Lecture 1: Introducing Culture and Globalization  Globalization: the increasing interconnectedness of the world (interconnectivity)  Culture: shared ways of understanding and doing things (conceptual lense) and is socially constructed, hence changeable  Culture Core question of course: does increasing globalization lead to the spread of new global cultures (more cultural sameness) or to more cultural differences?  Globalization increases cultural similarities and differences  the four main characteristics of globalization ~ Cochrane and Pain 1. stretched social relations, 2. intensification of flows, 3. increasing interpenetration of cultures,

4. an development of global infrastructure  Globalization is driven by modern science, capitalism, and industrialism  The four power players in globalization (‘nation states’, ‘military’, ‘division of labour’, and ‘capitalism’) ~Giddens  Two main forms of culture contact: hybridization and differentiation  Globalization involves reflexivity, i.e. ‘old certainties’ disappear Reflexivity is the idea that both individuals and society are defined not just by themselves, but also in relation to each other. Therefore they must both continually redefine themselves in reaction to others and to new information Lecture 2: Is There a Global Culture? • • • Power relations: having the ‘right’ to define what things are (Giddes, lecture 1) ‘Us – them’ distinctions The power relations of four groups in society: Majorities and elites are dominant groups (privileged access to the resources of a society); ‘mass subjects’ and minority groups are subordinate groups (less access to the resources of a society) Culture contact with globalization takes place in contexts with power relations

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E.g. colonialism: 'civilizing mission’ or ‘White Man’s Burden’ to profit from subordinate groups

‘Colonial subjects’ often hybridized