Showing papers on "Westernization published in 1988"

The world revolution of Westernization : the twentieth century in global perspective

Abstract: The author argues that the global violence and warfare of this century are the consequence of the world revolution of westernization which has characterized it. The ascendance of Europe had, by the turn of the century, brought all parts of the world under its influence and control. Westerners have seen such global emulation as a 'civilizing' process. The author argues, however, that the globe's attempt to catch up with the West militarily, economically, and politically has been a traumatic experience as societies have been forced to undergo in a few decades changes that Europeans underwent in many centuries, causing many countries to fall prey to totalitarian regimes and warfare. Modern historians, political scientists.

Gender and social change: new forms of independence for Simbu women.

Abstract: This article discusses gender roles and behavior and changing relationships between the sexes resulting from Western influence on the Simbu people in Papua New Guinea. Sexual segregation and taboos cult secrecy and male domination of women have weakened during 50 years of contact with the West. The observations upon which this paper is based were made during 1958-65 and through individual and group interviews obtained in 1976 1984 1985 and 1987. Simbu women have been self-sufficient while appearing to comply with male dominance and group claims. More younger women are now asserting their individuality. With Westernization many home crafts have been abandoned. Women have responded to new ideas and economic goals by promoting the education of their children. A notable few women have achieved professional positions or business success and have joined a new class of elite citizens with opportunities to expand their lives in ways formerly unimaginable. Both urban men and women retain close ties with their rural families. Urban men depend upon rural support groups to achieve their political ambitions. When successful these men distribute favors to their rural supporters. Urban women may incorporate rural relatives into their urban households but many reject their own domestic roles. This new urban elite is still in the formative stage and it is impossible to predict whether it will ultimately reject its rural foundation to embrace an urban multi-ethnic affiliation.

Tourism and Social Change among the Dogon

Abstract: an index of prosperity and well-being, and in others as signs of cultural debasement (Douglas 1982: 16). Typically, the growing preference for goods of industrial rather than indigenous manufacture, the adoption of new artistic and cultural practices, and the growth of a waged economy in small-scale societies have all been treated as part of a more general process of "Westernization." Indeed, as elsewhere, many of these features are more prominent now in Dogon society than when anthropological work began in the Sanga region of Mali during the 1930s. The houses of younger people contain a higher proportion of artifacts of industrial manufacture than those of

Eastern European youth culture: The Westernization of a social movement

Abstract: The term "Westernization" usually connotes a process of encultu ration imposed by European colonizers or missionaries upon tradi? tional societies of Asia, Africa, and South America.1 For the most part, this process was brutally coerced and reflected the European's will and aspirations rather than those of the colonized. The values and style of life of the colonizers were either deferentially incorpo? rated by the natives or were superficially imitated. But even as they were absorbed, to the natives these Western values and life styles appeared completely alien, sometimes even as satanic. Both Wester? ners and natives generally assumed that the differences between the two cultures were many and often unbridgeable (Worsley, 1967). This process, however, belongs to the past, for in the present it is possible to detect a new and different process of Westernization. From Lagos to Mexico City to Budapest, great numbers of people have shucked off the ambivalence of previous eras and now share a visible admiration for the West (Hannerz, 1987; Franco, 1987). For them, unabashedly, Western countries, and especially America, serve as a referential center, standard of comparison, and model of emulation. This paper examines the social contexts which facilitate the adop? tion of Western values and styles by East European2 youth and explores the implications of this development. It further attempts to illuminate the contradictions that underlie the collective experience of youth and, consequently, its perception of the West. As I will

Parent-child interaction in transition

Abstract: In this essay collection, a variety of authorities explore the significance of parent-child interaction and its implications for all stages of family life. Numerous aspects of this socialization process in changing societies throughout the world are represented, for relatively uniform societies, such as in Western Europe; multicultural societies, such as in North America; and traditional societies facing the impact of modernization or Westernization of values, such as in India, China, or Japan. Individual approaches range from analyses of typical intergenerational changes to direct comparisons of specific family systems within and among societies, cultures, and ethnic groups. Also discussed are current theories in the area of parent-child interaction, including changing authority structures, differences between fathers and mothers, adjustment and social disorganization crises of children, pressures of modernization, cultural transitions, divorce, and the problems of child abuse. A valuable bibliographic essay, referring to many related works, appears at the end of the volume.

China Needs Modernization in All Fields—Democracy, Reform, and Modernization

Abstract: What kind of modernization do we want? Let's think about it. The answer is modernization in all fields, since there is no field that does need to be modernized. The debate over whether we need a full-scale Westernization in China didn't just start this morning; it has been going on for more than a hundred years. Talking about China's modernization, I personally like the idea of Westernization at full scale [enthusiastic applause]. It is my understanding that we should open ourselves to the world in all fields and at full scale. Why? Because our cultural development is falling behind not in one but in all fields. Now what are we supposed to do about it? Of course, open up to the world in all fields. Don't place unnecessary restrictions by delimiting certain issues as those that need to be adhered to, or fields as either untouchable or unquestionable, before we even start. It is ridiculous to put those restrictions before any shock has been felt [enthusiastic applause]. The idea of full-scale Westernization...