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Showing papers on "Westernization published in 2007"


MonographDOI
15 Oct 2007
TL;DR: Theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greater Middle East have been proposed by Mehdi Parvizi Amineh and Henk Houweling as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: List of Tables and Figures Acknowledgments List of Contributors List of Abbreviations 1. Introduction: Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to the Study of the Greater Middle East Mehdi Parvizi Amineh PART ONE: FOREIGN INTERVENTION AND SOCIAL TRANSFORMATION IN THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST 2. IR-Theory and Transformations in the Greater Middle East: The Role of the United States Mehdi Parvizi Amineh and Henk Houweling 3. Connecting Central Eurasia to the Middle East in American Foreign Policy Towards Afghanistan and Pakistan: 1979-Present Simon Bromley 4. US-Russian Strategic Relations and the Structuration of Central Asia Robert M. Cutler PART TWO: STATE, SOCIETY, AND ECONOMY IN THE GREATER MIDDLE EAST 5. The Iranian Revolution: The Multiple Contexts of the Iranian Revolution Mehdi Parvizi Amineh and S. N. Eisenstadt 6. The Iranian Foreign Policy since the Iranian Islamic Revolution: 1979-2006 Eva Patricia Rakel 7. The Middle East's Democracy Deficit in Comparative Perspective Mehran Kamrava 8. The Challenges of Modernity: The Case of Political Islam Mehdi Parvizi Amineh 9. The Turkish Political Economy: Globalization and Regionalism Nilgun Onder 10. The Maghreb: Social, Political, and Economic Developments Louisa Dris-Ait-Hamadouche and Yahia Zoubir 11. From Soviet Republics to Independent Countries: Challenges of Transition in Central Asia Mirzohid Rahimov 12. Central Asia since the Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Economic Reforms and Their Impact on State-Society Relations Richard Pomfret 13. New Twists, More Intricate Configurations: The Changing Israel-Palestinian Regional Security Complex Fred Lawson PART THREE: THE POLITICS OF OIL AND MAJOR POWER RIVALRY IN THE POST-COLD WAR GREATER MIDDLE EAST 14. Global Energy Security and Its Geopolitical Impediments: The Case of the Caspian Region Mehdi Parvizi Amineh and Henk Houweling 15. China and the Greater Middle East: Globalization No Longer Equals Westernization Kurt W. Radtke 16. Indian Power Projection in the Greater Middle East: Tools and Objectives Prithvi Ram Mudiam 17. The Changing Face of the Russian Far East: Cooperation and Resource Competition Between Japan, Korea, and China in Northeast Asia Roger Kangas 18. India-Pakistan Engagement with the Greater Middle East: Implications and Options B.M. Jain 19. The EU's Policies of Security of Energy Supply Towards the Middle East and Caspian Region: Major Power Politics? Femke Hogeveen and Wilbur Perlot Bibliography Index

63 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Ozyurek et al. as mentioned in this paper described the life of Turkey's Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, who led a war of national independence, established the Turkish Republic, and introduced a series of modernizing/westernizing reforms that included secularization of the state, relative emancipation of women, and westernization of alphabet, dress, and the legal code.
Abstract: The Politics of the Governed: Reflections on Popular Politics in Most of the World. By Partha Chatterjee. New York: Columbia University Press, 2004. 173p. 20.00 paper. Nostalgia for the Modern: State Secularism and Everyday Politics in Turkey. By Esra Ozyurek. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2006. 227p. 21.95 paper. Few leaders have been as lionized by their people decades after their deaths or have influenced their nation's political development as much as Turkey's Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. In the wake of World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Ataturk (an honorary title meaning “father of the Turks”) led a war of national independence, established the Turkish Republic, and introduced a series of modernizing/westernizing reforms that included secularization of the state, relative emancipation of women, and westernization of the alphabet, dress, and the legal code.

