Theoretical Debates on the Cultural Consequences of Globalization and Its Implication in the Light of the Ethiopian Culture

Tibebu Kebede

doi:10.7176/iags/77-02

Abstract

This paper examined the cultural consequences of globalization in line with different perspectives. The study relied on qualitative research approach along with secondary sources of data so as to analyze the relationship between culture and globalization. Even though people of the world have made closer relations for elongated and continuous periods of time, the pace of interactions, exemplified by the global flows of people, capital, information, commodities, culture etc, has shown significant improvement recently owing to the force of globalization. Thus, globalization, as a multifaceted process, is portrayed by the existence of continuous and multiple linkages on a global scale. One of the interactions by which globalization has been manifested; one is the cultural ties amongst nations. In these processes of cultural connectivity, there exist contact and exchange of elements among the world’s cultural rainbow having an array of end results, namely, homogenization, heterogenization, hybridization and polarization thesis. Keywords : Culture, globalization, homogenization, heteroginazation, hybridization, polarization, cultural imperialism DOI : 10.7176/IAGS/77-02 Publication date: November 30 th 2019

Highlights

Globalization, one of the most complex and controversial notion (Amadi et al, 2016; Ibrahim, 2013; Hassi and Storti, 2012), is conceptualized as the intensification and expansion of worldwide interaction (Steger, 2017; Khondker, 2004; Scholte, 2002)
The cultural consequence of globalization has remained a contentious issue among scholars despite many studies on the correlation between globalization and culture have been conducted (Machida, 2012; Precious, 2010).The focus of this paper is, to unveil the impact of globalization on the Ethiopian culture in line with different perspectives
Polarization thesis implies that cultural globalization is conceived as intense cultural conflict between two contradictory forces working in opposite directions (Holton, 2000)

Summary

Introduction

Globalization, one of the most complex and controversial notion (Amadi et al, 2016; Ibrahim, 2013; Hassi and Storti, 2012), is conceptualized as the intensification and expansion of worldwide interaction (Steger, 2017; Khondker, 2004; Scholte, 2002). Even though globalization was initially seen as an economic phenomenon, the force of globalization is not limited to economic spheres alone (Ugbam et al, 2014; Yankuzo, 2014; Adesina, 2012). Globalization is a multidimensional process exemplified by the existence of cultural, economic and political interactions on a global scale. Since globalization has made the interaction and the mutual coexistence of states more inevitable than before (Wang, 2007), almost all states and people of the world are affected remarkably by the process of globalization (Yankuzo, 2014). The cultural consequence of globalization has remained a contentious issue among scholars despite many studies on the correlation between globalization and culture have been conducted (Machida, 2012; Precious, 2010).The focus of this paper is, to unveil the impact of globalization on the Ethiopian culture in line with different perspectives

Theoretical Debates on Cultural Globalization

Conclusion