Globalization is not a new phenomenon. It dates back to that era when humans first started communication and transportation, like the barter system and migration. It got further fueled with the invention of wheels, steam engines, airplanes, the internet, and now AI. This globalization had a positive impact on faster communication channels, the free movement of ideas and goods, society-to-society interactions, etc. It is often championed as a catalyst for progress and development by reshaping societies and economies and providing new opportunities for economic growth and cultural exchange. However, globalization is a double-edged sword. It has also had a negative impact on states’s sovereignty and traditional concepts of international relations. However, one of the most dangerous aspects of globalization is the threat it poses to the domestic culture of a nation. The culture of any state is embedded in its local beliefs, norms, customs, and languages. This culture serves as a very crucial element in shaping the identity of an individual, a nation, or a society. This important aspect, culture, is being challenged by the threats imposed by globalization.
There are multiple effects of globalization that are impacting the cultural heritage of different societies in different parts of the world. The most important ones are “cultural imperialism” and “cultural homogenization.” Both of them are almost interlinked with each other. Western cultural hegemony, supported by their economic influence and media dominance, has imposed their western culture and values even upon non-western societies, which has led to the further deprivation of the local culture. Even if we ask a Pakistani to imagine the attributes of an educated man, he would form an image of a person in his mind wearing western formal attire and speaking English fluently. That’s the effect of western media narrative building constantly being done by Western societies, aided by globalization. Another example is the dominance of Hollywood in the global film industry, with massive budgets and star casts completely shattering the local film industries. Such are the setbacks of globalization that give rise to cultural imperialism, resulting in the erosion of cultural identity and heritage.
Another consequence of globalization is cultural homogenization, which leads to a standardized global culture. Such practices wipe out distinct cultural practices and traditions. Flooding of the local markets with Western products marginalizes traditional practices and customs in favor of a globalized consumer culture. For instance, with the spread of global fast food chains in Pakistan, one could witness a prominent surge in the consumption of western fast food and a prominent decline in the consumption of traditional cuisine.
The widespread adoption of English as a global lingua franca is also being made synonymous with modernity, further causing the erosion of regional and national languages. Many regional languages have gone extinct over the past decade. Constant threats are being imposed on mother tongues, as they are now only spoken by the elderly and abandoned by youth.
The constant efflux of Pakistani youth from Pakistan to western countries could also be traced back to cultural imperialism. The already-built-up ‘picture-perfect’ narrative of western societies is attracting huge masses of youth towards western societies. It is a real point of concern for Pakistan.
Globalization has also opened the doors of tourism for the whole world. Although tourism contributes to the local government’s economy, it also brings some challenges. A large amount of foot traffic from tourists visiting these cultural heritage sites might lead to the degradation of these sites. Littering and plastic waste by tourists also contribute to the further degradation of such historical sites. The Great Wall of China could be referred to as an example here.
Although these setbacks of globalisation aren’t much widely discussed within the domain of geopolitics, focusing more on hard power dynamics but in future these soft power elements would be very crucial. With the widespread use of social media, soft power control would be of great importance in geopolitics. Such a western-dominated approach would prevail, resulting in further deprivation of local culture and eventually resulting in total wipeout, if not proper efforts are made for their preservation. One never knows when an endangered entity will go extinct.
The writer is a student of “BS-IR” at “National Defence University” and a member of PYDIR.