51 citations


Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: For many observers the fall of the Berlin Wall and the removal of the iron curtain signified a future with the potential to grow into an era characterized by free trade, migration, and an ever-more tightly knit web of human interaction as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: During the past two decades the discussions on world order have taken interesting turns. The collapse of the cold war constellation gave neoliberal visions of accelerating economic integration and global democratization a certain prominence within academic circles and a wider public sphere. For many observers the fall of the Berlin Wall and the removal of the iron curtain signified a future with the potential to grow into an era characterized by free trade, migration, and an ever-more tightly knit web of human interaction. Many deemed ideological fault lines and geopolitical rivalries to be outdated by the potentials that a new era of globalization brought to the international community. It was this optimistic branch of the late 1980s and early 1990s that brought widespread public attention to new programmatic terms ranging from “global village” to the “end of history” first and foremost in the United States but also in other parts of the world.1 At that time a majority of Chinese intellectuals, for example, supported a new “Enlightenment” effort, widespread Westernization and internationalization programs for their society.2 And in most countries of the former Warsaw Pact, liberal democratic parties won national elections—public endorsements to bring their societies closer to a more Western and more global world.3

49 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: In the case of the Russian Orthodox Church, the issue of state-church relations has been studied in the context of the recent election of Russian President V. Vladimirovich as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Following his inauguration as Russian president in May 2000, Vladimir Putin walked the short distance across the Kremlin grounds to the Cathedral of the Annunciation for a thanksgiving service. At this brief service, Patriarch Aleksii II praised the new president for his "thoughtful and responsible style of leadership" and suggested that like never before Russia needed "the restoration of the spiritual powers of the nation and a rebirth of its commitment to genuine moral values ... Vladimir Vladimirovich, help us to disclose the soul of the nation." (1) If the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church was using this opportunity to present church and state in perfect harmony, one might also note that the president too was making a point in keeping separate the civil and religious celebrations of his electoral success. In the immediate aftermath of Putin's appearance as heir apparent, there had been considerable speculation as to what this might mean for church-state relations. This resulted from the fact that he did little to hide his personal commitment to Orthodoxy and that his participation in religious services clearly went beyond the lip service paid by the first generation of post- and ex-communist politicians. Liberal critics feared the advent of a more religious based politics in which pre-Soviet church-state links were restored and the church hierarchy largely appointed during the Soviet era returned to a familiar role of subservience to the state. Though sometimes associated with the Byzantine era, it was Peter the Great who effectively turned the Orthodox Church into a department of state, abolishing the Patriarchate and placing a state appointed bureaucrat at the head of the church. In consequence the Orthodox Church came to be seen as a pillar of the state and, though it enjoyed a very limited political role, its bishops were important dignitaries who could use their position to pursue church ends, such as supporting tight restrictions on religious minorities until 1905. Yet this close association with the state, which included the obligation to report on any political matters heard in the confessional, along with the scandals associated with Rasputin, was to have bitter consequences for the Orthodox after 1917 despite the emergence of a significant reform movement within the church at the turn of the century. (2) If liberals were perhaps pessimistic about a revival of a state church, conservatives had more reasons to be optimistic that Putin's stated commitment to order and patriotism might lead to a renewed focus on Orthodox values in public life. Yet, as this article suggests, Putin's period in office has not been characterized by a serious state-led attempt to restore the political authority of the Russian Orthodox Church and religious matters are clearly very much secondary affairs for the Kremlin, except where they impinge on security or social harmony. Church leaders are treated with respect, clerics are present at public occasions and, where it does not conflict with other priorities, Putin is likely to favor the Orthodox Church's agenda. We illustrate this through discussion of four areas where there are what might be called shared orientations or affinities between the interests of church and state: the issue of liberalization and Westernization, the notion of "managed pluralism," security and religious education. In all of these areas, the policies of Putin largely suit the leadership of the Russian Orthodox Church, though in some there are differences of emphasis. But this is very much a matter of church preferences reinforcing, not determining, the policies of the president and even where there are differences, the church's preference for a close relationship with state power has meant that major church-state clashes have been avoided. THE MAN AND THE INHERITANCE Very much a child of the Soviet Union, Putin inherited a religion-politics relationship that had undergone significant changes during his lifetime. …

