To what extent can it be argued that cultural globalisation has led to a homogenisation of national and local cultures? (ePub)

Essay from the year 2003 in the subject Cultural Studies - Basics and Definitions, grade: 81/100, University of Leeds (Trinity and All Saints College), course: Advanced Cultural Analysis, language: English, abstract: By a general sense, 'globalisation' has been referred to the emergence of a 'global cultural system'. It suggests that 'global culture' is brought about by a variety of social and cultural developments such as the existence of a world satellite information system, the emergence of global patterns of consumption and consumerism, the cultivation of cosmopolitan life-styles, the emergence of global sports such as football and cricket world cups, spread of world tourism, the decline of the sovereignty of nation-states, world wide health problems such as AIDS, establishment of systems like League of Nations, United Nations and more importantly, the global consciousness of a single space - the 'global village'.

Much academic labour has been expended on the question of whether globalisation in itself means homogenisation, or whether we are seeing a much more complex process of proactive and reactive patterns emerging, sometimes giving prominence to levelling factors, at other times privileging local, regional or national adaptive, transformative or oppositional countercurrents - or possibly even giving rise to multicultural arrangements and practices or different strategies of identity negotiation.

It has been noted that the emerging global culture is not only homogenising but also creating new forms of literature, music, and art, in which, for example, the former colonies 'write back' - to use the expression of Edward Said. Salman Rushdie is perhaps one of the most prominent examples, mixing traditional Indian myths and experiences with cosmopolitan London views. Also, new music emerges in cosmopolitan centres like Paris and London and also in Germany - where, amongst others, African, Afro-American, Asian and European rhythms, styles, languages and dialects meet. This hybridisation of cultures is being discussed here in more detail by examining the music genre of hip-hop and its development in Germany.