...Non-Western Culture Kerry Pemberton HUMA215-1104B-11 Topics in Cultural Studies Professor Kelly Dormady AIU December 3, 2011 Abstract This paper will explore the decentering of culture by the Europeans. Also, this paper will give examples of the effects of decentering of culture by the Europeans in Africa. Introduction As the western world began strengthening its military, communication, and developing naval technology, its new focus was conquering civilizations in the New World and decentering their culture. The Europeans were determined to pose their will on the weaker civilizations and claim these territories as part of their own. Analyze and interpret the following quotation: “Worldwide, non-Western cultures faced fundamental challenges to their cultural identities—not so much a recentering of culture but a decentering of culture. The late 19th and early 20th century produced western cultures that inherited modern technology, communication, and a strong military presence. The growth of these western cultures both politically and economically influenced other cultures. As the western cultures continued to strengthen, other cultures began to fear the power the western cultures were gaining. The non-Western cultures did not want to circum to these Western cultures because they had their own values and own way of thinking. The non-Western cultures were not ready for a decentering of their own culture...
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...many cultures. What was considered everyday life and tradition began to change dramatically or destroyed. The European influence on non-western society began a cultural shift to the European culture in more of a decentering, rather than reclamation to its own culture. Keywords: Culture, decentering, westernization. Introduction The non-western cultures faced many changes through the beginning of the twentieth century. Slavery and Christianity was a huge part in those changes. Centering of culture results in a change in one’s own culture. As the world began to modernize, cultures began to become part of the civilization that was thrust upon them. “Worldwide, non-Western cultures faced fundamental challenges to their cultural identities—not so much a recentering of culture but a decentering of culture.” The word westernization equates to transformation to the modern ways of the world, or modernization. One must be able to distinguish the two terms. Modernization is an overhaul of the current society. Prior to the Europeans, the only other contibutors to the modernization of Africa were the Arabs. The Arab nations introduced Islam to the African culture ("Westernization - Africa,"n.d.). Through the late nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, Western Cultures began to modernize technology, communication and expand their armed forces. Western culture had been given political power, accompanied by economic gains from outside culture. As Western culture exploded...
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... Kelly Dormady June 29, 2013 Abstract This paper will explore the decentering of non-western culture by the Europeans as well as within the African nations. It well look at the conditions in the African nation were in before the decentering of these nations i.e. religion, traditions, and overall culture. Also, this paper will give examples of what the impact of decentering of the African culture by Europeans has had on the continent up to and including present day. In the late 19th and early 20th century the military, communication, naval might and technology began strengthening in the western world. None of the non-Western cultures wanted to assimilate to these Western cultures because of their own values and own way of thinking. The western cultures main focus was not so much the re-centering of a civilization; but by placing many fundamental challenges to their cultural identities it decentered their culture. (Sayre, 2013,) The Europeans were determined to impose their will on these smaller and weaker nations claim them and incorporate them as a part of their own new territories. These non-Western cultures were not ready for a decentering of their own culture which ultimately would have these cultures losing their identities. Yet we see where the western cultures were continually gaining strength over other cultures and they began to fear the power the western cultures; smaller and weaker nations found themselves and the civilization that they once knew to be...
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...During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century’s the Western cultures had began to modernize with technology, communication and the military. The growth had given the Western culture political power and economic success in other cultures. As the Western culture reaped accomplishments, other cultures feared the change and the progression. Struggling with the influence of the western cultures the non-western cultures had their own ways and their own values; they were not ready to take on neither change nor modifications, creating a decentering of their own culture, as they began losing their own identities. Due to the globalization of the nineteenth to the twentieth century non western cultures were faced with the influences of the western cultures, causing a decentering of their own culture. During the twentieth century such things as fashion, music, traditions, media, communication, and technology began to change and modernize to the times. Technology and communication has had an overwhelming growth since the nineteenth century. Some cultures such as music and literature has been passed down from generation to generation. There are many cultures that suffered decentering, such as Africa. The impact that the European culture had on Africa was devastating, as families and villages began to fall as men were sold or traded as slaves The African culture had many of their own traditions and their region flourished prior to the Europeans. The African nation lived quietly in...