49 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, various emerging trends in the Egyptian fashion industry in relation to changing lifestyles in Egypt are discussed. And they focus on the emergence and coexistence of different local fashion genres, namely Islamic chic, locally produced Western "chic", and so-called "ethnic chic", all of which have come into existence next to imported Western fashions.
Abstract: This article traces various emerging trends in the Egyptian fashion industry in relation to changing lifestyles in Egypt. It focuses in particular on the emergence and coexistence of different local fashion genres, namely “Islamic chic,” locally produced Western “chic,” and so-called “ethnic chic,” all of which have come into existence next to imported Western fashions, which have a long tradition in Egypt. These new trends can be interpreted as part of the interactive processes of globalization. It is argued that both the ethnic look and Islamic chic are promoting new strategies of “distinction” and refined taste. Intricately connected with identity formation and closely associated with “folklorizing” culture, “traditional” clothes along with local handicrafts and ethnic items have become fashionable amongst the well-to-do and tourists. Meanwhile, Islamic attire has transformed from being an austere marker of resistance to Westernization and upper-class pretensions to a new form of “embourgeoisem...

40 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors analyzed representations of Saudi women in the American press after September 11, 2001, using feminist criticism, the critique of Orientalism, and post-colonial discourses as theoretical frameworks.
Abstract: This article analyzed representations of Saudi women in the American press after September 11, 2001. Using feminist criticism, the critique of Orientalism, and postcolonial discourses as theoretical frameworks, it also compared the representations of Saudi women in The Washington Post with those of American women in the Arab News. While The Washington Post overwhelmingly portrayed Saudi women as oppressed victims in need of Western liberation, the Arab News represented most freedoms enjoyed by American women as shallow. Even as the Arab News primarily constructed American women as ethnocentric, superficial, individualistic and immoral, it simultaneously bestowed Saudi women with the responsibility of resisting Westernization and preserving Islamic purity, national dignity and culture. While dominant representations of American women in the Arab News were pejorative in nature, those American women who were perceived as attempting to understand Saudi culture and praised Saudi customs, traditions and lifesty...

36 citations


Journal Article
TL;DR: The third phase of the misionary movement in Africa, which started from the end of the eighteenth and continued throughout the nineteenth century, in twentieth-century Africa led to the dramatic expansion of Christianity called "the fourth great age of Christian expansion" as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The third phase of the misionary movement in Africa, which started from the end of the eighteenth and continued throughout the nineteenth century, in twentieth-century Africa led to the dramatic expansion of Christianity called “the fourth great age of Christian expansion”. In their attempt to spread the Christian faith, win converts and transform African societies, Christian missions of all denominations opened schools and disseminated education. Scientifically very important was their pioneer work in African languages. By producing grammars, dictionaries, textbooks and translations of religious texts missionaries laid the foundations for literature in African languages. Christian missionary enterprise was no doubt of prime importance in the Westernization of Africa. Africans were, however, not passive recipients of new influences and culture patterns. The adoption of Christianity and the process of cultural exchange were shaped by African choices, needs and efforts to Africanize Africa’s Christian experience by securing the roots of Christianity in the African context.Key words: expansion of Christianity in Africa, Christian missions, the study of African languages, missionary education, transformation of African societies

