Globalization of Culture and Identity Issue

1. Globalization of Culture and Identity Issue Prof. dr. sc. Anđelko Milardović PSRC Forum International Scientific Conference “Globalization of Culture” Dubrovnik, October 17-18 2008

2. Globalization of Culture as a Complex Process and the Issue of Identity • The first globalisation of culture has been taking place from the discovery of the new world, humanism and the renaissance until the 20th century or the era of the first modernization. • In this period, Mediterranean, North and Northwest of Europe as well as the United States of America were changing their places as the centers from which the globalization of culture was emanating. • European culture is not limited to, but transgress its own borders, while its identity composes Christian, Greek and Roman culture, humanism and renaissance, science and technology and secularization. • Also, we have to bear in mind the importance of Arab culture in the maintenance of the Western, Greek philosophical heritage as well as the influence of Jewish culture. These are the cases of cultural hybridization.

3. Here we must distinguish between two important features: • violent changes of local cultures and identities under the influence of colonialism and cultural imperialism, as the negative products of first modernization and colonial division between «high» and «low» cultures (E. Gellner). Cultural centers were perceived as places of «high cultures» or the centers of power from which the «globalization of culture» was emanating. • the emergence of globalism and globalization as products of postmodernity. Here, we can distinguish among different types of globalization, with globalization of culture being one of the types.

4. Globalization of culture is not one-dimensional, but multifaceted phenomena because it interactively produces different socio-cultural effects. • Homogenization of culture takes the form of counter-modernization as a defense against advancement of globalising and modernizing forces. • There has also been recognition of diversification as a disruption of monolithic and homogenic cultures. • Furthermore, there is hybridization as the process of mixing of different cultures, multiculturalism and formation of cultures from different sources and origins. • Fragmentation of cultures has been used to describe antiglobalising substances and processes that are opposite to globalization as integration.

5. In this case fragmentation is understood as the fragmentation of the states composed of variety of cultures that are gaining emancipation and creating new political and cultural identifications • There is an issue of transformation of cultures and deterritorialisation. Under the influence of globalization cultures are simply being transformed. • Deterritorialisation implies relativisation of the topos of a particular culture under the influence of new information technologies and compression of time and space. • Globalization of culture has also been evoked in the context of new cosmopolitanism or the conception of world culture as inherent to the human beings, and not dependent on particularities of collective, social belongings.

6. This all leads us to the conclusion that it is very hard tocome up with some general concept of globalization ofculture. • It is a process that is pulling in different directionsand producing different outcomes. Just as there is no singledefinition of culture, it is equally impossible to determinesingle definition of globalization of culture. • If globalization can be defined as the «compression of the world and strengthening the cognizance of the world as a whole» (Ronald Robertson), then the globalization of the culture can be understood as the compression of the world and its cognizance as the cultural whole in cultural differences. • Globalization of culture is stretched between «homogenization and heterogenisation».

7. Globalization of culture produces conflicts and antiglobalisation movements for the protection of the topos of nation, culture, language and identity as well as fundamentalist, religious movements with pronounced identities of resistance. A pessimistic view on the globalization of culture is stemming from the notion of destruction of national cultures and identities. • Globalization of cultures is influencing the transformation of cultural identity. • Under the influence of the globalization of culture, national identities are being transformed, adjusted and complemented and are losing some of its former attributes while gaining the new ones.

8. Identities • Shaping of identities is nothing but the «creation of meaning based on the cultural attribute or the related set of cultural attributes which are enjoying priority over all other sources of meaning.» (Castels, M.) • Both individuals and social groups posses inherent need for identification based on some specific attributes. • Identities are both the content of such identifications as well as dynamic categories susceptible to change. • Debate on identity in some cultures and societies has been conceived as the protection of nationalism or the expression of counter-modernization. • Also, debate on identity is taking place in the context of European integration

9. Debate on European identity • In this context, identity is understood in the sense of particular cultural identities that need to be respected and preserved, but also in the sense of the project of creating the transnational identity of EU. • Particularly lively was the debate on European identity at the time of the attempt to adopt the EU Constitution. • Is the conception of the existence of a single European identity grounded in the knowledge and experience of European historyor is it established on mythical grounds? • There have been suggestions that creating the new European identity will necessitate the creation of the new myth of common origin, as argued by Monserrat Guibernau.

10. In the era of the first modernization determinants such as – cultures, languages and identities - are compounded within the topos of the nation-state. • Following the change of paradigm, that is with the emergence of globalism and globalization, the space for interplay of identities is trying to expand under the influence of integration processes. • However, this also leads to disappearance of some languages, considering the strength of anglicization as the mode of globalization of culture.

11. Debate around EU identity is revolving around two opposing conception of identity. • The first conception is calling for a defense of the achievements of the first modernization that is for a defense of national identities, cultures or languages. • The second conception argues for the construction of transnational identities that are compatible with the processes of globalization or integration. • Strong roots of the autochthon identities and their reactive inputs, as well as related revival of the particularities of the regions of the world, are all making the pursuit of transnational identities (in this case the European one, as was imagined by E. Husserl) impalpable project of postmodernity/ the second modernity.

12. How can new transnational European identity be formed? • Anthony D. Smith in his book Nationalism and Modernism(Nacionalizam i Modernizam, Zagreb, 2003), is differentiating between German model of Zolverein and American model. American model – so-called melting - pot or assimilation model – does not seem to be well suited for the creation of European identity. • If imposed from the top, it could be expected to provoke national reactions from below, which is the reason why it is being dismissed in Europe. • Smith argues for a competition between national and global identities without suppression, perhaps in line with the pluralism of ethno-cultural identities.

13. Conclusion • Globalization of culture represents different processes. • It influences the transformation of national cultures and identities and represents the cultural integration of the world. • It also contributes to disappearance of smaller languages and cultures under the influence of anglicization as a mode of cultural globalization and in this way brings the danger of elimination of cultural and language pluralism. • Globalization of culture has both its proponents and opponents. Opponents are antiglobalisation movements as collective actors of resistance.

14. Leftist antiglobalisation movements recognize in globalization of culture new cultural imperialism which is manifested in the Americanization of the way of life, «McDonaldisation» and «Coca-Colisation» of the world, that is, in domination of the corporation's brands. • Globalization of culture brings exploitation of the working class through the global cultural industry and with the help of global media reproduces the society of spectacle, consumerism, entertainment and intellectual shallowness. • Rightist antiglobalisation movements are defending the topos of nation-state, national cultures and languages. In globalization of culture they recognize the danger for national cultures and languages and the possibilities for cultural disintegration. Their attitudes can be radical, populist and xenophobic.

15. Considering the identity in the age of globalization, we need to say that it is a subject of transformation as well as of radical resistance. • Where the pressure on identities is stronger, we can expect the formation of the identities of resistance. • In the period after the September 11th 2001, we can speak of strengthening of Islamic fundamentalism as a type of identity of resistance - the radical answer to the Anglo-Saxon model of globalization or westernization.

16. Considering the issue of European identity, we can juxtapose the modernity and postmodernity in two different concepts of identities – defense of national cultures and identities and the creation of transnational, cosmopolitan identity. • The interplay between the two concepts is a continuous one, while the conditions after the rejection of the EU Constitution as well as enlargement problems, reflect uncertainty over the constitution of the cosmopolitan conception of Europe. • The defenders of national interests still seem to be much stronger then the proponents of the cosmopolitan concept.