International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2018

 

Globalism vs culture(s): a critique of transculturalism and the one world, one culture globalist narrative in Africa (Abstract)

 

Theodore Petrus

 

There can be little doubt that with the advances in mass communication and technologies, the phenomenon of transculturalism is well and truly underway. However, this global phenomenon did not originate with technological advances in mass communication. Although the internet and the spread of popular culture have been the most obvious examples of transculturalism, the phenomenon itself has a long history. The current global(ist) world emerged, at least as far as modern history is concerned, with colonialism, where the seed of transculturalism was planted. Arguably, we are now experiencing the fruits of that seed, which has germinated and become this giant tree with branches and roots permeating almost every level of human society. The resultant interconnectedness brought about by globalism and its process, globalisation, has, among other things, created transculturalism. Both cultural globalisation and transculturalism share the ideological position of the world moving towards a “one world culture”. This contribution seeks to critique this perspective by interrogating (a) whether such a global move towards “oneness” is in fact possible, and (b) if it is, whether such a one world culture would be beneficial. The discussion is presented with specific reference to the workings of transculturalism in the African context.