35 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper examined whether the explanatory models of the division of household labor that have been developed in western societies can be applied to Taiwan, an East Asian society immersed in the traditional Chinese culture.
Abstract: With the rapid economic development and the expanding demand for women's labor, female labor force participation rates in Taiwan climbed from 32.6% in 1966 to 46.1% in 2001 (Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, 2002). Consequently, the question of whether the change in women's economic status has produced a more equal division of household labor in Taiwan has arisen. While studies in the past few decades have yielded a large amount of knowledge about the division of labor among couples in western industrialized societies, we know relatively little about the division among couples in non-western societies. The present paper examines whether the explanatory models of the division of household labor that have been developed in western societies can be applied to Taiwan, an East Asian society immersed in the traditional Chinese culture.The majority of Taiwanese people are descendants of immigrants from southeastern China. Other people fled to Taiwan with the military after the Chinese Communist Revolution in 1949. As a result, traditional Chinese culture is an essential element of the Taiwanese culture, particularly regarding the family. Gender norms in Taiwan once were governed by traditional patriarchal thinking which devalues women's status and highly emphasizes women's dependence upon men (Xu and Lai, 2002). Women were expected to be wives and/or mothers responsible for household work rather than to have jobs outside the household. Although this rigid gender hierarchy has been challenged with industrialization and urbanization over the past half century, the influence of the traditional Chinese culture remains fairly strong in Taiwan compared to other Chinese societies such as Hong Kong and mainland China (Xu & Lai, 2004).On the other hand, it is acknowledged that women's status has improved in terms of health care, education, and employment in Taiwan (Chen, Yi, and Lu, 2000). The majority of Taiwanese women now have premarital work experience, though half of them drop from the labor force due either to marriage or childbirth (Chien, 1997). In addition, many married women choose part-time or time-flexible jobs that allow them to manage heavy family responsibilities at the same time (Chen, Yi, and Lu, 2000). The intensive contact with Western societies, especially the United States, has brought a new set of values, ideas, and subsequent behaviors, however. Many statistics, such as the declining fertility rate, the delay of marriage, and the increase in divorce, seem to indicate the increasing similarity between today's Taiwanese families and those in many developed countries.Given the persistence of the traditional gender norms, the improvement in women's status, and the increasing Westernization described above, we consider Taiwanese society an ideal setting in analyzing how the interplay between women's economic standing and gender may affect the division of household labor.Economic Resources, Gender, and the Division of Household LaborThe division of household labor has been long studied as an interplay between work and family and as an embodiment of gender relationships in that particular society. Theoretical models emphasizing economic resources and/or gender have shown a certain degree of effectiveness in understanding the division of household labor in the United States. The economic resources model states that individuals with more absolute/relative resources such as occupational status and income can use them to reduce their contribution to household work (Ross, 1987; Kamo, 1988; Blair & Lichter, 1991 ; Brayfield, 1992; Presser, 1994; Blanchi et al, 2000; for reviews, see Shelton & John, 1996, Coltrane, 2000). On the other hand, the gender ideology perspective claims that husbands' egalitarian gender ideology is positively associated with their share of household work (Ross, 1987; Kamo, 1988, Blair & Lichter, 1991; Presser, 1994; but see Brayfield, 1992; Bianchi et al, 2000), while wives' is negatively related (Brayfield, 1992; Presser, 1994; Bianchi et al, 2000; but see Ross, 1987; Shelton & John, 1993). …

