Oscar Romero

Robert Arnold
LBST 2102
April 29, 2016
Cultural Globalization as a form of Homogenization
Since its tactful involvement in World War I, America has been the globes most
influential power. America has become a role model to the world by demonstrating what
a country should embody. More specifically, countries that make up the African
continent. Manfred B. Steger states, Cultural globalization refers to the intensification
and expansion of cultural flows across the globe, and the cultural, we are
concerned about the symbolic construction, articulation, and dissemination of meaning.
Stegers ideas about cultural globalization influenced those of Binyavanga Wainaina
who addresses this topic in his memoir, One Day I Will Write About This Place. Not only
does Wainaina utilize symbolic construction, articulation and, through his memoir and
books, dissemination of meaning, but Wainaina also provides insight of the
Americanization of the world, or homogenization, through passages about the media
and materials encountered in African countries. Throughout Wainainas memoir,
examples of homogenization include Coca-Cola, Michael Jackson and Kelloggs
Corn Flakes demonstrate the Americanization of the world that Steger refers to in his
book. According to Stegers book, cultural homogenization is doing one of two things.
One on hand, it is creating a global rainbow where everyone is merging cultural
differences to create a global culture through the use of the Internet as a means of
distribution. Conversely, pessimistic hyperglobalizers argue to be the other of the two.

It can be argued that Americanized cultural homogenization has been occurring for
decades. People globally are either accepting the changes, challenging them or
attempting to preserve their culture before it is Americanized. The problem isnt so
much about accepting or challenging cultural influences rather trying to preserve what
was already present. It is important to be able to have access to these cultures and
traditions in the future for the sake of historical evidence and to aid in the self discovery
of individuals.
One example from Wainainas text that illustrates accepting of influences and the
creation of homogenization is language acceptance. Language is a large component of
how global influence can be measured; Mum speaksEnglishBaba
speaksEnglish.. It is noteworthy to realize how prominent English has become all
throughout the world. According to a study by David Graddol, English will continue to
expand as the dominant language for scientific publishing. When a specific language is
designated as the main one recognized by the scientific community, it elevates the
languages importance extremely because of the importance of science itself; without a
common language to pass along scientific findings, scientists would not be able to
assist one another or challenge each others findings. The downside to this is that
traditional languages found in rural villages in developing countries quickly lose utility.
Unless the native speakers take measures to preserve their languages, then in the near
future the language(s) shall be obsolete. Steger provides a graph that estimates a 7,797
decline of individual languages worldwide from the 1500s to the 2000s. In Africa alone,
there was a loss of 2,339 languages. There are many language preservation activists,
thankfully, diligently working to create tribal language programs. Cultures of Resistance

Network, Cultural Survival, Endangered Languages Program and National Alliance to

Save Native Languages, are just a few of the groups tackling the issue of language
preservation. It is important to have people doing work like this so that history is not lost.
With the fall of the Roman Empire came a great loss of knowledge. Recollecting that
information has been a project that begun with the Renaissance and is still ongoing to
this day. The preservation of traditional cultures begins before they fall then it wont be a
problem looking back to them for observation in the future through media, such as
televised programs, which Steger mentions that cultural globalization is affected by the
media, too.
To a large extent, the global cultural flows of our time are generated and
directed by global media empires that rely on powerful communication technologies to
spread their message. Media of the 20th and 21st century have led to a widespread of
what developed countries and the corporations believe to be of value to teach. Through
this, developing countries and their populations are steered towards specific beliefs.
Wainaina serves as a good example of how the global culture influence affected him.
Throughout his memoir, Wainaina refers to speaking in an American accent as wreng
wreng and many passages include quotes from television shows and commercials he
grew up watching. Steve. Austin. A me-aan brrely alive, Diana Ross, or the Jackson
Five, Look at Michael Jackson moveWe try to dance like him, American gospel on
television and New York escalators, are a few examples of what Wainaina and other
Africans were being exposed to. In part, this is why it is inevitable that the world will be
exposed to some form of outside influences that in todays society are growing more
alike culturally. Steger says, Given that language, music and images constitute the

