Global Relevance

Manfred Steger analyses a set of 5 major ideological claims in his book, Globalization, a Very Short Introduction, all of which are crucial in understanding how and why the processes of globalization are perceived differently throughout the world. He lists, “Claim 1: globalization is about the liberalization and global integration of markets. Claim 2: globalization is inevitable and irreversible. Claim 3: nobody is in charge of globalization. Claim 4: globalization benefits everyone. Claim 5: globalization furthers the spread of democracy in the world.” A definition of globalization which encompasses the majority of Steger’s “claims” explains that this phenomenon can be identified "through a globally interdependent set of social, economic, political and cultural processes through which events, decisions, and activities in different parts of the world combine to have significant consequences for individuals, communities, enterprises and political structures in distant parts of the globe."(Economic Commission for Africa)
Since a number of countries already consider globalization to be strongly connected to, if not one in the same with Americanization, these “significant consequences” whether positive or negative, are largely debated throughout the world. For example, one way in which globalization has contributed to the issue of Americanization is through its influence in Israel. As First Anat and Eli Avraham state in their essay, National Identity, Globalization/ Americanization, and Representation of the Land in Israeli Advertising, “the globalization process can be defined as “cultural imperialism,” a cause of cultural homogenization that inevitably leads to the Americanization of other cultures. This can be defined as a “one-way” approach that moves from the global to the local.” Their statement refutes many of those listed by Steger except in their apparent acceptance that globalization does in fact take place and is somewhat “inevitable and irreversible” (claim 2). They seem to differ from Steger in that for some countries, globalization is comprehended as a form of imperialism coming mainly from the United States, and is not beneficial to everyone nor does it help to promote an equal chance of multicultural existence without the domination of one over the other. The Americanization of Israel is a widely contested case study which is of rising concern to many people in and outside of the country. In Israel’s case, a main component of their customary belief system is the “Zionist dream”, to return to the mother land of Palestine, which greatly represents their identity as a religion and a culture. However, recently there has been a split between the socio-cultural and political identity of many Jewish people over their choice of “loyalty” towards ethnic nationalism versus the contemporary need to be globalized and expand. It is these two potential options that create a large amount of the conflict experienced by many when deciding whether or not to allow the influence of American culture into their country. In taking the path to becoming more globalized (or americanized), in the 1990’s Israel underwent an enormous and shocking media revolution. It changed from a state run single channel network, to a never ending list of satellite cable channels. This media explosion created a never before experienced type of access to technology and new ways of thinking yet to be heard by many Israeli people. This thought links directly to Steger’s fourth claim that globalization is beneficial for everyone in the sense that without it, much of the world, in this case Israel, would be missing out on many of the contemporary opinions and portrayals of life through the eyes of other cultures. As a result, many people argue that a globalization phenomenon of this type is a direct result of Americanization over the traditional Israeli culture, as opposed to a “normal” or “natural” series of events leading to an enrichment of their already existing culture. Apart from the controversial cultural aspects stemming from Americanization, the current American-Israeli political relation influences this issue as well. A seminar given by Myron J. Aronoff in 1999-2001 at Rutgers University lists many specific ways in which the Israeli government has recently changed to fit a more “Americanized system”. This is seen by many as a direct result of the influence America has through the processes of globalization. Aronoff states, “[within Israeli political parties there is] growing tension between the government and legislature, dramatic decline in the parliamentary representation of the two major parties and increase in the representation of parties based on group identities and interests.” He explains that these parties go against the “traditional Zionist political culture” and are often labeled as a form of Americanization. Israel has since incorporated some of the fundamentals of the American government system such as the separation of powers between legislators, a more active judiciary branch, and the power for citizen’s individual rights to challenge the governing system. Relating back to the media expansion experienced over the past decade, it is noted that election campaigns in Israel are now run by American consultants who rely heavily on the media as their means of self representation to the public. Although Israel has not made anywhere near to a complete transformation to an American democratic system, many traditionalists blame this recent governmental conversion on globalization in that it allows the spread of cultures (namely, that of America) to go too far. Thus far, in the debate over the influences of globalization leading to Americanization, certain counties like Israel have taken stands to help negate these processes. In relation to some Israelite’s opinions on the sudden change in the media, Israel now requires their radio stations to devote half their airtime to Hebrew songs instead of American pop and rock music which is more frequently heard. Also, Jewish people living in America have made efforts to incorporate traditional Zionism into Judaism, forming a recognizable ethnic group allowing a balanced identity between practicing religion in Israel and America, so as not leave behind their religious roots just because they live in America. These actions taken can be seen as a sort of cultural resurgence for some countries, in that they hope to bring their citizens back to their traditional grounds and ideologies. If these efforts are to succeed and become more wide spread, it is possible that the processes of globalization which are believed to result in unwanted Americanization can be phased out and will no longer pose political, economic or cultural identification issues between nations. Therefore, if Americanization and globalization continue to be frequently linked, some countries may close off all possible entries to globalization for their country for fear of becoming too Americanized, thus leaving them behind and out of the loop with new technologies, trading of foreign goods, energy resources, ideologies etc.

Steger, Manfred B. Globalization, A Very Short Introduction. (USA: Oxford University Press 2003) pp.97-110

http://www.upne.com/1-58465-346-9.html

http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~culdemsm/Aronoff%20Paper.htm