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...Non-western art is a type of art that expresses cultures “beyond the west.” Non-Western perspective is known as being rich and represents other ways of viewing the world. There are multiple types of non-western art. The non-western style of art is shown in many cultures. Some of them being Africa, India, Southeast Asia, Oceania, China, Japan, and South America. These places use this style of art to show their old culture and religion. This art is used in everyday houses as a symbol for spiritual reasons. One type of non-western art is shown through Ancient African sculptures. These sculptures are carved of the Oceanic Islanders, Pre-Columbian Mexico, Native America cliff palaces and south American metropolises, This type of art often reflects societal organizations based on the village that is rural and self-sufficient and continues from generations past to generations future with little change. They use this art to express the believes and values of the native people. The sculptures are a way of showing the traditions and customs of the history of their society. On example of non-western art is, African art. African art is an art that was used as an everyday art piece to symbolize prayers, festivities, ceremonies, and religious rituals. The primary subject for this art is humans and animals, it is also used as a animal of human behavior. African state out in South Africa in the caves. The majority of this work is made out of wood, bronze, terra-cotta, and ivory. The Muslim...
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...Non-Western Cultures Unit 4 Individual Project Amanda Waterhouse January 29, 2012 Abstract Interpretation The meaning of, “Worldwide, non-western cultures faced fundamental challenges to their cultural identities-not so much a recentering of culture but a decentering of culture” (Sayre, 2010), Sayre is saying that Western cultures have begun to lose their identities that brought them over from native countries. Almost every culture that migrated to the US brought some kind of their culture with them. Even though some only came with only clothes and nothing else. They came here to hoping to fill their dreams and for a better life. Cultural Identities Culture identity is perception of oneself and they group they ma belong to. This can be influenced or inherited. Culture and belief is a big identity in most culture. There are many identities that identify a culture. Some examples of those identities are clothing, music, food, religion, language etc. (http://www.digitrends.com/crossingcultures/iden.htm) Meaning of “decentering” of a Culture Non-western cultures in the late ninetieth, early twentieth century were influenced by western cultures due to globalization. During the twentieth century, such as technology of music, media, traditions, communication progress the culture felt overwhelmed. Technology had begun growing and modernizes to the times. Music and literature has been passed down from generation to generation. Impact of Western or European Cultures ...
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...Clash Of civilisation The Clash of Civilizations (COC) is a hypothesis that people's cultural and religious identities will be the primary source of conflict in the post-Cold War world. It was proposed by political scientist Samuel P. Huntington in a 1992 lecture at the American Enterprise Institute, which was then developed in a 1993 Foreign Affairs article titled "The Clash of Civilizations? in response to his former student Francis Fukuyama's 1992 book, The End of History and the Last Man. Huntington later expanded his thesis in a 1996 book. Huntington began his thinking by surveying the diverse theories about the nature of global politics in the post-Cold War period. Some theorists and writers argued that human rights, liberal democracy, and capitalist free market economy had become the only remaining ideological alternative for nations in the post-Cold War world. Specifically, Francis Fukuyama argued that the world had reached the 'end of history' in a Hegelian sense. Huntington believed that while the age of ideology had ended, the world had only reverted to a normal state of affairs characterized by cultural conflict. In his thesis, he argued that the primary axis of conflict in the future will be along cultural and religious lines. As an extension, he posits that the concept of different civilizations, as the highest rank of cultural identity, will become increasingly useful in analyzing the potential for conflict. In the 1993 Foreign Affairs article, Huntington writes: ...