33 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the moral dimension of Japanese aesthetics has been explored, focusing on two principles of design: (1) respecting the innate characteristics of objects and (2) honoring and responding to human needs.
Abstract: Japanese aesthetics was first introduced to the non-Japanese audience around the turn of the twentieth century through now classic works, such as Bushido (1899), The Ideals of the East (1904), and The Book of Tea (1907), all written in English and published in the United States.' Since then, Japanese aesthetic concepts, such as wabi, sabi, yugen, iki, and mono no aware, have become better known, some even popularized today.2 Some traditional Japanese art media, such as flower arrangement, Noh theater, haiku, martial arts, and, perhaps most prominently, tea ceremony, are now widely studied and sometimes practiced outside of Japan. The authors of all these studies generally characterize Japanese aesthetics by focusing on aesthetic concepts and phenomena that are "unique to" Japan and "different from" non-Japanese aesthetic traditions, the Western aesthetic tradition in particular. Meanwhile, recent scholarship in Japanese studies examines the historical and political context during the rapid process of Westernization (late nineteenth century through early twentieth century) that prompted Japanese intellectuals at the time to rediscover and reaffirm the character, and sometimes superiority, of their own cultural tradition and values, particularly aesthetics. Some argue that, whether consciously or not, this promotion of cultural nationalism paved the way for the political ultra-nationalism that was the ideological underpinning of colonialism.3 Despite recent efforts to introduce, popularize, or contextualize Japanese aesthetics, uncharted territories remain. In this paper I explore one such area: the moral dimension of Japanese aesthetics. I characterize the long-held Japanese aesthetic tradition to be morally based by promoting respect, care, and consideration for others, both humans and nonhumans. Although both moral and aesthetic dimensions of Japanese culture have, independently, received considerable attention by scholars of Japanese aesthetics, culture, and society, the relationship between the two has yet to be articulated. One reason may be that there is no specific term in either Japanese or English to capture its content. Furthermore, although this moral dimension of aesthetic life is specifically incorporated in some arts, such as the tea ceremony and haiku, it is deeply entrenched in people's daily, mundane activities and thoroughly integrated with everyday life, rendering it rather invisible. Similarly, contemporary discourse on morality has not given much consideration to this aesthetic manifestation of moral values, despite the emergence of feminist ethics, ethics of care, and virtue ethics. Although they emphasize humility, care, and considerateness, discourses on feminist ethics primarily address actions or persons, not the aesthetic qualities of the works they produce. Japanese aesthetics suggests several ways for cultivating moral sensibilities. In what follows, I focus on two principles of design: (1) respecting the innate characteristics of objects and (2) honoring and responding to human needs. Exploring them is important not only to illuminate this heretofore neglected aspect of Japanese aesthetics, but also to call attention to the crucial role aesthetics does

30 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the epistemological premises of the European patent on modernity are examined with respect to their consequences for the conceptualization of modernity in the periphery, using the example of the clash between Western global designs and Romanian local history.
Abstract: Equating modernization with Westernization has historically been one of the strategies with the help of which the development of entire world regions has been programmatically defined as “catching up with the West”. As a result, structural problems that accounted for incongruities with the postulated model in particular countries were explained (away) as economic, institutional or cultural lags to be overcome by faithful application of development policies mandated by the Euro-American core. Using the example of the clash between Western global designs and Romanian local history both at the end of the 19th century and in the post-socialist era, the epistemological premises of the “European patent on modernity” are examined with respect to their consequences for the conceptualization of modernity in the periphery.

