Problem of identity in globalization

Problem of identity in globalization

Dr.R.Murali

Head of the Department of Philosophy

Madura College

Madurai-625 011

"A world of culture that was simply would not be a uniform culture in all culture. We should have a humanity dehumanized. This would be a nightmare ".- Eliot, TS

Although essentially an economic phenomenon, globalization can be seen in the broader context of the interaction between different cultures, and it is this aspect of cultural globalization above the overflow, so to speak, which many see as a threat rather than merely economic. The voices became raised against the process of globalization and the danger it poses to the specific cultural identities, according to the Anti-globalization lobby, is likely to be lost entirely or, at best, very weak in context of globalization.

One of the most outspoken critics of globalization has for fear that this process could erode national cultures and individual identities. The mass consumption of standardized goods created by the International trade and foreign direct investment in cultural and other sectors can be considered as something negative, as it moves to its own production, traditional products and local manufacturing and services, or tends to reduce the perceived value of these assets its called "pure" market value. Similarly, migration can be perceived as a threat to local cultures and creating political tensions providing local public goods local host communities.

In contemporary socio-cultural conditions of an individual is "forced" to be in constant research identity, can not maintain its commitment to a single identity for a long period of time.

Using the magic word "identity" ("Identity of origin") obviously implies an explicit polemic against modernity and tradition is as a place seemingly immune to the differences and uniqueness. It is obvious that this is the call for a rigid culture, fetish, however, it is important to understand how these terms have a strategic value today. We know that the instrumentalization of the block concept of cultural identity is far more damaging consequences in practice: it is no coincidence the first positive concept of multiculturalism has become a growing problem and even negative evaluation. The theoretical implications of such use or misuse-The notion of identity has been known for probably the best system "of Samuel Huntington's clash of civilizations." It is obvious that neither globalization "or" identity "are neutral concepts, but only fought each other and define structures also determine the different points of view and may appoint a number of phenomena divergent.

Almost everyone agrees on this point, that globalization can not be suppressed.

If we are for or against globalization it is definitely a process of continuous expansion.

Globalization is a term of three dimensions, covering political, economic and cultural. As for the political and cultural globalization, we

faced by the world media with an agenda that reflects the collapse of the model nation-state, and the prevalence of recently, the terms and cultural concerns known "homogenization" and the microphone nationalism.

In recent years, the process of globalization, the international media began to present the state model national old-fashioned style.

Today, instead of referring to total independence, the country talking about their mutual dependence between them. independence Total has become impossible and is considered a Third World approach.

The economy is the most important dimension of globalization, affecting the politics and policy in turn affects the economy, and both affect the cultural dimension of globalization. Cultural goods and services between countries is carried out as part of a global economic system. Between 1980 and 1998 an increase of 5 at the time that the market for cultural goods and services has occurred. The largest component the information society is the cultural industry that is growing at an incredibly fast. Just as the products of these industries can create cultural values or change, and the role of strengthening cultural identity, may also hasten its demise. According to the Report on the UNDP Human Development published in 1999, two thirds of the world's population can benefit from global economic growth, based on international trade and development of technologies and not becoming part of an informed society. It addresses the need to discuss whether or not the "culture" can be considered as an economic process in economic globalization.

To understand the fundamental importance of the issue, we examine the extent of our lives is affected by cultural goods and services: cultural assets consist in a variety of products such as books, magazines, multimedia products, software, disks, CDs, movies, videos, audiovisual programs and fashionable designs. Services cultural consist of libraries, documentation centers, museums, theaters and orchestras, circus, well, news, cable news broadcasts and broadcasting satellite. Since 1998, the top 5 global exporters of culture were Japan, USA, UK, Germany and China, exporting 53% of cultural goods and services, while maintaining an export levy of 57%. In the 1990s, the concentration of large companies in this market has created an oligopoly in the global sense. In 2000 almost half the cultural industries in the world were located in the United States, 30% were in Europe and the rest are in Asia. Today 85% of films views in the world are produced in Hollywood, while on the African continent, an average of 42 films produced each year. In Africa, Chile and Costa Rica 95% of films considered are imported from the United States.

cultural goods and services produced by the rich and powerful countries have invaded all the world markets, putting people and cultures of other countries can not compete at a disadvantage. These countries have difficulties in introducing the cultural products and services that have occurred in the world market and therefore can not withstand competition. The result is natural that these countries will not enter the areas of influence employed by multinationals in developed countries.

To make a simple point to see the language: in the fields of science and culture, the language of the dominant culture quickly spread through the media and the Internet becomes a common media. Obviously, the language used is English. English is the language common use on the Internet and if we talk in the information technology is that the English terms, to be inserted in the local language. If this potential media days can not reach your people with his songs and documents, this means that the cultural identity of the previous generation and current generation will different. If the native fairy tales, songs, celebrations and stories of his childhood games are replaced computer generated mind on another continent, then it is part of a global culture.

