Globalization and national identity

We must take care that globalization does not

become something people become afraid of.
(Gerhard Schroder)
Globalization and national identity are daily matters. Globalization is a process of
interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different
nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information
technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems,
on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies
around the world.
ational identity is a measure of self-identity reflecting the sub!ective nature of
national identity. " #uestion on national identity allows a person to e$press a preference
as to which country or countries, nation or nations that they feel most affiliated to.
Globalization has spar%ed one of the most highly charged debates of the past
decade and has been bringing the world closer through the e$change of goods and
products, information, %nowledge and culture. &ut over the last few decades, the pace of
this global integration has become much faster and more dramatic because of
unprecedented advancements in technology, communications, science, transport and
industry. 'n a certain, important sense, the present human world is more tightly integrated
than at any earlier point in history. 'n the age of the !et plane and satellite dish, the age of
global capitalism, the age of ubi#uitous mar%ets and global mass media, various
commentators have claimed that the world is rapidly becoming a single place. (ighting
globalization is useless, because every region of the world has e$perienced a revolution
of modernization and inter-connectedness never before seen in the history of human
civilization, this phenomenon being accepted as progression of human evolution.
)owever, letting it pass over us means forgetting our history and our purpose as part of a
nation which has its own traditions, its own culture, its own economics and politics.
*ne could never erase the national culture, literature, arts, religions or history of
one people. The world would be so much poorer without the diversity of national cultures
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and that is why globalization should not mean the oblivion of national history, people,s
ancestors or the collective memory.
Some reactions to the globalization phenomenon are significant. ational
communities go bac% to their identities, which they try to affirm more obvious. (or
e$ample, (rance, one of the -. promoters, has announced that it won,t #uit its identity
not so ever, although it does desire a united -urope, a -urope of nations, as /harles 0e
Gaulle wanted, admitting the economical and technological benefits of the globalization
process. 1aybe their reaction comes from self-pride, but we must admit that the -nglish
language and the 2estern culture and civilization, especially the "merican one, gains
more and more ground in the world,s development.
3egarding the preservation of identity values of national culture, things are
getting a bit complicated. Globalization has a huge impact over national cultures and
identities. Globalization does not always involve a high level of communication of
cultural e$change. 'nstead, there is a tendency of a dominant culture to impose over
others, ma%ing this a cultural homogenization and its intensity is not given by the
national cultural values, but by each state,s economical force.
The epidemic of globalization has spared no one. )owever, many indigenous
groups are ma%ing a stand against this movement and this includes the 'nuit groups of the
"rctic region. The 'nuits are resisting globalization and are fighting for their cultural and
traditional autonomous rights through the 'nuit /ircumpolar /ouncil made up of
representatives of the different 'nuit communities in the region. (ounded in +455, the
'nuit /ircumpolar /ouncil was established to fight for traditional and cultural rights with
a united voice of the appro$imately +67,777 'nuits living in "las%a, /anada, Greenland,
and 3ussia and became a highly-respected international non-governmental organization,
which stands for strengthening unity among 'nuit of the circumpolar region, promoting
'nuit rights and interests on an international level, developing and encouraging long-term
policies that safeguard the "rctic environment and see%ing for full and active partnership
in the political, economic, and social development of circumpolar regions.
The '// and many li%e it represent a resistance and a possible solution to try and
protect the autonomous 'nuit nation that has faced the threat of globalization in the
modern era. The 'nuit nation is fighting off this threat and are trying to preserve an
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identity that has been rooted in time for centuries. (or many globalization is a welcomed
step towards industrialization and development, but for the 'nuit and especially the '//,
they see it as a step away from their past and national identity and a step towards a lost
culture and tradition ('// "bout 9age).
There is no #uestion that global temperatures are rising and that the polar ice caps
of the "rctic are slowing melting away. (or a indigenous group li%e the 'nuits, this
problems is more real and concrete than anywhere else in the world, because the rising
temperature change is directly impacting the 'nuits. This global climate change can not be
blamed on the 'nuits, but rather on the industrialized world around them. "s ice caps
continue to melt, the 'nuits see more and more activity as far as oil e$ploration, mining,
industrial development, and "rctic trading. The 'nuit culture has been forced into a false
dichotomy of either becoming more interconnected to /anadian and international forces
and thus lose the claim of being indigenous and practicing a culture that is not allowed to
evolve despite the ecological impact of 2estern political economic forces. 't has reached
a point where 'nuit groups notice a change almost on a daily basis. "s the 'nuits try and
hold onto their own land and culture, globalization continues to surround them almost
non stop. This interesting coe$istence has prompted such groups as the '// to fight for
environmental compensations and rights.
-fforts have also been made to support the preservation of the 'nuit language
within the community. The '// has provided funds and scholarships to the 'nuit
/ircumpolar :outh /ouncil ('/:/) that allowed for networ%ing and information sharing
amongst youth throughout the region so that they can relate, share, and preserve their
culture.
&esides the problems discussed above, globalization also has a huge impact upon
young people, in comple$ ways, and forces them to constantly re-thin% and revise their
sense of identity and place within society.
:oung people are most directly affected by globalization and therefore central to
current debates on identity. They are e$periencing globalization on an everyday basis
through employment patterns, the friendship groups they develop, their usage of the
internet (particularly for social networ%ing) and wider cultural influences on their
lifestyles. Globalization is having a strong impact at social, economic and cultural levels;
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economic migration for e$ample is spurring rapid social changes. These changes are also
often lin%ed to the ambiguity about identity and sense of place in the world. :oung
people,s lives are constantly being influenced by new trends, be they cultural,
technological or social, all in need to feel engaged and part of a wider multiethnic
society. Today,s young people may be more globally aware and e$perienced than any
previous generation but that does not automatically ma%e them global citizens.
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't is doubtless true that globalization is a pervasive tendency influencing the lives
of people everywhere -- from the "mazon rainforest to =apanese cities. 't has important
economic, political and cultural dimensions, as well as e#ually important ethical
implications. Truly global processes affect the conditions of people living in particular
localities, creating new opportunities and new forms of vulnerability. 3is%s are globally
shared in the age of the nuclear bomb and potential ecological disasters. *n the same
note, the economic conditions in particular localities fre#uently depend on events ta%ing
place elsewhere in the global system.
Globalization is, in other words, not merely another word for the growing
transnational economy. 't is true that it is largely driven by technology and economic
interests, but it must be %ept in mind that it encompasses a wide range of processes that
are not in themselves technological or economic.
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