New Global Professions - Literature review Example

Day Month Year New Global Professions Introduction Proponents of globalization have pointed to numerous positive effects that globalization has had on culture. First, it has been acknowledged that globalization has created a new concept of global professions where a new class of people has risen up. These are workers generally have valuable skills in various business fields due to being well educated and trained. These same workers are considered to be the major driving force behind the global economy and foreign affairs. In the United States, this group comprises about 15% to 25% of the total population. Their ideas are more cosmopolitan than national. In addition they travel internationally, speak various foreign languages, and are endowed with technical skills and education. As such, they have a great economic influence globally. With more of these global professionals entering the workforce, the governments the world over would be wise to think more globally in their activities, as opposed to being confined to nationalistic thinking. Global multiculturalism in professional circles will result in a competitive labor force that has highly specialized skills, thus increasing the quality of products and services. Global Village Globalization has a way of making the most dominant cultures to grow and become dominate over weaker ones. Many people incorrectly assume that globalization is simply Americanization. No longer is this the case, however, as a strong, skilled, and educated workforce exists in countries worldwide. Globalization plays an important role in culturally enriching the world. Cultural exchange has been widely associated with the creation of diversity and tolerance (Lieber & Weisberg, 282). The vision that this promotes is that of a multi-cultural global village, in which ideas and practices are appreciated and freely exchanged. Global foundation networks, non-governmental organizations, academic networks, and multinational and governmental agencies propagate positive cultural values. For example, the United Nations is known for bringing peace and tolerance for the welfare of all humanity in the world. Non-governmental organizations such as the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, Amnesty International and the French Medicines Sans Frontiers have been winners of Nobel Peace Prize due to their various efforts to ensure the well being of humans globally. Such organizations cause the world to thrive by promoting common cultural characteristics that propagates humanity. In what Pickering (47) terms as self-selected culture, people have been forced to form groups with people they consider to be like-minded. Such groups share common values and have their role models that they aspire to be like. It creates a homogeneous world where everybody would like to be associated with a particular genre of people. Cultural Liberty One potential pitfall of globalization is that it can disrupt traditional and national identities, as well as lead to a more unstable and fragile society. According to Beck, Sznaider and Winter (53), globalization does not necessarily lead to homogeneity; in some respects, it fosters differences. For example, in most major cities today, there are restaurants offering a variety of food choices, such as Mexican, Chinese, Indian, Italian or French. This multiculturalism exists beyond cuisine to encompass education, finance, religion, and corporate management. Due to these many forms of diversity, it becomes confusing to determine whether there are ethical or moral commonalities binding people together. All these cultural effects of globalization point towards the growing number of options that globalization has afforded people around the world. The global flow of ideas, people, capital and goods can cause people to abandon their traditional values and practices, which would thus dismantle the economic basis on which the indigenous culture has grown dependent upon and cherishes. Multicultural policies are aimed at protecting cultural liberty as opposed to preserving tradition, in spite of the notion that it creates a homogeneous culture. Preservation of traditions works to keep options open. Globalization also strives to strengthen communication among various cultures, which could further promote pluralism and enhance mutual understanding. As people focus on being citizens of the world, as opposed to being localized citizens to their countries of origin, various values will be adopted such that they fit within the global environment. Political Culture Spurred by the need for modernization, global politics have been reconfigured in accordance with cultural lines. Borrowing from the definition of globalization from Beck, Sznaider and Winter who state that this is “the growth of transnational politics, the integration of the world economy, and a subsequent blending of cultures around the world,” globalization indeed has a role to play in the political culture of the involved countries (31). Following research on how politics in Australia has been influenced by globalization, Pickering (50) observed that globalization threatens the current state of politics in Australia, as indicated by the regular claims of international organizations interfering with its national sovereignty. This has resulted in Australia being held back from upholding its fundamental values and determining its collective identity. Globalization has been said to promote liberalism and democracy so that people from various countries can learn interact freely and to gain a mutual respect for one another. More so, it causes a shift in the status quo such that political leaders try to be on par with globalization efforts, which in the long run can serve to curb political conflict. Global terrorism has also affected politics to a great extent. An example would be the September 11th terrorist attacks in the United States. With governments seeking to provide security to their people, politicians appealed for help from others in an effort to provide protection to its citizenry. They also sough after a bonded relationship with the global community, rather than focuses on their own national boundaries and cultures. Similarly, there are countries that largely depend on others for conditional or unconditional aid. People with similar cultures can now come together with those of different cultures in an effort to work together and seek a balance between their respective cultures in search of common bonds. As such, political boundaries in the future will likely be drawn to coincide with each county’s cultural boundaries. Challenges Asian nations have been resistant to adopt Western culture and have insisted on adherence to Asian values. These values often embody Confucian ideals that call for hard work, thrift, respect for authority, and an adherence to the importance of community over individual. Asian countries been said to have a preference for social, cultural, and economic rights more than political rights. Lieber and Weisberg (281) criticize these values, viewing them as contrary to the universal human rights and as disregarding democratic undercurrents. As such, these values have stunted the economic growth of various Asian countries. Similarly, in an attempt to protect their native languages, governments have also banned what they refer to as intrusion by foreign culture. The French been noted to protect their language against intrusion by words in foreign language by banning some notably English words and finding French replacements for them. Quebec, a French speaking province in Canada, has passed legislation that informs the inclusion of French words in fonts with double the size of those used for English words for signs in English. More so, immigrant students have been required to learn French, while businesses should conduct important transactions in French. The Chinese government has also been keen to protect its language and recently required all foreign companies in the republic to change their brand names to be Chinese-sounding. Conclusion Whether we like it or not, we do live in a global world. In a society where communication is now instant and video conferencing has replaced the need to physically fly across the global to conduct business, societies would be wise to embrace this swift moving change. Cultures do need to be protected, but they should be willing to embrace others as well. Skilled workers will continue to cross borders in an attempt at not only a better way of life, but to truly contribute to the global society. In so doing, they will share their own culture with others, while learning the traditions and customs of their new home. If the citizenry of this world will truly embrace all people, we can perhaps finally become one world with many different cultures, all residing and coexisting in peace with one another. Globalization can serve to see this goal and dream of so many people around the world become realized sooner, rather than later. That is the hope in this new, rapidly advancing world that we now live in. Works Cited Read More