Does Globalization Destroy Culture? – OpEd

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By Joseph Sunde*

Globalization is routinely decried for its disruptive effects, particularly as it relates to local culture and community enterprises and institutions. Even as it’s proven to drive significant economic growth, questions remain about its steamrolling influence on the culture.

“Even if we grant that global competitive markets create prosperity, is it worth the fast food chains and the big box chains we see everywhere we go?” asks Michael Miller in an excerpt from PovertyCure. “What about a sense of vulgarity and bringing things to the lowest common denominator? And perhaps most important, does globalization destroy local culture?”

The threats to culture are real and pronounced. It is undeniable that globalization can and has and will diminish or destroy certain cultures, traditions, and enterprises. Yet as Miller and others remind us in, we are not powerless in our response, whether as creators or consumers.

Indeed, globalization also presents a tremendous opportunity for cultural diversity.

In Ireland, for example, increased participation in global trade not only boosted and diversified the Irish economy; it also allowed the Irish to spread their culture around the world, whether through beer or film or music and dance. Simultaneously, the influx of competing cultural influences has increased awareness of their cultural identity, spurring citizens to defend, preserve, and restore the cultural features they care about the most (e.g. the recent renaissance of the Irish language).

As Irish economist Marc Coleman explains, even though the predominant push of globalization represents a “secularized, individualized view of the world,” that message is an opportunity for more traditional or family-oriented cultures to harness those same channels for their voice and cultural perspective. “Instead of complaining,” he says, “let’s actually use globalization to fight back and push our view of the world.”

It’s a reorientation that we would all do well to heed, and it doesn’t just apply to more tangible cultural artifacts. For Christians, as with any other proponent of any other belief system, the avenues for application should be obvious. Whether we’re trying to spread a particular message through more direct communications or cultivating culture and serving our neighbors in the day-to-day economic order, the channels are already there, and they’re only continuing to expand.

“Man cannot live by bread alone,” concludes Coleman. “It’s very important that developing countries do not see the global market and the opportunities of a global market as a substitute for their native culture and values. It’s extremely important to know who you are and what your culture is.”

About the author:
*Joseph Sunde
is a writer and project coordinator for the Acton Institute, serving as editor of the Letters to the Exiles blog and content manager of the Oikonomia channel at Patheos.com. He is the founder of Remnant Culture and was a longtime contributor to AEI’s Values & Capitalism project. His work has appeared in venues such as The Federalist, First Things, The City, The Christian Post, The Stream, Charisma News, Juicy Ecumenism, Ethika Politika, Mission:Work, Made to Flourish, and the Center for Faith and Work. Joseph resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and four children.

Source:
This article was published by the Acton Institute

Acton Institute

The Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty is named after the great English historian, Lord John Acton (1834-1902). He is best known for his famous remark: “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Inspired by his work on the relation between liberty and morality, the Acton Institute seeks to articulate a vision of society that is both free and virtuous, the end of which is human flourishing. To clarify this relationship, the Institute holds seminars and publishes various books, monographs, periodicals, and articles.

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