28 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors compare the Turkish experience of international diffusion of planning ideas and evaluate the contribution of Istanbul's spatial formation in the context of modernization and westernization, and find that the most significant arena of this process took place in Istanbul.
Abstract: Diffusion is the process by which economical, political, and cultural experiences are shared amongst countries. The international diffusion of planning ideas is defined as borrowing and imposition at national and local levels. In the case of Turkey, these experiences are viewed within the context of modernization and westernization. The most significant arena of this process took place in Istanbul. The process of adaptation began in the second half of the nineteenth century with the Tanzimat reforms and developed parallel to the degree of influence the United States and Europe had on the changes in the political regime and identity of the country in the wake of the two world wars. The financial support of the United States and World Bank investments sped up this process. A European Union harmonization process is now under way. The objective of this study is to relate the Turkish experience of international diffusion of planning ideas and evaluate the contribution of Istanbul's spatial formation.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Hong Kong is a place where east meets west, an island of barren rocks turned economic miracle, a free economy, a modern city as mentioned in this paper. But the colonized mind suppresses the local mind to think outside of borrowed terms when it comes to "rationally" describing the big picture of Hong Kong.
Abstract: On the visceral level, Hongkongers have an unmistakable sense of their identity and rooted common culture. But the colonized mind suppresses the local mind to think outside of borrowed terms when it comes to ‘rationally’ describing the big picture of Hong Kong. They often revert back to rehearsed cants – Hong Kong is a place where east meets west, an island of barren rocks turned economic miracle, a free economy, a modern city … This is the colonized mind of myopic self-congratulating winners. From the cold war era to the age of neo-liberal globalization, the colonized mind had internalized uncritically all tenets and values of modernization, westernization, developmentalism, free trade globalism, Thatcherism and, increasingly prominent after 1997, Chinese nationalism. By the early 1980s, neo-liberalism had already trumped late colonialism, not only neutralizing but also normalizing the latter. The colonial government was regarded as a commendable surrogate on borrowed time. Coloniality was no longer fore...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the diffusion process of these organizations that became transnational, and their reception by the host cultures is investigated. And the inescapable conclusion is that cultural encounter, adaptive strategies to national contexts, innovating ways of transmitting the teachings and simplification of the doctrines contribute to the transformation of neo-Hindu teachings as they spread transnationally.
Abstract: Indian gurus continue today to be successful in attracting western disciples in India as well as disseminating their teachings all around the world, which seems to corroborate Colin Campbell’s interpretation of these cultural changes as a process of the easternization of the West. The aim of this article is to address this thesis, drawing on research undertaken in France and Britain on two neo-Hindu movements: Sivananda Centres and Siddha Yoga. Two aspects will be covered: the diffusion process of these organizations that became transnational, and their reception by the host cultures. The inescapable conclusion is that cultural encounter, adaptive strategies to national contexts, innovating ways of transmitting the teachings and simplification of the doctrines contribute to the transformation of neo-Hindu teachings as they spread transnationally. The reinterpretations and the selective approach of neo-Hindu teachings is extremely revealing of pervading attitudes regarding religion in modern societies: religious individualism, inner-worldly orientations, relativism and subjectivism about beliefs, and pragmatism. Thus one can assume that the diffusion of movements like Siddha Yoga and the Sivananda Centres probably tells us more about religious attitudes in western societies today, than about Hinduism itself.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The capital cities of Eastern and Central Europe form an interesting group for further analysis since, so far, the main focus for research on capital cities has been on the major modern Western powers in Europe as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The capital cities of Eastern and Central Europe form an interesting group for further analysis since, so far, the main focus for research on capital cities has been on the major modern Western powers in Europe. One is less aware of the fact that the capitals of Central and Eastern Europe were closely networked with the big European cities before 1914. After the end of the Cold War in 1981–91, a closer European co‐operation led to the rethinking of the ‘Western’ versus ‘Eastern’ influences on local identity. The capital cities in Central and Eastern Europe played an essential role in national movements and in the creation of new political identities. The intention here is to illustrate how these capital cities are presented to the outside world today. The ‘Westernization’ of urban symbols and identities are analysed by examining current internet websites. Web‐pages play a central role in providing direct and fast information, especially related to countries, cities and places. A comparative analysis shows...

Book
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an overview of the issues in theory and methodology of Chinese Discourse Studies and Cultural Politics: An Introduction 2. Discourse and Cultural Transformation 3. Agendas for Multicultural Discourse Research Part II: Cultural Struggles in Discourse 4. Discursive Transition in Central and Eastern Europe 5. Cultural Value Change in Mainland China's Commercial Discourse 6. A Chinese Christmas Story 7. Western Representations of the Other 8. Western Politeness Theory and non-Western Context 9. The Discourse of Chinese Medicine and Westernization 10.
Abstract: Part I: Cultural Issues in Theory and Methodology 1. Discourse Studies and Cultural Politics: An Introduction 2. Discourse and Cultural Transformation 3. Agendas for Multicultural Discourse Research Part II: Cultural Struggles in Discourse 4. Discursive Transition in Central and Eastern Europe 5. Cultural Value Change in Mainland China's Commercial Discourse 6. A Chinese Christmas Story 7. Western Representations of the Other 8. Western Politeness Theory and non-Western Context 9. Discourse, Cultural Imperialism, Black Culture and Language Research in the United States 10. The Discourse of Chinese Medicine and Westernization 11. Intercultural Communication and Conflict Resolution: Towards an Iranian Approach 12. Teaching Intercultural Communication in a Chinese Perspective.