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...What they believed in, how people should relate to one another and even the view about death and afterlife. Before the coming of missionaries and the introduction of Christianity African had their traditional religion that not only helped in bringing them together but was used to ask for favors from their gods. African theologians have been trying to establish the relationship between Christianity and African traditional religion. One bone of contention that theologians face is on the relationship between Christians and their dead ancestors. Among the Africans death does not mark the end of the human relationship as they consider those who die to have entered the spirit world. African theology is the key to understanding Christianity in Africa. The saying that it is ill-advised to run randomly in African forests is quite applicable in the case of African theology. It is always advisable to get the guidance of someone who identifies with its paths and the landscape. This essay will, therefore, look into the life of Bediako Kwame as a guide as to understanding African Christian theology. The essay will look into the biographical details and description of historical, social, cultural, economic and political factors within which he lived and worked. Moreover, it will examine the ways in which his work relates to the discussed context and appreciate four of his major themes. Lastly, it will study the contributions of Bediako Kwame to the theology field in general and discuss how...
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...Globalization on Native Non-Western Cultures Kimberly Adams Western Governors University Issues in Behavioral Science GLT1 February 17, 2014 The Impact of Globalization on Native Non-Western Cultures Most of the Western World enjoys the effects globalization and modernization has had on the many ways of life. Improved economic situations and governments, advancements in technology and travel, improvements in health care and the control of disease, and the improved methods of communication and obtaining information. With all these advances available to hopefully enrich lives, it is no wonder that many believe that these same elements should exist in every part of the world. Globalization and modernization have been a part of the world’s history for centuries, and can be considered both good and bad, depending of how one would want to choose to live their own life. In most of the world, globalization and modernization mostly seem to be a part of history, of how that part of world changed with the inventions of new technology, and ideas. In some countries, change was not wanted or needed, but rather imposed, mostly by conquering forces that desired control of the land for economic gain. The impact of globalization and modernization are more evidently seen when analyzing native non-western cultures that seem to be trying to hold on to the values and traditions of their past, whilst also engaging in the activities more typical of western culture. Somalia, situated in...
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...phenomenon that has been going on since ancient civilizations began to expand their territories. Globalization can be defined as the free movement of goods, services and people across the world in a seamless and integrated manner. (managementstudyguide.com, 2013) In this paper I will discuss two different examples of how native non western cultures have been impacted by globalization.! A. ! I chose to discuss the impact that a major food chain ,McDonalds, has had on the culture in China. McDonalds appeared in China in 1990, at this time there weren't many western food restaurants. (Griffith, 2008) The income level was low, but McDonalds set its prices relatively high, establishing itself as a high end restaurant. White collar workers chose to dine there, thus making McDonalds a fashionable hot spot. McDonalds is also very geared towards children. Due to the one child policy in China, parents dote and at times give in excess to their child, making McDonalds very successful. McDonald’s high prices made dinning there for the average Chinese citizen a luxury, and was valued as a special occasion. ! I chose to discuss the impact of Christianity on Africa for my second topic. The traditional African society believed in the existence of many Gods, where all objects had a separate creator. African religion had no written works, so it was reliant on the use of word of mouth, customs, practices, and those that were thought to be gifted in dealing with spiritual issues. African...
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...How Westernization Changed Culture In Africa, you can see a mixture of the ancient culture as well as some westernization after-effects of other countries taking control of them. These resulted from the period of time known as Imperialism. The impact of that period of time can still be felt throughout the world in many different ways, but the most prominent is the westernization that occurred in the colonies. A shift toward a western-like world is observable over time, as the films “Within the Work Fair” (1926), “Gold” (1938), and “In 50 Years” (1958) portray. The change in the way they dress, think, and act are all very evident in the said films. From this, I argue that the impact of colonialism and westernization are caused by non-natural borders, the “civilizing mission”, while it was most commonly seen through the change in culture that occurred. Rifts were caused from the unnatural borders created by the colonizers during the Imperialism time period, those of which can still be witnessed today. When the Europeans carved up Africa between each other, they paid no attention to cultures or way of life that had already existed in the areas. They divided Africa according to what they thought were best for their home countries. These actions eventually caused a rift between cultures that had previously been extremely similar. The cultures that had been similar were forced to conform to the type of culture the metropoles thought to be more civilized. In the long run I believe...
