JOERNAAL/JOURNAL GEORGHIOU
THE IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON
CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORLD POLITICS
Costa Georghiou*
1. INTRODUCTION
Culture has become a significant force motivating nation states, other institutions
and individuals to act and organise themselves as they do. As a theme in the litera-
ture on international relations, culture is growing in importance. As different rival
theories of international relations developed through the years, the aspect of culture
often featured - sometimes prominently, sometimes indirectly - depending on the
particular theory and author, as a factor which strongly impacts on how the
unfolding of world events is viewed.
Globalisation, on the other hand, describes the process of internationalisation and
integration of the global community into a single society without barriers and
national boundaries. It has forced theories of international relations to take account
of transnational interdependence as a global phenomenon, and not to focus solely
on state-to-state relations. Globalisation should also be seen as the culmination of
what, since the mid-1970s, was commonly called 'interdependence' - the
"increasing degree to which the quality of life within states was rapidly and visibly
becoming dependent on conditions in other states" (Kegley and Wittkopf 2001:18).
When dealing with a complicated subject such as the impact of globalisation on
culture in international politics, many possible questions can be posed, such as:
- How are the concepts 'culture' and 'globalisation' being addressed by competing
theories in international relations? Or, put differently: What do competing
theories say about these concepts and their impact on world events? What is the
link between culture and globalisation, if it exists at all?
- What are the most widely accepted definitions of 'culture' and 'globalisation' and
how do these concepts relate to other concepts such as global integration,
civilisation, ethnicity, cultural nationalism, identity and tribalism?
*
Department of Political Science and International Relations, Rand Afrikaans University.
170
, JOERNAAL/JOURNAL GEORGHIOU
- How will the concepts 'culture' and 'globalisation' change over time and be
perceived and understood in future and how might the perceived conceptional
change/variation impact on world events? Events influence the perceptions of
culture and globalisation that theorists hold at a particular time, but will their
perceptions influence events?
- As globalisation erodes the state system, will cultural divisions in the interna-
tional system eventually also be eroded by globalisation, as perceived by certain
authors? Do these authors believe that globalisation will eventually integrate
different cultures of the world, thereby creating a 'world culture' (cultural
homogenisation)?
- Is it not possible that globalisation, instead of integrating global cultures, is
actually causing cultures to disintegrate, as they react against the effects of
globalisation?
Although all the above questions are interrelated, legitimate and worth investiga-
ting, this paper will focus mainly on the latter question, i.e. whether globalisation is
actually causing cultural disintegration on a global scale. But before this issue is
addressed, it is imperative to first examine what is meant by the concepts 'culture'
and 'globalisation'.
2. THE CONCEPTS 'CULTURE' AND 'GLOBALISATION'
To ensure conceptual clarity, key concepts such as culture, civilisation, ethnicity,
identity, tribalism, clash of civilisations (Huntington 1996), cultural (dis)integra-
tion, cultural nationalism, international society, world society and others should be
examined and defined. However, such an array of definitions would comprise a
lengthy document and a study in itself. Therefore, for the purposes of this article,
the following explanations and definitions of the two key concepts would have to
suffice:
Culture, as such, is not a singular thing, but should rather be understood as a loose
collection of characteristics, i.e. language, religion, history, institutions, etc. For
example, authors who write about impending 'tribal chaos' on a global scale, such
as Kaplan (1994) and Kennedy and Connelly (1994), point to factors such as
overpopulation, resource scarcity, crime and disease as co-conspirators with
intensifying cultural and ethnic identities in creating a chaotic, anarchic world. But
the fundamental process at work here is socio-economic, not cultural. Cultural
tensions are often most intense where socio-economic strife exists. In this case
cultural factors have incorrectly been confused with socio-economic factors.
171
THE IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON
CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN WORLD POLITICS
Costa Georghiou*
1. INTRODUCTION
Culture has become a significant force motivating nation states, other institutions
and individuals to act and organise themselves as they do. As a theme in the litera-
ture on international relations, culture is growing in importance. As different rival
theories of international relations developed through the years, the aspect of culture
often featured - sometimes prominently, sometimes indirectly - depending on the
particular theory and author, as a factor which strongly impacts on how the
unfolding of world events is viewed.
Globalisation, on the other hand, describes the process of internationalisation and
integration of the global community into a single society without barriers and
national boundaries. It has forced theories of international relations to take account
of transnational interdependence as a global phenomenon, and not to focus solely
on state-to-state relations. Globalisation should also be seen as the culmination of
what, since the mid-1970s, was commonly called 'interdependence' - the
"increasing degree to which the quality of life within states was rapidly and visibly
becoming dependent on conditions in other states" (Kegley and Wittkopf 2001:18).
When dealing with a complicated subject such as the impact of globalisation on
culture in international politics, many possible questions can be posed, such as:
- How are the concepts 'culture' and 'globalisation' being addressed by competing
theories in international relations? Or, put differently: What do competing
theories say about these concepts and their impact on world events? What is the
link between culture and globalisation, if it exists at all?
- What are the most widely accepted definitions of 'culture' and 'globalisation' and
how do these concepts relate to other concepts such as global integration,
civilisation, ethnicity, cultural nationalism, identity and tribalism?
*
Department of Political Science and International Relations, Rand Afrikaans University.
170
, JOERNAAL/JOURNAL GEORGHIOU
- How will the concepts 'culture' and 'globalisation' change over time and be
perceived and understood in future and how might the perceived conceptional
change/variation impact on world events? Events influence the perceptions of
culture and globalisation that theorists hold at a particular time, but will their
perceptions influence events?
- As globalisation erodes the state system, will cultural divisions in the interna-
tional system eventually also be eroded by globalisation, as perceived by certain
authors? Do these authors believe that globalisation will eventually integrate
different cultures of the world, thereby creating a 'world culture' (cultural
homogenisation)?
- Is it not possible that globalisation, instead of integrating global cultures, is
actually causing cultures to disintegrate, as they react against the effects of
globalisation?
Although all the above questions are interrelated, legitimate and worth investiga-
ting, this paper will focus mainly on the latter question, i.e. whether globalisation is
actually causing cultural disintegration on a global scale. But before this issue is
addressed, it is imperative to first examine what is meant by the concepts 'culture'
and 'globalisation'.
2. THE CONCEPTS 'CULTURE' AND 'GLOBALISATION'
To ensure conceptual clarity, key concepts such as culture, civilisation, ethnicity,
identity, tribalism, clash of civilisations (Huntington 1996), cultural (dis)integra-
tion, cultural nationalism, international society, world society and others should be
examined and defined. However, such an array of definitions would comprise a
lengthy document and a study in itself. Therefore, for the purposes of this article,
the following explanations and definitions of the two key concepts would have to
suffice:
Culture, as such, is not a singular thing, but should rather be understood as a loose
collection of characteristics, i.e. language, religion, history, institutions, etc. For
example, authors who write about impending 'tribal chaos' on a global scale, such
as Kaplan (1994) and Kennedy and Connelly (1994), point to factors such as
overpopulation, resource scarcity, crime and disease as co-conspirators with
intensifying cultural and ethnic identities in creating a chaotic, anarchic world. But
the fundamental process at work here is socio-economic, not cultural. Cultural
tensions are often most intense where socio-economic strife exists. In this case
cultural factors have incorrectly been confused with socio-economic factors.
171