major forms of symbolic expression, they assume special significance in the sphere of
culture. The music application Spotify, provides options to view charts from different
countries and then a global chart of the top songs being listened through Spotify. The
global chart and a few distinct country charts align to the chart of the United States
which demonstrates how homogenization is indeed occurring, in this case through
music.
Unfortunately, traditional music doesnt quite make it to the top charts of Spotify;
an example of the Americanized world we are seeing. There is no right way to say
what the best course of action to spread traditional music throughout the global
population. Everyones tastes in music vary and to force traditional music onto people
would create the opposite of appreciation for the indigenous music. The best course of
action could be quite similar to idea of language preservation but in music it is already a
practice; recordings. In todays world, the ease of recording numerous amounts of
songs is not what stops traditional musicians from recording but it is more about the
copyright laws that favor popular music over traditional music, says the
organization Cultural Survival. There is no lack of traditional music being created.
Wainaina makes a few references to Gikuyu traditional dances and the Madaraka Day
dance which are just a few examples of traditional music and dances.
According to David Nevues article, How to Copyright Music, it is not difficult to
copyright a song. There are a couple technicalities need to be covered and then there is
a fee of $35.00 per song. This fee may not seem like a lot of money but in African
countries, article Standing Still but Going Backwarkds by C.W. London says that the

median salary was $762 per year in 2008. Divide that by days and an average African
has about $2.09 a day to live off of.
In these circumstances, there is no thought behind recording traditional music for
preservation. If there were a focal shift towards providing assistance with musical
recordings for traditional music, then it would create an economic boost through the
potential selling of the music. It is more likely that the preserved music would be of
historical service, such as the Grace Koch case, a Visiting Scholar at the National
Centre for Indigenous Studies. Koch utilized recordings of Australian Aboriginal music
as evidence in land claims cases to prove Aboritines rights to their traditional lands.
Koch is a prime example of the importance to preserve cultural traditions that are slowly
being overtaken by the homogenized culture of the global modern society.
The global modern society is one that revolves around information dissemination.
The Internet has provided a gateway to easily accomplish information disssemination
but the most influential information stems from large influential countries that overwhelm
the lesser influential countries. There has been an increase in homogenization in the
past decade which is much more noticeable in the younger generations that are coming
of age for political involvement. Everywhere in the world, children are growing up with
access to the Internet, most typically through cell phones. A study done in Japan, India,
Indonesia, Egypt and Chile published by the GSM Association, found that 65% of the
total 4,574 respondents had a cell phone and 81% of those had new handsets.
Furthermore, 12 was the most common age at which the children were getting
phones and 21% of the survey population owned smartphones. The ability of these
children to access the Internet guarantees an easier way for them to be influenced by

the homogenized culture that grows day by day. Most of these children, as seen in the
movie Keita: The Heritage of the Griot, grow up without knowing the roots of their
cultural origins due to the modernization of the globe.
The importance of learning about every individuals roots is so that we do not
grow up ignorant of our heritage. World history has a tendency to repeat itself which
could possibly be due to individuals that fill positions of power who are unaware of
history because they were left to stray from their own heritage.
Discovery of the world begins with the discovery of ones self. Wainaina gives
insight to how troublesome it can be for a child to understand how they belong.
Everybody is against me, I want to do diversiddy and For years I will hide from him
my inability to tie a tie are a few examples of Wainainas struggle to feel at ease with
himself. The potential solution is to provide children access to knowledge about their
heritage so that they may understand what role they could play in the evolving world.
Through this, they will have more opportunities to preserve their culture by
understanding it and passing it down themselves.
In conclusion, language, music, media, and modernity encompass global culture.
It is important that the preservation of indigenous groups language and music continue
for those that have begun and to begin for those that have yet to be made aware of the
endangerment of becoming extinct. It is necessary that people in developed countries
provide the assistance for these traditional cultures before they are overcome by the
global homogenization and lost in time. The media is quickly distributing common ideas
throughout the world because of its reach through the Internet. Hence, modernity is
taking a strong foothold in developing countries simply from being a part of progress of

becoming a developed country. Through Americanization, or modernity, children lose

sight of their heritage if it is not taught to them early on. It is crucial that preservation
of traditional cultures throughout the world take action to leave their mark in records for
future generations to recall their roots.

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