Global Policy Forum

By Mohammed Moussalli

The impact of globalization on the Arab world culture is not a matter of simple statistics and reports. It is, in essence, a diagnostic line of analysis to consider its pluses and minuses on the Arab general public. Globalization consists of social, economic and political adjustments that people may embrace to epitomize their culture and incorporate it with the world. It is a concept that has its economic, social and political roots and consequences.

To a large extent, globalization promotes integration of the world and calls for the removal of all cultural barriers. Although globalization is a vital process toward transferring knowledge and education to the world, it still has its negative effects on most cultures and civilizations. Its impact on cultures, in this case the Arabic culture, is relatively controversial.

Many nationalists and cultural trustees of the Arab world, for instance, condemn the influences of globalization on their culture. Conservative Arab nationalists and fundamentalists argue that their culture cannot adhere to many globalized notions. For them any claim to the contrary is just an inspiration to degrade other cultures in favor of a dominant one, or an attempt to certify the domination of one culture, mainly the modern version of Western culture, over the others.

While its advocates rationalize that with the support of those momentous technological information devices, such as computers and satellites, Arab culture can be acclimatized to retain most globalized concepts regardless of the variances with Western culture and the distinctions between their respective historical and religious roots.

Critics of globalization argue that this cultural invasion will lead to the disintegration of identity and the spirit of culture. In opposition, its cheerleaders consider the decline of cultural distinctions as a substantial sign of enhanced communications, a measure of integration of societies, and a scope toward unification of civilizations.

Actually, the magnification of global media networks and satellite communication technologies enable some dominant powers to have a truly global reach. Distinctly, technological superiority is a definite advantage when it comes to originating a culture as it formulates its universal appeal. Though it is a necessary credit, it is also insufficient.

The fact that the internationalization of information has provided networks of communication and interaction between different cultures of the world is clear and certain. However, the great accomplishments of this information age, which shortened time, distances and shrank the world, should not be employed to determine the guidelines of any civilization or reshape the Arab national cultures.

Hence, it is a mere fact to say that the tools now obtainable in order to bring cultures closer also drained many cultures of this world. This, however, is because of the organic structures of culture, which are grounded on human intellect, traditions and activities that were implanted in a particular geographical and historical setting.

On the economic level, in 1999, a 262-page annual study commissioned by the UN Development Program counseling the unevenness of globalization revealed that open markets are contributing to cultural insecurity in poorer nations, which have removed barriers against Western imports. This imbalanced flow of Western economic views and lifestyle heading for one direction, from rich countries to the poorer and from giant industrial states to the developing nations, have made in effect these lesser countries under invasion by the global socioeconomic forces of the industrialized West.

Louise Frechette, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, argued (while addressing UN delegates, in 1999) the phenomenon of globalization saying: "It brings up many opportunities to learn from each other, and to benefit from a wider range of choices, but it can also seem very threatening.''

She added, "instead of widening our choices, globalization can seem to be forcing us all into the same shallow, consumerist culture giving us the same appetites but leaving us more than ever unequal in our ability to satisfy them. Many millions of people have yet to feel its benefits at all."

In fact, this rapid economic, technological, social and political intrusion of foreign culture into the Arab world may put their cultural magnitude in jeopardy and will force people to fear for the loss of their religious and societal characteristics.

However, if globalization is introduced with significant educational, social and economic support that could make Arab countries flourish alongside foreign cultures, then it may turn into a universal culture in which Arabs may come under its umbrella as equals.

History shows that bridging cultural gaps and functioning as a home to diverse peoples requires a superior ideology and social structure that have far-reaching economical systems that can adopt foreign cultures and surpass any cultural hindrance. Yet, none seems to have all.

At large, compelling a Western model on dissimilar countries may harm the economic future and cultural standing of Arab countries as well as that of other worlds. However, alternative approaches harmonizing economical and cultural diversities should be pursued, and not sameness of the culture.

Yet, what is globalized is only the image of modernity and not its reality. Information barriers have dropped off, yet a cultural stone wall is rising up instead.

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