READING IN GLOBAL CULTURES TASNIME CHERGUI
PROF : BENNIS S3
Professor Bennis' dictation:
14/10/2025
Defining culture:
Culture is a way of life; that is, culture refers to the ways individuals behave, act, interact,
socialize, speak, and view the world around them, especially in the age of globalization.
Culture provides members of the same community with a sense of belonging. Culture
strengthens /reinforces social and human relations (bonds/ties). Culture also vests people
with their identity: every single culture has its own distinct identity.
In the USA, Afro-American, Hispanics, and white Anglo-Saxons
In theory, culture is developing, changing, flexible, and malleable. Each culture takes the
shape of its people; however, some basic components are fixed, namely religion and religious
rituals.
By definition, cultures are numerous, multiple, and diverse; for example, Morocco hosts
multiple cultures. This multiplicity of cultures is called multiculturalism. By definition, every
society is multicultural.
In principle, all cultures are supposed to have the same weight and value, but in practice,
some cultures are more dominant ( hegemonic) than others. Cultures that possess power
dominate locally and globally, as a case in point ( as an example), the French Language and
cultures have always been dominant in education, administration, and the media, although
the possession of the French language has started to shrink in favor of the English language.
Globally, American culture is the most hegemonic due to political, economic, and
technological power; most world citizens consume American cultural artifacts such as
movies, social media, and fast food. So this is why nations that own power spread
( propagate/ disseminate) their knowledge.
READING IN GLOBAL CULTURES TASNIME CHERGUI
PROF : BENNIS S3
Defining globalization:
The world has metaphorically shrunk to a small/global village where borders or boundaries
have been removed, allowing the free movement/flow of cultures, values, ideologies,
languages…
New digital technology has become the new hub ( center/ space) for globalization, and more
specifically, global citizens.
21/10/2025
Globalization consists of the free flow of cultures, values, people through either immigration
or social media, ideologies, and power relations.
Globalization in theory allows people to unify, interact, and share cultures; however, cultures
do not cherish the same value, the same dominance: powerful cultures disseminate their
knowledge, their ways of life ( lifestyle); conversely, powerless cultures consume passively,
they mimic powerful countries such as the USA, whose cultural values dominate globally
( worldwide).
Globalization flows by trespassing geographical borders. Thanks to globalization, the world’s
nations are tightly interconnected.
Globalization has been accelerated due to this technological revolution (upheaval).
New/digital technology has completely metamorphosed, causing/ leading to new visions,
new values, new cultures, and a new definition of space, cyberspace. New cultural concepts,
cyberculture. Despite these technological advances, we observe the same “status quo,” that
is, powerful nations dominate offline and online.
Cultural identity refers to one’s ethnic group or race, language, behavior, and so on.
Multiculturalism refers to the multiplicity of cultures; every nation or society produces
multiple cultures. That is, each group is identified through its own unique culture.
Multiculturalism also indicates cultural diversity or difference.
Multiculturalism and especially cultural identity are no longer defined locally or nationally.
Because of the rise of new technology, borders have been removed, creating a new concept/
theory of multiculturalism. Now, individuals behave, think, and interact globally; we have
become global citizens, and our commitment has shifted to the global village.
This statement is a confirmation of power relations that people who possess power and
monopolize knowledge dictate ( coerce) their culture and values globally.
READING IN GLOBAL CULTURES TASNIME CHERGUI
PROF : BENNIS S3
Individuals are shaped and framed by their own society, which structures (forges) their view
of the world; we are the product of our nation.
By definition, humans are social beings, born to socialize (Ibn Khaldoun). No one can pretend
to be culture-free free we are defined, identified by, and affiliated to a specific culture.
29/10/2025
Blue jeans are among the first symbols (label/token) of American cultural dominance
(hegemony). They represent the free flow of world cultures and the removal ( erasure) of
borders (frontiers).
Every society develops its own cultural values, products, and artifacts, which transcend local
and national borders and context to assume or take on global proportions and, therefore,
contribute to the shrinking (narrowing) of the globe. The world’s cultures are incessantly /
continuously mingling. Human interaction, communication, and cultural exchange are the
most discernible (obvious) aspects/ features/traits of the 20th century and the current digital
age.
Technological innovation and physical infrastructure represent much more than electronic
devices or hardware and software; they are rather a symbol of human interaction,
connection, and exchange of information, values, cultures, and so on.
Today, the world has been profoundly (n. = profundity) reshaped, allowing people to travel/
circulate among multiple complex and labyrinthine spaces referred to as virtual reality or
cyberspace.
No time of history has witnessed the same technological velocity, the same intense human
connection, the same instantaneous flow exchange of cultures and erosion of borders; we no
longer speak of separate (discrete) citizens, but rather global citizens. Acting, thinking, and
behaving in global proportions, especially when we are connected or navigating social media
platforms/networks.
In a nutshell, digital technology has substantially altered the basic background knowledge
and perspectives of the cosmos, reducing distance, merging cultures, and creating a new
vision of human interaction, movement, and above all, multiculturalism.