INR3932 Study Guide Exam 1 Chapter 1 Challenges of Living in a Global Society Contributors to Cultural Diversity o Advanced Technology and Transportation Globalization The process of increasing interconnectedness between societies Advanced communication technologies not only allow communicating beyond geographic borders they also affect how we form relationships with others While changes in technology have facilitated the exchange of ideas they have also magnified the possibility for misunderstandings THEORY CORNER GLOBAL VILLAGE Anura Goonasekera 2001 defines globalization as the widening deepening and speeding up of worldwide interconnectedness in all aspects of contemporary life This interconnectivity breaks down boundary between East and West She argues that paradoxically we find that while technology has given the world the means of getting closer together into a global village this same technology has also given rise to unprecedented fears of domination by the technologically power nations Consequently the global village is viewed more as a threat to cultural identities than as an opportunity to create a more consensual culture among people THEORY CORNER PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBALIZATION David Held and Anthony McGrew 2007 Three different perspectives on globalization o A globalist perspective View globalization as inevitable development which cannot be resisted or significantly influenced by human intervention such as traditional political institutions like nation states o A traditionalist perspective Argue that the significance of globalization as a new phase has been exaggerated They believe social economic activity is regionals NOT global There is still a significant role of nation states o A transformationalist perspective Contend that it represents a significant shift but question the inevitability of its impacts Still significant scope of national local and other agencies o Global Economy and Business Transactions Information and communication technologies can transform the potential reach and influence of our economy and business transactions from a local to a global level Global Transformation Refers to the worldwide economic and technological changes that influence how people relate to one another Cultural Diversity shapes market demand and economic behaviors THEORY CORNER THE CONCEPT OF CITIZENSHIP Habermas 1989 and Arendt 1958 argue that citizenship needs to be understood historically and geographically In antiquity states used to differentiate citizens natives and aliens outsiders foreigners This distinction excited in the city states of ancient Greece Polis Reserved certain rights privileges and duties for its citizens the free individuals men born in the polis The Enlightenment was essential for the development of the modern concept of citizenship Marked formation of nation states Both H and A advocate the concept of civic citizenship but also point to the realities and current policies of exclusion in many parts of the world such as the policies directed against incoming immigrants o Mass Migration and International Exchange Ever increasing flow of people through migration and international exchange is a huge contributor Some reasons for migration access to a better living environment better education business opportunities refugees or political protection The Necessity and Benefits of Intercultural Communication o Multiculturalism Multiculturalism At the descriptive level it can be used to characterize a society with diverse cultures As an attitude it can refer to a society s tolerance towards diversity and the acceptance of equal societal participation Maximizing the benefits of cultural diversity has been accompanied with potential threats to our cultural uniqueness The maintenance of nationalism and continuity in the mainstream culture has been key issues of concern in all countries that receive migrants The key to building the necessary understanding between cultural groups is effective intercultural communication o Building Intercultural Understanding Understanding First step towards acceptance Biggest benefit to accepting cultural difference is that cultural diversity enriches each of us level We acquire our cultural beliefs values and communication norms at an unconscious Cultural socialization can encourage the development of ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism Seeing our own culture as the central and best one and seeing other cultures as insignificant or even inferior Groups develop difference from one another May lead to prejudice stereotypes and discrimination It is a barrier to effective intercultural communication because it prevents us from understanding those who are culturally different from ourselves Cultural Relativism contrasts ethnocentrism is the degree to which an individual judges another culture by its context To understand we need to communicate with other culture s peoples and broaden our understanding of their practices and beliefs thus enhancing our cultural relativism o Promoting International Business Exchange Communicating with unfamiliar cultures doesn t mean finding a translator but rather communication is about unarticulated meanings and thinking behind words You need to understand their perception and their values Ex A critical factor influencing business behaviors especially in collectivist cultures like China is the development and maintenance of cooperative relations with business partners Guanxi A special type of relationship which contains trust favor dependence and adaptation constitutes a highly differentiated and intricate system of formal and informal social subsets which are governed by the unwritten law of reciprocity Chinese place emphasis on human relationships and cultivating good relationships with business partners before making a business exchange Cross Cultural Adaptation Understood as a manifestation of broader social trends that are not confined to the experience of immigrants but rather as extending to many other kinds of associations and networks as well as into cultural life as a whole It is not a process that is unique to immigrants host nationals also have to experience cultural adjustments when their society is joined by culturally different others A key question is whether or not that host society can provide immigrants with an environment in which they feel welcome to integrate Promoting inter ethnic understanding facilitates a cultural adaptation by both migrants an host nationals the key to inter ethnic