Until the rules of international trade see cultural goods and services such as equality with other property, provided that the level of global economy, the powerful and the competition become weak trading conditions being equal, the cultural diversity of the developing countries will at risk. When looking at the situation of mankind today, the diversity of race, sex, language, class, age and religion can not be ignored. In the daily life of people, these most important factors that have accumulated hundreds of years and form the basis of the cultural identity of societies.

Globalization challenges to the authority of the States, and even change the nationalist consciousness of the people, the truth is that the roots of the identity of societies and cultures may be forced to change much. But it should be noted that the struggle for identification in the local (micro) increases. Who wants to sever all cultural ties to be a citizen the world? Today, worldwide, in the midst of the discussion of globalization, is increasingly argued that globalization brings uniformity and identity the country, in a word of their cultures, are increasingly destroyed. Protest marches in Seattle, Davos, Geneva and indicate the topic of globalization and identity cultural must be taken much more seriously.

Therefore, the protection of local identity is necessary during the process of globalization, it is important not disperse traditional composition of these local companies to threaten to be lost forever. As today's global economy continues to grow, know how to protect local cultural identity, nor have they managed to avoid local nationalism. What we know is that if there is an economic standard of comfort offered to then developing countries will face difficulties in the future. The protection of the natural world and cultural diversity and the elimination of poverty can not be done with the economy. Even countries that are in control of the world economy does not share the same concerns as those of the less wealthy, destruction of local cultures in developing countries will continue and waves of local nationalism became a serious threat to peace in the world.

The world over the next century will be less colorful and picturesque as the one we left behind. local festivals, clothing, customs, ceremonies, rituals and beliefs in the past have contributed the rich range of rights and the variety of popular anthropology, disappear or become the preserve of minority groups and isolated, while the bulk of the society abandons the adoption of best practice habits adapted to our times. It is a process to a greater or lesser extent felt by all countries, and not due to globalization, but to the modernization that eventually leads to globalization. This may be regrettable and we feel nostalgic for the eclipse of tradition and lifestyles of the past seem in the comfort of our current situation, attractive, original and colorful.

Although there is much discussion in the public debate on globalization and the possible erosion of culture (see, for example the website of UNESCO's cultural diversity), economic analysis has little formal discussion of these issues.

we have witnessed in recent years, growth in many societies on every continent, political movements that seek to strengthen the collective sense of uniqueness, often directed the processes of globalization, which are considered a threat to local distinctiveness and self-determination. A European example with tragic consequences is the recent rise of ethnic nationalism in Croatia and Serbia, but even the more prosperous and stable European Union's strong nationalist movements ethnic and grew during the 1990s, ranging from separatism to the immigration of the National Commission for Scotland against the French Open. In Asia, one of the most powerful examples is the recent rise of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, and many African countries have also experienced strong policy ethnification during the last decade and the rise of political Islam in the north. In the Americas, the movement of the various minorities, Aboriginal groups with African-Americans, who have applied for recognition increasingly popular cultural and equal rights. In short, the policy in 1990 has largely meant the politics of identity.

Identity politics is in many variations: some are separatist nationalist movements represent other historically oppressed minorities to claim equal rights some are dominant groups trying to prevent minorities from access to national resources, some of which are religious, some ethnic groups and some are regional. Some writers see identity politics in general, in response to anti-modern individualism and freedom embodied by globalization, while others seen as defending the weak against foreign domination, or even a hidden strategy of modernization. Some stress the psychological dimension of identity politics, because as nostalgic attempts to retain dignity and a sense of rootedness in an era of rapid change, others focus on competition for scarce resources between groups, some see identity politics as a strategy of exclusion and an ideology of hatred, while others see the child trueborn of socialism as an expression of the collective aspirations of the oppressed.

Jurgen Habermas considers the problem from the perspective of territorial integrity and collective identity. Habermas argues that the process of globalization threaten not only the regulatory powers of the nation state, but the very foundations of cultural and political solidarity in which is constructed. Globalization the State's capacity to prioritize the challenges in a fair, its territorial integrity, their collective identity and political legitimacy. Without doubt, interdependence means that people are increasingly affected by decisions collective actors outside their own government, and transnational partnerships and even other states (Habermas, 2001, 70-1). Standing deficiencies "open in part due to the frequency with which decisions are made by players not in the limitations of democratic procedural legitimacy.

