Globalization and Culture

Globalization and culture
Culture refers to those aspects of a civilization that are not meant to satisfy material needs but aesthetic and intellectual needs. It encapsulates diverse features like language, literature, religion, customs, attitudes, music, food, clothing, ideas, movies, theater, books and sports. In a stagnant and autarkic world with cultural isolation the cultures of different ethnic groups would be static and immune from other cultural influences. However, in a world where the dynamic nature of capitalism and globalization has become a reality, no culture can remain immune from outside influence. This can be easily inferred when we look at some of the fastest growing categories of exports and imports in today’s world. For instance “weightless goods” such as Hollywood films, music, videos, etc., constitute one of the largest export categories from the US.
The argument that some critics of globalization make is that this form of cultural globalization is inevitably leading to a form of cultural imperialism, which is destroying the cultural ethos of developing countries. In countries like India this has led to major agitations and protest from die-hard detractors of globalization.
When we look at the world today, however, we see that this cultural globalization is not a one-way flow. Cultures are constantly evolving and being modified as they interact with each other. The movement of weightless goods like ideas, movies, music, TV programs, books, religious ideas, language, taste in food and clothing etc. is happening constantly and in different directions. Thus even developing countries like India export Bollywood films, Yoga, different forms of meditation techniques to the West. While critics of globalization fear that the globalization of culture will ultimately result in cultural imperialism, in reality globalization leads to a two-way cultural flow. It does not lead to cultural subjugation. It rather leads to cultural adaptation even in the midst of so - called Macdonaldization of culture. The two-way flow is amply demonstrated through the exportation of Bollywood, bhangra, Yoga and meditation to the West from India even while Western fashion, western music, western style of dressing spread all over India
At some level those who fear cultural onslaught from the developed world are perhaps underestimating the robustness of culture in the developing world. Culture develops over centuries and is therefore too deep rooted to be uprooted by a few decades of globalization. In fact globalization will ultimately result in an international cultural melting pot or a globalized potpourri of cultures leading to democratization of culture, enhancing people’s options and the evolution of richer cultures, which take the best from all worlds. Even in all the years of colonial rule Asian and African nations retained most of their cultural traditions, while absorbing elements of the colonizing culture as well. Culture cannot be supplanted easily. It will be enriched rather than fossilized.