kultura da modernizacia - Center for Social Sciences

consider that modern stage of development is a new phase of western imperialism, where national
governments have played the role of monopolitical capital’s agents. According to an American
theorist H. Gleizer, globalization is a spread of the Western information and entertainment sources,
which affects on the countries of the non-Western world.
TOPIC 8. THE MODERN WORLD ACCORDING TO WESTERN AND NON-WESTERN WORLD.
The interrelations of global and local cultures lead up to the certain results. Each concrete
society has it’s specific relations with unfamiliar and new culture. Therefore, the answers of
Western and non-Western societies to the challenges of globalization are interesting for us. In this
chapter the theories of Western and non-Western intellectuals are discussed.
In our opinion, there are two answers to the challenges of globalization or result of it’s
development, namely - localization and multiculturalism. Within the framework of localization, the
phenomenon, called glocalization, is discussed. The concept "global" means “simultaneously in
many places”, or “translocally”.
The global culture is supported by the strong society, which aims to strengthen the certain
rules all over the world. The global culture is backed by the strong economic system. This is the
most important factor. For example, due to the lack of finances, the family traditions are destroyed
in Africa, it actually leads up to the transformation of the whole culture, based on the family
tradition. This case is quiet interesting due to the fact, that according to this viewpoint, original
culture is influenced by economics and transnational corporations, and global culture does not take
part in it. Certainly, it does not mean to ignore well advertised global culture’s influence. We can
conclude that the process of the Western globalization is an united system, consisting of three
parts: economics, politics and culture; All these parts are connected with each other. The rule of
the management of politics and economics is determined by culture. On the other hand, they affect
greatly on culture. Japan’s culture of the 20 th
century is Japanese, however due to the political and
economic influences, nowadays it differs greatly from the Japanese culture of the 18 th
century. As a
result of external influence it has gone through a great transformation. According to Fukyiama’s
methodology, Japan has gone through modernization and democratization from up to down; thus,
Japan had believed in democratic values on the first stage, and, as a result of it, civil society and
other institutions were formed. As this was the determinant factor in transformation and
development, the Japanese culture has not been changed. The Japanese culture is a traditional
culture, but it is not a closed one. Shintoism enables to be a Shintoist and the Christian
simultaneously, or either Buddhist and the Muslim. The Japanese culture is able to receive
external influences and transform them. However, Japan subordinates them to the own culture.
This had an effect on Japanese kitchen: The business-culture of Davos is followed by the “Fast-
Foodization” as “time is money”; this is caused by the total “McDonaldization”. However, “Fast-
Foodization” in Japan has accepted a local character. The market of “fast feed” is full of
hamburgers and the Japanese and Chinese dishes as well. The appearance of hamburgers on
Japan’s market have given stimulus to the development of local products and dishes, representing
Japanese culture. Thus, Japan has managed to localize in this sphere.
According to the widespread opinion, we are able to deal with the process of globalization,
when the average revenue exceeds 5000 USD. We have already mentioned, that globalization of
culture is a process of mutual relations between global and local cultures. In the process of
globalization the Western culture is backed by political and, first of all, with economic factors.
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