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors trace the development of overseas Filipinos' occupation in Japan from musician to "entertainer" and elucidate the factors that brought about the phenomenon, including demand-supply and push-pull factors.
Abstract: This article traces the development of overseas Filipinos’ occupation in Japan from musician to “entertainer.” As it establishes the not so well-known fact that music has been the occupation of most Filipinos in Japan way back in the late nineteenth century, it elucidates the factors that brought about the phenomenon. Demand-supply and push-pull factors explain a great deal, but not all. Immigration laws of Japan do not provide a key to the phenomenon, but, as this article argues, they provide a large window toward understanding it. American influence on the Philippines and Japan is another factor that has impacted on the job configuration of Filipino workers in Japan. The United States introduced jazz into the Philippines and Japan. The Filipino musicians who entered Japan before World War II were trained by Americans in the Philippines. They were hired and brought to Japan by American recruiters and were appreciated by the Westernized Japanese. Again, in the 1950s and 1960s, Filipino musicians entered Japan—usually accompanied by their American recruiters—and entertained the Japanese who had embraced a second Americanization.

Book
13 Jun 2007
TL;DR: The authors explored the first encounter in the mid-fifteenth century between Western Europe and the West African Coast, arguing that it did not produce hostility, but rather a climate of beneficial mutual exchange.
Abstract: This book explores the first encounter in the mid-fifteenth century between Western Europe and the West African Coast, arguing that it did not produce hostility, but rather a climate of beneficial mutual exchange. It examines West African pre-colonial social history and asserts that around the year 1500 West Africa became a safe haven for those fleeing political or religious persecution in Europe. Among them were mercantile settlers, Tangomaos or Lancados, known to have arrived on the West African Coast after the Portuguese explorers in 1446. They exchanged commodities, culture, religious ideas and practices with West African people. These events raise searching questions on the nature of identity and space. Contents: West Africa: The Portuguese Agenda-West African Kingship - The Beginnings of Westernisation - The Emergence of an Afro-European Merchant Class - Religion, Ritual and Sacrifice: A Portuguese Encounter.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: While the domination of the Eurocentric paradigm in communication studies in the last half century is a problem, the blind acceptance of the universal applicability of this paradigm by educators and scholars in other areas, including Asia, reflects a more serious problem as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: While the domination of the Eurocentric paradigm in communication studies in the last half century is a problem, the blind acceptance of the universal applicability of the Eurocentric paradigm by educators and scholars in other areas, including Asia, reflects a more serious problem. It is a good sign that criticism of Westernization in communication education and research in Asia has grown stronger in recent years, and more scholars have attempted to propose a direction for the future of Asian communication studies … (Chen, 2006: 295)

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a dialectic tension between Islamic and Western social science has been uncovered by using the example of late Ottoman intellectuals such as Ziya G?kalp, Said Halim Pasha and izmirli ismail Hakki.
Abstract: Modernization led to the intellectual dependency of the Muslim world on the West for social theories. Human action Carnal) is the subject matter of both Islamic/z

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This paper argued that the notion of identity among Indian migrants has not ruptured as a result of globalization or Westernization, and pointed toward the trends of homogenization and hybridization of culture which have become the features of the Globalized era in the 21st century.
Abstract: This paper argues that the notion of identity amongst Indian migrants has not ruptured as a result of globalization or Westernization. Given the focus of this paper, to understand the global reframing of cultural identity in immigrant communities, globalization theories from the perspective of the social sciences and empirical evidence from studies on Indian migrant families were analyzed. The aspects of globalization considered to have an impact on cultural identity included westernization, cultural change, global media, consumerism and communication technologies. The analysis points toward the trends of homogenization and hybridization of culture which have become the features of the Globalized era in the 21st century.

