Topic > The Effects of Globalization on 21st Century Societies and the Role of Religion in Kwame Anthony Appiah's Analysis

Western influence along with the rapidly changing global economy is causing a change in the cultures and religious cultures of the world. Whether due to the price of a good rising so much that people who need it cannot afford it or demand falling, cultures in many parts of the world are declining. This is the question that Kwame Appiah addresses, because he believes that it is inevitable that the world's traditions will go unappreciated or become extinct due to advances in knowledge and technology, as well as the global economy. Appiah makes a very important connection in his analysis titled “The Case for Contamination,” in which he compares religion and culture to how they react to the rapid changes that make up our modern world. In this article the main questions to be addressed are: what roles do religions play in Appiah's analysis and how does my approach compare with his? These and other questions will be explored in great detail and my thoughts will be provided for each along with my conclusion on the topic. To understand the role of religions in Appiah's analysis, we must first know the effect that globalization has on twenty-first century societies. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayKwame Anthony Appiah is from a city in Ghana called Kumasi that hosts a Wednesday festival at the beginning of his article. He describes how the traditional blowing of the horn signals the arrival of the Asante king, but states that the vast majority of millions of people from Ghana would not understand what is happening, regardless of what seems like a traditional act. This is due to the atmosphere Appiah portrays during his arrival, where businessmen from insurance companies are on cell phones and office meetings consist of discussions about HIV/AIDS. This shows that in our rapidly developing world even places like Ghana are becoming technologically savvy despite all the poverty and turmoil that a large percentage of its population faces. Government officials, including the President of Ghana who studied at Oxford University, come from very prestigious places and are therefore considered very credible. In African countries like Ghana, where Appiah comes from, it seems that only officials and those with connections to important people can enjoy any kind of luxury. For this reason, the rest of the population has to rely on their religion to hope and pray for a better life because no one helps them. Even though Appiah and his family are very lucky and fortunate to be among the likes of the King of Asante and the like, they remain true to the culture of the city. This shows that although it may seem like governments use religion to control people or give them false hopes about things instead of helping them, traditions are universal. Appiah then goes on to say that this trend of people celebrating ancient cultural traditions while adapting to the modern world such as the use of laptops and the like is increasing in more places around the world. As the whole world is initially moving towards a more globalized system to unify and manage a market-free world, there are still some critics of this idea who think that core cultural values ​​are threatened. The argument is supported by the fact that homogeneity will occur between more and more regions of the world when it comes to topics and products such as Coca Cola or global warming.It doesn't just stop at brands because with increased globalization things like medicines and proper schools are more common to more people, which leads to overall success for humanity. While it is true that more and more things are being understood and exposed to more people, I do not believe that this makes the world homogeneous or the same possible. This is because all regions are unique to their specific location and the group of people they contain, no matter how different they are. The traditions are not affected and the only thing that changes is an increase in knowledge about certain things, which is really great because after all knowledge is power. This leads one to wonder whether it is up to the individual to decide what they want from everything that is thrown at them whether through the Internet or other sources, or from the government that controls the masses. Groups of people who believe that the individual controls the difference between cultures compared to a more globalized society are known as Cosmopolitans. Cosmopolitans disagree with critics of globalization and believe that the rapidly changing world can be good or bad depending on how the individual reacts to the change. If a person decides to stay true to their heritage despite changes in the global economy, then that's fine, but some people lose touch with themselves. One reason people move away from certain traditions or lifestyles is the global economy. For a farmer who has been growing coffee beans all his life and hopes to pass the tradition on to his children, a big price difference could change everything for him and force him to stop doing so. Therefore, the farmer would have to find something else to do to support himself economically and tradition dies with change. This example is something that Cosmopolitans advocate, which means having different options for certain life scenarios even if it interferes with culture in opposition to critics of globalization and preserves everything. While many of these types of things are happening more and more around the world, it is up to the individual to be able to react appropriately so that their values ​​are preserved. After the discussion on the theory of greater globalization, the question arises whether places that preserve their authentic cultures should be forced to maintain them or adapt to changing times. An example of this would be the famous baseball caps that are imported into Vietnam. The question is whether they should be allowed to import the caps or not due to the traditional red headdresses that the Zao culture of Vietnam typically wear. Since baseball caps are considered really cheap Western clothing, many people believe that it would be impossible for the Vietnamese to refuse imports, mainly due to the high costs of making traditional headdresses. Due to the high prices of these traditional clothing items, very few people will be able to afford to practice their traditions and this in turn will lead to a decrease in the practice of this tradition in general. Aside from the world economy and ongoing globalization, which is changing traditions around the world, mental changes are also taking place. These come from Western or European media influences in the form of television programs that show how people act in these media. Other people around the world might inherit some of their mannerism and thus cause a change in the behavior of an entire sect or group. This could lead to subtle but impactful changes in traditions and values ​​over time. Finally, the theme of religion becomes evident when Appiah introduces the example of the two groups of Muslim fundamentalists. The first group is that of.