Clash of cultures? Comparative Sociology Week 17
Clash of cultures?
Comparative Sociology
Week 17
Recap
• Looked at different forms of capitalism
• Agreement that there are differences between national cultures
• But what those differences are and how they relate to other factors in each society is debated
Outline
• New world order– Conflict within post-colonial relationships
• Cultural imperialism– Conflict between the west and the developing
word
• Clash of cultures– Conflict between Islam and the West
New World Order
• The term ‘New World Order’ has multiple definitions and different starting points.
• Post-colonial world• Collapse communist states• After attacks on the World Trade Centre
• All refer to change in macro political relationships which impact on everyday lives
Post-colonial theories
• Focuses on the power-relationships between the western and ‘third worlds’
• Examines the ongoing effects of the relationship between colonisers and colonised
• Looks at the shift from overt political control to neo-colonialism
Post-colonial
• Colonial countries begin to disconnect from their former colonisers
‘Free’ trade
• Trans-national free-market system – Liberal capitalism enforced by World
Bank/IMF– Structural adjustment
• Privatisation of utilities such as water
– Trade agreements• GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)• NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)
Globalisation
• Growth of western dominated multinationals
Fair trade?
• Move production to labour costs– Lower wages– Child labour– Reduced health and safety
Free trade?
• Discuss with you neighbours the advantages and disadvantages the globalisation of free market capitalism?
Cultural imperialism
• Cultural imperialism is the way in which one culture is ‘forced’ onto another
• In history this has been through military power or law– Certain languages banned from education
• Often used now to explain the domination of the western media and its impact on local cultures
Cultural imperialism
• Economic dominance has been accompanied by cultural dominance, particularly through media– Growth of English as a world language– Western dominance of internet– Multinational media corporations
• Reshaping world culture to a western model?
America Dream as export?
• Disney is often the key example
Cultural dominance?
• Discuss with your neighbours to what extent you think cultural imperialism is
happening and/or a problem
Clash of cultures
• Since the collapse of the communist states debates started about a new ‘clash’ of cultures.
• A new ‘enemy’ of centred around particular Islamic cultures has been constructed in the media and political rhetoric
‘Them and Us’
• Freedom
• Democracy
• Rule of law
• Rational
• Constraint
• Totalitarian regimes
• Unjust
• Fundamentalist
‘Our values’
• New Legislation– Patriot Act (USA)
• Power to access information about everything from medical records to books bought without probable cause.
– Terrorism Act 2000 (UK)• Can stop and search for articles connected with terrorism
without having grounds to suspect the person is carrying such an article.
• Both have been used primarily on minority-ethnic groups
• Opponents of the Patriot Act have been branded as supporters of terrorism
Fundamentalism?
• Terrorism is not ‘new’ in the US or UK
• In Oklahoma City 19 April 1995 – government building– 168 people died, 500 injured
• Timothy McVeigh was not
a ‘white terrorist’ or a
‘Christian extremist’despite being linked to anti-government militias
Clash of cultures?
• Discuss with your neighbours the extent to which you think there is a clash of cultures?
Cultural Values?
• Inglehart and Norris have used the world values survey to examine the cultural divide
• They argue that in terms of political principals
such as democracy the West and Muslim countries have similar values
• The biggest divide is in attitudes towards acceptable societal behaviour– Divorce, abortion, gender equality, and gay rights
Summary
• Considered how national culture is developed through history particularly in relation to colonialism
• Considered if ‘cultural imperialism’ is a social problem
• Explored the emerging ideas about a clash of cultures
Next week
• Looking at welfare systems – particularly Europe and the US
• Look in more details at the development of different forms of welfare
• Consider the relationship between capitalism and welfare