An essay on Globalization

Résumé du document

As early as 1967, in his book The Medium is the Massage, Canadian sociologist and philosopher Marshall MacLuhan described the world anchoring itself in a process of exchanges and interdependences melting into networks, as a 'Global Village'. This phrase gave birth to the concept of globalization which describes how the world will progressively share a global culture, a culture brought to consistency. This concept is more based on cultural issues in all its aspects (languages, education, fashion, tastes, human flows) than on economic fields. However, the protectionism of the different cultures and the opposition which globalization has been giving rise to, makes us question the legitimacy of Mac Luhan's assumption. Thus, can we think that cultures all over the world are on a one-way-trip to globalization, and is this globalization synonymous with Americanization? To answer these questions, the first document, published on Coca Cola Company's website, summarizes the American firm's trip to worldwide fame, describing the steps of its spreading all over the world. This success in introducing the drink abroad reminds us of American Disney's, shown in document three and four which exposes Disney's consumers' appeal for the American brand which tries to settle in Southern Asia as it is explained in the fourth document. Nevertheless, the last document, written by Eric Pfanner in the International Herald Tribune on the 13th of June 2005 issue, lets us think that this spreading is not entirely completed since some contestations interrupted it. Thus, it seems to highlight some limits of American fashion overseas.

Extraits

[...] Indeed, the hinterland is much poorer and backward than the Chinese cost. The United States of America also suffer from this disparity as the “Rust Bent” and the “Poverty Bent” suggest it. This hierarchy widens the gap between Medcs and Ledcs and even between the “pulse centre” of a country and its stood back regions. Civilizations are too developed, different and mixed up to be encompassed Indeed, talking about a “Global village”, a “World Culture” would be denying the existence and the impact of religions, cultures and languages (which are diverse and symbol of a nation: Coca Cola is, besides, translated in 85 languages (doc in the world. [...]

[...] Those organizations can melt (thanks to the Internet, for example), as it occurred in 1999 in Seattle where anti-globalization groups and ecologist students demonstrated violently which was considered for some as an impetus for the movement, as a complete disrepute for others. Thus, Globalization has its limits which reduces its attempt to create a global culture; indeed, talking about a standardization of the customs would be forgetting about all countries let apart from the process, be denying the strength of the civilizations and not listening to identity and anti-globalization claims. Globalization is then on, questionable. [...]

[...] Indeed, the 1st document deals with the European success of the American drink and the third one takes place in Japan. Some emerging countries are also mentioned: China and India appear in document 1 and those countries are considered as (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and, added to Argentina, are powers-to-be that evolved thanks to Globalization and to the FDIs. Some “integrated peripheries” were also outlets to the companies staged by those documents: North Africa (doc and Disney is “pinning its great hopes on Asia” (doc are known as “Sweat Shops” in which factories are relocated to get a cheaper workforce. [...]

[...] Furthermore, the American influence upon Western countries increased the pull for American fashion, tastes and exposed the “American Way of life” and the American Dream to European citizens. The American victory on the Cold War led to a global US hold on the world and reached to consuming costumes whose models are American ones. We can also think that the fall of communism allowed some American incomes into Asia and particularly China, as mentioned in the 3rd and 4th documents in which Asian people get used to Disney's fantasy. Nevertheless, did consumption get only Americanized? [...]

[...] Moreover, the Arab channel Al Jazira, born in 1996, destroyed the American monopoly upon continuous information. The American Model has been so spread over that some countries felt it aggressive and imposed, hence the Anti- Americanism museum at Tripoli, Libya. Thus, as the 2nd document's title expresses, Americanization is not complete and it seems that the rejection and the interruption in the spreading due to the current economic crises is beyond the US control. Thus, even though cultures seem to melt into one another, how would they evolve? [...]