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...African Culture And Personality: Bad Social Science, Effective Social Activism, Or A Call To Reinvent Ethnology? James E. Lassiter Abstract BACKGROUND This paper surveys and assesses the writings of selected African scholars on what they regard to be pan-African culture and personality traits, and patterns and processes of African cultural adaptation (1). Suggestions are also made for reinventing the study of African social, cultural and psychological characteristics, and using such knowledge to help solve socioeconomic problems in Africa. Finally, comments are made regarding the impact of sociocultural particularism and Western individualism on the study of culture and cultural evolution. During the late 1950s and 1960s, national character and typical personality studies were broadly condemned, breathed their last gasp, and were ultimately relegated to the dustbin of bad social science. Since that time, various African scholars outside the social sciences have nevertheless been sustaining and redirecting group personality inquiry. They are not, however, approaching their subject as did Western social scientists in the first half of this century who used questionnaire instruments to determine if Africans were "traditional" or "modern" (2). This was a particularly popular approach among Western occupational psychologists working in Africa in the 1950s and 1960s who sought to scientifically assign statistical coefficients of modernization to African populations. They did this...
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...Westernization and European Influences on Various Cultures Angela Lancaster AIU Online HUMA215-1205B-19 Abstract We are asked to analyze and interpret a quotation about the confrontation of Western civilization with other people whose values were often dramatically opposed to the West’s. We are asked to discuss what would the loss of centeredness of culture have meant for a given cultural group. To select from the non-western cultural groups and research the impact of Western or European cultures on the group chosen. Finally we are asked to give an opinion on how non-western culture was prior to the late nineteenth century and how did it change as a result of European expansion. There are several cultures that were affected by the westernization and the colonization of the Europeans. A few of these cultures are the Native Americans, Africans, Chinese, and Japanese. Each of these different cultures had drawn in different ideals, some good, and some bad. Asia did not have as many problems with westernization as the Native Americans and the Africans. The entire culture of the Native Americans and Africans were destroyed from European expansion and colonization, whereas the Chinese and Japanese retained much of their heritage by remaining out of touch with the western world. (Sayre, 2012) The Native Americans had a civilization that was basic and traditional, and it remained that way for several hundred if not thousands of years. They lived off of the land...
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...modern history, Western powers such as the United States and Europe have always assisted weaker nations in order for those countries to maintain internal stability and external relations with other nations. Most often, Western powers to aid states with failing democratic systems or nations that are strategic allies in certain regions of the world. For Western powers, it is important to promote the ideals of Democracy, and assist other nations deemed as crucial to Democracy’s development. Democracies and its expansion are vital for several reasons Democratic nations foster peace and stability. Following World War II, the United States believed it was imperative to sustain and support Western Europe. At the time Western Europe was facing the encroachment of the Soviet Union and its communist ideologies. The United States saw its support for Western Europe as essential in order to preserve their alliance, and most importantly to continue strengthening and expanding democratic ideals. However, as of the past twenty years, when it comes sub-Saharan Africa, Western nations are not nearly as concerned about a states internal or external stability. For example, countries such as Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, and many other sub-Saharan countries are in utter turmoil, but the West has turned a blind eye. The burden now falls on organizations like the United Nations, Organization of African Unity, and other non-for profits to create solutions for the growing problems in Africa. Without any intervention...
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...interact with other states as a full member of the international community. * Often a failed state is characterized by social, political, and/or economic failure. Common characteristics of a failing state include a central government so weak or ineffective that it has little practical control over much of its territory; non-provision of public services; widespread corruption and criminality; refugees and involuntary movement of populations; and sharp economic decline. The level of government control required to avoid being considered a failed state varies considerably amongst authorities. Furthermore, the declaration that a state has "failed" is generally controversial and, when made authoritatively, may carry significant geopolitical consequences. Example: Modernization theory Discussion Question:In what ways has the first world adversely affected Africa’s development? Does modernization theory have any validity in regards to Africa? The modernization theory of the 1950s is rooted in capitalism and suggests that society drastically change by giving up the traditional views and adopts new ideas and values. The theory is mainly about Africa leaving their traditional ways behind in favour of the European way of...
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