After conducting extensive research studying cultures around the world, social theorist and anthropologist Peter Van Der Veer observed that "the elements critics, such as those who find themselves lacking in the spiritual ideas of the early 20th century" (Van Der Veer). Spirituality, a fundamental element at the root of most cultures, has been significantly influenced by the phenomenon of globalization. In the novels Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and Gods Without Men by Hari Kunzru, globalization breaks down cultural barriers by creating an interconnection between people, thus challenging the sense of spirituality. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe portrays globalization and its effect on spirituality through the theme of tradition versus change. The Igbo, a people who value their cultural identity, are threatened when white colonialists bring Christianity to Umuofia. Their arrival triggers a change within Igbo culture, causing the tribe to compromise their customs and welcome the new settlers: “And finally the locusts came down. They alighted on every tree and every blade of grass; they settled on the roofs and covered the bare earth. Mighty tree branches broke beneath them and the whole country became the brown color of the earth of the vast hungry swarm” (Achebe, 40). This passage, taken from chapter seven of the novel, is symbolic and allegorical for the inevitable arrival of the white missionaries in Umuofia. The locusts came and “perched on every tree and on every blade of grass,” breaking the “mighty branches of the trees” beneath them. These branches, which represent the traditions, customs – and therefore the spirituality of the Igbo people – can no longer resist the weight and external pressures brought by the colonialists. Achebe highlights the destructive nature of the locusts, whose arrival will alter the identity of the Igbo Tibe, causing the downfall of their culture. Throughout the novel, globalization is described as a weapon of cultural homogenization, destroying the elements that make up cultural heritage. identity of the Igbo people and replace them with a set of “uniform” values, as imposed by white men (All 2). This is especially demonstrated through the actions of the novel's protagonist, Okonkwo. After accidentally killing Ezeudu's son and spending seven years in exile with his family in Mbanta, Okonkwo returns to Umuofia to find his village changed by the presence of white men. This is exemplified by the exchanges between Obierika and Okonkwo that occur in chapter twenty of the novel: "Does the white man understand our customs concerning the land?" “How can he if he doesn't even speak our language? But he says that our customs are bad; and even our brothers who have embraced his religion say that our customs are bad. How do you think we can fight back when our own brothers have turned against us? The white man is very intelligent. He came in silence and at peace with his religion. We were amused by his stupidity and allowed him to stay. Now our brothers have won and our clan can no longer behave as if it were one. He pulled a knife on the things that held us together and we fell apart” (Achebe, 152). After much effort to reclaim his land by destroying a Christian church, Okonkwo soon realizes that the people of Umuofia will not protect themselves or fight for their culture. His tribe, once so deeply rooted in tradition, has changed. Okonkwo, no longer recognizing the society to which>.