INTS100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Clash Of Civilizations, Transnational Crime, People Smuggling
CULTURE & THE CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS
Globalization – is the worldwide sharing of goods, ideas and culture through increased
communication of advanced technology.
❖ The widening, deepening and acceleration of global interconnections and
interdependencies between people, culture and economies
❖ It is a process rather than a completed fact – it is always in movement
It has be shaped by:
❖ Automation – advancements in technologies
❖ Advancement in transport and communication advancements (time and space collapse)
❖ The internationalisation of the facility of communication (almost everyone can connect
instantaneously)
❖ Historical shift in global population – from rural to the city, the ‘hub’ of economic
development. 2006 in Australia majority in cities.
❖ Spread of trans-national corporations –
Four dominant perspectives of globalisation:
1. Neoliberal – hyperglobalist perspective
2. Neorealist – skeptics
3. Transformationalist
4. Neo-marxist – historical materialist
Forms:
1. Economic –more concerned with trade
▪ Global market – accessibility of resources – trade
▪
2. Financial – global/regional banks
▪ Ease of financial transfers overseas
▪ Ease of access to credit can be a negative – living in a debt based economy,
where countries are borrowing money that they don’t have the capacity to repay
3. Political – one global politic and united political groups
▪ Superiority complex – Afghanistan/Iraq; the West trying to set up a democracy
▪ UN
4. Military
▪ Alliances – NATO, treaty of Versailles
▪ Increase magnitude of any war e.g. Vietnam
5. Cultural
▪ Increased access to cuisine, medicine etc.
▪ Better cultural acceptance
6. Environmental
▪ Climate change – no one state can solve this issue
7. Criminal
▪ People smuggling, terrorism, drug trade
▪ Internet – assisting international crime
▪ Greater communication between states e.g. extradition
▪ International crime does not see borders
Reading: L. Hebron and JF Stack ‘Culture’ Intro to INTS
❖ Critics argue that globalization has become the vehicle for destroying the rich diversity
of regional, national and/or local cultures; traditions and myths due to the powerful
homogenization effects e.g. pressure to conform to Western ideals
❖ Positive light – the establishment of a global order guided by the worldwide acceptance
of economic and political liberalism
❖ Globalization driven by rampaging world capitalism will result in the further
development of a:
➢ Culture of consumerism oriented toward materialism
➢ Indulgent personal values
➢ Ultimately the destruction of once vibrant and irreplaceable local cultures
❖ Prescription of cultural genocide
❖ Economic sovereignty at risk – cultural identity is also at stake
❖ Battle for the preservation of a people’s national cultural inheritance against the
onslaught of Western capitalism – cultural imperialism
❖ Continuing degradation of the cultural content of their respective societies based on
America-dominated globalization
❖ Genuine, widespread concern over the dilution of nationhood
❖ E.g. Japan reached the 10th year of its recession – pressure to restructure their economy
➢ “the Japanese operate their economy to sustain their society and not the other way
round, they correctly think it is idiotic to destroy what they value most for the sake
of a minor increase in efficiency.”
The politics of resistance and discord:
❖ American commercial and popular culture occupies an almost hegemonic presence on
the world
❖ Globalization is Americanisation
❖ American cinematic efforts are the only ones that have penetrated every market in the
world
❖ “sound and pictures are how what passes as knowledge gets communicated to most
people around the globe”
❖ globalization of the English language
➢ common markets do demand a common language – fundamental need to conduct
world affairs
❖ English is driving the Europeans toward a universal language for the first time in about
500 years
➢ Allows Europeans to become a stronger competitor in the marketplace
➢ Neutralizing common denominator among the multilingual nations of Europe
❖ The process has disproportionately benefited the US interests and values
❖ Mational identities are being undermined by the market-based American model of
capitalism
❖ “It is regarded as homogenization, one-dimensional life, the effacement of difference.”
❖ Extenstion of vulgar capitalism
❖ Threaten to spread American habits of excessive inequality and rampant individualism
that undermine indigenous communities
Reality check: the Americanisation of the globe?
Document Summary
Globalization is the worldwide sharing of goods, ideas and culture through increased communication of advanced technology. The widening, deepening and acceleration of global interconnections and interdependencies between people, culture and economies. It is a process rather than a completed fact it is always in movement. Advancement in transport and communication advancements (time and space collapse) The internationalisation of the facility of communication (almost everyone can connect instantaneously) Historical shift in global population fro(cid:373) rural to the (cid:272)it(cid:455), the (cid:858)hu(cid:271)(cid:859) of e(cid:272)o(cid:374)o(cid:373)i(cid:272) development. Four dominant perspectives of globalisation: neoliberal hyperglobalist perspective, neorealist skeptics, transformationalist, neo-marxist historical materialist. Increase magnitude of any war e. g. vietnam: cultural. Increased access to cuisine, medicine etc: better cultural acceptance, environmental, climate change no one state can solve this issue, criminal, people smuggling, terrorism, drug trade. Internet assisting international crime: greater communication between states e. g. extradition. Reading: l. he(cid:271)ro(cid:374) a(cid:374)d jf ta(cid:272)k (cid:858)culture(cid:859) i(cid:374)tro to int .
