In
"Globalisation of Culture through the Media", Kraidy (2002) presented
the debatable issue that media has been used as a platform to promote
globalisation. He provided a few perspectives of globalisation, one of which is
cultural imperialism. Some researchers’ expressed their concerns over how the
West has unfairly propagated her own culture. Kriady concluded that hybridisation
of various cultures has been further enhanced by media.
Kraidy draws the conclusion that
"media is not a process of complete homogenisation, but rather one where
cohesion and fragmentation coexist". (Paragraph 15) He mentions media is a
main tool used to strengthened culture hybridisation. I agree with his
assertions because I recognise the importance of media in binding the world as
one as social groups get increasingly integrated and connected.
Language is an example of cultural
hybridisation. Many argued that half of the 7,000 languages spoken worldwide would
be extinct by the next century as English
gradually becomes the common language around the world. (Moore, 2014) However,
I feel that while some native languages will disappear, we should not neglect
the new languages that have emerged. For instance, languages such as Hinglish,
Chinglish, and Japlish have been introduced and they all stemmed from a mixture
of English and their respective native languages. This is also evident in
Singapore, where we have our local version known as 'Singlish' - a hybrid of
local dialects, Chinese and English. Singaporean prefers to use this language
to communicate and it is seen as integral to our identity. (BBC news, 2001)
Kraidy fails to address the reason
behind culture imperialism, which is useful in explaining why developing
countries are concerned that globalisation of cultures is unjust due to Western
dominance. I would elaborate further than him as I think globalisation is not
all about Westernisation, it is a process of cultural hybridization in which
traditions are retained. Emerging countries such as India are not blindly adopting
Western ideas as they seek to modernise their countries. (Modi, 2013) I suggest
that developing nations, while aspiring to be like the West economically, they should
still preserve their cultural identity.
(346
words)
References
Modi, N.,(2013). We need
modernisation, not westernisation. Retrieved from website:
http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/we-need-modernisation-not-westernisation-narendra-modi-391967
Moore, O. (2014, January 23).
Thinking globalisation. The Royal Gazette. Retrieved from http://www.royalgazette.com/article/20140123/ISLAND07/140129896
Singapore attack on 'Singlish'.
(2001, April 01). BBC News. Retrieved from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/1261986.stm
Modi,
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