Moreover, the processes of globalization seem to affect peoples' understanding of their identity collectively, ie the social and cultural integration forms auto-understanding that allows people to see themselves as "a nation" sees as Habermas occurs in two ways: first, the pluralization of societies increasing due to the waves of transnational migration, and secondly, the cultural level effects of world consumption and mass culture, exported mainly to Europe and America. Herbert Marcuse, the critical theorist, has also expressed the same opinion, even more emphatic about the influence of capitalism up for ordinary people. He claims that capitalism makes people high dimension. For him, people are Losing their souls in hi-fi sets and apartments at a cost of critical awareness of the economic influences. The growth of multinationals and globalization its effects are wrapped with the rise of the brand. The astronomical growth of wealth and influence of multinational corporations on culture over the past fifteen years, probably goes back to a seemingly innocuous idea developed by management theorists in the mid-1980s: that successful companies must produce to all brands, as opposed to products. (Klein, 2001: 3)

This commodification, homogeneous culture is not confined to distant lands to impose, by Of course, in the west, since the levels, even the strongest national differences, and further weakens strong local traditions. (Habermas, 2001, 75)

Habermas fears that such effects reduce the cultural resources that maintain the historical consistency of collective national identity and democratic solidarity. These processes appear be the erosion of the effectiveness of democracy, politics as a way to provide pilotage services for social change, the loss of civic solidarity and administrative support capacity for the delivery of public awareness of the imperatives of the market, as money replaces the power steering means that companies (Habermas, 2001, 78).

As Habermas wrote in 1997, globalization threatens to dissolve the social glue that holds society and national fragmented. In Germany, the issues of queue of the nation, national identity and culture, with the search for a folder of "social, have emerged as questions Globalization the possibility that the process of national unification. Anti-globalization, as elsewhere, is to protect the identity of local economy and culture in the EU and the most powerful American empire. "

Russian philosopher Alexander Sergeevich Panarin said that globalization is another form of racism. It is named as "neo-racism." He said: "The ideology and politics of modern globalization, under the command of the United States should be named the new racism. The problem in question is the ambition of Western political and financial influence to dominate the world, because they are considered, with the Western mentality, which is superior to all others who deal with only contempt concealed. Unlike his liberal rhetoric on human rights and democracy, the globalists are actively trying to establish a unipolar world, the economic world and political monopoly in which humanity is divided into elected and appointed, in the main race and the race of untouchables, civilized and progressive barbarians and terrorists delay .

Panarin said Russian philosopher Alexander Sergeevich The dark side of globalization is the proper disposal of local interests, a norm or tradition. However, these days most of the centers of power and to realize decision not to honor the will of the electorate, but to follow the coordinated strategies international economic and political confidence.

For Amartya Sen, the central issue of contention is not globalization, is the use of the market as institution, but inequality in the overall balance of institutional arrangements – which produces very unequal sharing of the benefits of globalization. He said that the issue is not only if the poor also have something of globalization, but receive a fair and a fair chance. There is a need for urgent reform of the institutional arrangements – In addition to national – to overcome errors of omission and those of the Board, which tend to give poor people around the world as limited opportunities. Globalization deserves a reasoned defense, but we must also reform.

The redefinition and revaluation of cultural identity is closely linked to the globalization process. In fact, in a special culture can be considered as proof of identity, which must be viewed from a global context. Some claim that the demonstrations are complete, others seem more local. The fact that the world is nothing more globalized localism is pushed back and not the conscience:

"Global hegemonic are in fact, globalized localism – cultural imperialism. Hegemonic globalization can be defined as the process by which a given local phenomenon – whether English, Hollywood or fast food – managed to expand its global reach and in so doing, develops the ability to designate a social phenomenon as local rivals. "(Santos, 1998: 102)

The trend to the racialization of cultural identity is almost certain that one of the main responses to the pressures of globalization. This scheme available – is still standing Suburbs in the field of culture as well, because here we can speak of a power relationship, talking about the relationship between cultures. The "dialogue of cultures" exist only under unequal conditions – but also takes into account the exponential growth opportunities in the digital age by compression of time and space.

But it is also a fact that intercultural and cultural identity are seen as a forced construction, especially structured sometimes ambivalent about. A new dynamic concept of cosmopolitanism emerges as an attitude that renounces or blind logic of globalization, or accept a single feature, but as the ability to think both across borders and boundaries.

Strong political movements must be built on the process of class struggle out each country. As Hugo Chavez said: "There can be simple protest and celebration like Woodstock." It's a huge struggle, an effort in which the organization and coordination are key. That is the challenge for intelligence and international activists.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. In fact, the only thing that ever. "

-

• Margaret Mead

Reference:

Eliot, TS (1948), Notes for a definition of culture, London, Faber & Faber

Hall, Stuart (1992) The question of cultural identity, Stuart Hall et al. (Ed.), Modernity and its future, London, Polity Press, 273-325

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