GEOG2200_Midterm_AndreaCondori

Andrea Condori - 101129830 May 30 th ,2023 GEOG2200 Midterm Professor Andy Kusi-Appiah Q1. Why is culture important to an understanding of globalization? -What role has cultural globalization played in the state of affairs in the world today? (2 marks) Culture and globalization have a very important link between them, and it is important to understand how culture influences the way globalization is approached. Globalization can be defined to be the interconnectedness and the integration of economies, societies, and cultures on a global scale. The many advancements in transportation, technology and communication have made the world into a more connected and interdependent place which has allowed the facilitation of international exchange of goods, services, ideas, and information across borders and as a result has brought economic and social change to many communities as a result. Given that globalization relates to the relations between nations, there are important aspects to consider for all the parties involved, one of which is culture. Culture is learned from one’s environment and can be said to be the ideas, values, practices, traditions that are shared by a community and nation. This includes things such as language, music and art, traditions, and soc ial customs. A person’s self -identity will derive from their own culture. That is, culture defines a person’s perceptions of the world, their interactions with others, and the interpretation of their own experiences. That is why it is important to consider cultural differences and understand them. One can see the difference in culture using Hofstede’s culture dimensions. With this framework one can see the differences in individualism in the US vs collectivism in India, with the US placing a higher value on personal achievements, autonomy and self-expression, and India having a greater value for group harmony, the well-being of the community and interdependence. In this sense, we can understand that these different variations in cultural values have an ultimate impact on how people behave, make decisions, and organize themselves in society. Another example , following Hofstede’s framework, is the difference in time orientation between countries like Germany with long-term orientation and countries in Peru with short-term orientation. That is, countries such as Germany tend to see time from the future meaning that effectiveness and long-term planning are frequently given precedence. They follow deadlines and timetables to concentrate on reaching long-term objectives. Whilst in Peru they have a temporal perspective that is focused on the present meaning that they could be less concerned with tight adherence to timetables and have a more flexible view to time. The differences between these two countries can influence many aspects of life like work habits or decision-making processes. Although there are many cultures in the many nations throughout the world, there is no culture that is superior to another. Culture superiority is a subjective and ethnocentric perspective that suggests that one culture is fundamentally more important than another. Every culture is special in its own way as each has different qualities, assets, and contributions of its own. I believe that embracing cultural pluralism acknowledges the equal worth and importance of different cultures. Cultural globalization refers to the spread of culture from many different nations throughout the world. An example can be the proliferation of Mexican restaurants throughout other countries such as the US and Canada. Cultural globalization has played a role in the way the world is today different ways. One of them is culture exchange and understanding, meaning that cultural globalization has