization and Cultural Identity

  • Localization, or 'glocalization,' involves the adaptation of global influences at local levels.

    • Example: The Sapeurs in the Democratic Republic of Congo use clothing for social status.

5.14 Moving Beyond Simplistic Labels

  • Globalization involves complex identities rather than straightforward 'winners' and 'losers.'

    • Many people navigate both local and global spheres but experience these interactions differently based on their social positioning.

5.15 Questions on Developmental Aspirations

  • Historical contexts of development initiatives;

    • Colonial views contrasted with modern initiatives like those from the UN and NGOs.

5.16 Approaches to Development in Anthropology

  • Development anthropology focuses on locally beneficial projects.

    • Example: Gerald Murray's involvement in Haitian deforestation projects aimed at bridging planners' aims with local needs.

  • Anthropology of development critiques external control in projects, emphasizing the potential for worsening inequality.

5.17 Case Study: Lesotho

  • James Ferguson's study on the Thaba-Tseka project highlighted that poverty resulted from labor exploitation, not solely from rural living.

5.18 Culture and Global Change

  • Perspectives in development vary; some argue for increased accountability to local communities.

  • Change imposed from outside is often counterproductive, as communities desire to preserve their traditions.

5.19 Ethical Considerations

  • Anthropologists’ ethical obligations to communities needing help versus their independence.

5.20 Understanding Global Homogenization

  • Contradictory views on whether the world is homogenizing or diversifying.

    • Cultural Convergence: Local traditions replaced by dominant Western ideas (e.g., McDonaldization).

    • Hybridization: Emphasizes cultural blending and diversity.

5.21 Cultural Theories Critique

  • Limitations of convergence theories that relate material goods to identity.

5.22 Hybridization Emphasis

  • Acknowledgement of cultural mixing and the persistent diversity contradicts views of cultural purity.

5.23 Multi-Sited Ethnography in Anthropology

  • Challenge of maintaining focus on local cultures while acknowledging global influences through multi-sited research.

5.24 Practical and Ethical Dilemmas

  • Different challenges encountered in multi-sited versus traditional ethnographic research.

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