- What is globalization?
I will first discuss the different definitions of globalization. There are various definitions of globalization due to different aspects. The term is sometimes used to refer specifically to economic globalization which focuses on the integration of national economies into the international economies. Economic globalization defines as the new form of colonialism because it is profitable only for developed countries. Other aspect focuses on the process of denationalization and flattening of the world due to spread of technology like reducing transportation and communication costs. These effects refer to growing intercultural communication and association. Now I want to define globalization by including different aspects. For me globalization is a process which changes World both better or worse. “Globalization is an interaction and integration among the people, companies, governments and nations, it is a process which is driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. (globalization101.org)” This process has effects on the environment, on political systems, on economy, on culture, on daily life and on habits.
- Cultural effects
Now I want to mention about the cultural effects of globalization. For me culture refers; how people live, how they dress, what they eat, their beliefs and activities. Globalization has joined different cultures and made it into something different. Globalization causes greater interaction between cultures which causes cultural homogenization or paticipating in world culture. But is it really world culture or is it western culture? For me globalization creates a western dominated world culture and it causes to perceive non-western cultures as different or non-familiar ones. Non-western people should fit themselves into that world culture. For example someone from an african country and someone from a western country may have interests about similar things or they may have similar life styles. But probably the similarities between them are related with western life style. And the traditional culture of african people may continue to perceived as different.
Globalization promotes popular culture which influenced by mass media. Like facebook, pokemon, japanese noodles, yoga. For example chinese tattoos are popular with younger generation. But the people who get these tattoos often don't know what they mean making this an example of cultural appropriation. Because of the increasing intercultural communication English became more important. Most of the people learn English as first foreign language. Less people have interest to learn other languages and that situation causes loss of some languages (especially loss of regional and immigrant minority languages) I think in the context of intercultural education we should promote learning other languages and try to find ways to motive people to learn other languages.
- Educational effects
Globalization causes greater immigration by including illegal immigration which are the issues that we should deal with in the context of intercultural education.
Now I want to go on with discussing the relation between education and globalization. Knowledge is becoming an increasingly important element in world trade and in economic power. Knowledge is used to raise the country’s competitiveness in the global arena. That effect of knowledge causes brain drain which dues to lack of opportunity and conflickt. The university campuses in developed countries are becoming more diverse. The intereuropean programmes such as Leonardo and Erasmus may be converted as worldwide intercultural learning programmes to increase diversity in universities of developing countries. By this way a mutual cultural interaction may be created.
Impact of technology causes changes in curriculum. Internet provides to access knowledge easily but it is hard to differentiate true knowledge. In this meaning isn’t the new curriculum, which leads pupils to find information by themselves, dangerous? And I think the knowledge is western-based. For example when I search something about my country, I find more information in English rather than in Turkish. The studies of other cultures such as Islamic studies, Asian studies are also western based.
But of course globalization has also positive effects on education. For example it offers more opportunities to international researches. It offers chance to co-working between universities and between different fields (which I find very important for the development of new fields like intercultural education) and it offers chance to international associations like IAIE (international association for intercultural education). I think, intercultural education should deal with the right to education and equal chances to education, which may be provided by intercultural associations.
Conclusion
As a conclusion I want to cite Eric From who said:
“Modern man is alienated from himself, from his fellow men, and from nature. He has been transformed into a commodity, experiences his life forces as an investment which must bring him the maximum profit obtainable under existing market conditions.” (Fromm 1957: 67)
„It is a form of education that looks to 'having' rather than 'being“(Fromm 1976).References
Coulby, D. and Zambeta, E. (2005): Globalization and Nationalism in Education. New York: Routledgefalmer
Faure, E. and Herrera, F. (1979): The World of Education Today and Tomorrow. Paris: Bernan Pres, http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0000/000018/001801e.Pdf
Monkman, K. and Stromquist, P. (2000): Globalization and Education Integration and Contestation across Cultures, US: Rowmann&Littlefield, http://www.google.com/booksFromm, E. (1957) The Art of Loving 1995 edn. London: Thorsons.
Fromm, E. (1976) To Have or to Be, 1979 edn. London: Abacus.
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