Book
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explore the encounters between these two separate, but fatefully linked cultures and the ensuing reciprocal influences in developing "Eastern modernity" against a looming backdrop of Western imperial domination.
Abstract: Iranian and Ottoman travelers to Japan in the late nineteenth century found a model to admire - a culture that was beginning to take its place in the modern world without sacrificing its traditional culture. Their admiration was bolstered when Japan sunk the Russian Baltic fleet in 1905. This victory was celebrated across the Middle East, and dispelled the traditional colonial discourse of European supremacy. No longer, Japan had proven, did modernization demand Westernization. The Japanese, in turn, were drawn to cross-cultural understanding as Islamic traders and merchants arrived in their ports, and became a part of their social and economic fabric. Later in the twentieth century, Japan found it expedient to develop its own model of Islamic studies, as Muslim populations in Manchuria, China and Southeast Asia fell under Japanese control. This collection provides fresh insight into the cross-cultural exchange between "the Crescent and the Rising Sun" in a rapidly changing world. The authors explore the encounters between these two separate, but fatefully linked cultures and the ensuing reciprocal influences in developing "Eastern modernity" against a looming backdrop of Western imperial domination.

01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: The trend of old-age-home living in India, as a new cultural space to imagine and practice gender, aging, family, and even national identity, was analyzed in this paper.
Abstract: Old age and women have both long been defined powerfully in India in terms of the multigenerational family. Yet over recent years, cosmopolitan middle-class Indians have been participating in new social forms that significantly challenge what people widely regard as traditional modes of aging, gender and family, as they confront—both embracing and critiquing—processes associated with "modern," "global" and "Western" living. One of the most striking social forms to emerge in this context is the Indian old age home. This article analyzes the trend of old-age-home living in India, as a new cultural space to imagine and practice gender, aging, family, and even national identity. The article seeks to counter simplistic arguments about "Westernization" and "traditional identity " both in India and around the world, as it examines how those involved with elder residences in India are creating unique Indian cultural versions of the modern, increasingly globally ubiquitous institution of the old age home. Those participating in India's new old age homes are innovatively striving to maintain older needs, desires and values, while also producing and fulfilling new ones, wrestling strategically with what they see as the changing conditions of their society and lives.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the history of modern Turkish thought is studied and some in-depth studies on the history are conducted on Hanioglu and Kara, who contributed substantially to the development of Turkish thought.
Abstract: Recent years have witnessed some in-depth studies on the history of modern Turkish thought. Of particular interest are those by M. Sukru Hanioglu 1 and Ismail Kara,2 who contributed substantially t...

Book
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: In this article, a wide-ranging examination of Chinese institutional change in areas of education, religion, health care, economics, labor, family, and local communities in the post-Mao era is presented.
Abstract: "Social Change in Contemporary China" offers a wide-ranging examination of Chinese institutional change in areas of education, religion, health care, economics, labor, family, and local communities in the post-Mao era. Based on the pioneering work of sociologist C. K. Yang (1911-1999) and his institutional diffusion theory, the essays analyze and develop the theory as it applies to both public and private institutions. The inter-relationship of these institutions composes what Yang termed the Chinese "system" and affects nearly every aspect of life. Yang examined the influence of external factors on each institution, such as the influence of Westernization and Communism on family and the impact of industrialization on rural markets. He also analyzed the impact of public opinion and past culture on institutions, therein revealing the circular nature of diffusion. Perhaps most significant are Yang's insights on the role of religion in Chinese society. Despite the common perception that China had no religion, he uncovers the influence of classical Confucianism as the basis for many ethical value systems and follows its diffusion into state and kinship systems, as well as Taoism and Buddhism. Writing in the early years of Communism, Yang had little hard data with which to test his theories. The contributors to this volume expand upon Yang's groundbreaking approach and apply the model of diffusion to a rapidly evolving contemporary China, providing a window into an increasingly modern Chinese society and its institutions.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors showed that the introduction of the legal concept of private property has resulted in unintended, potentially devastating consequences for Niger's contemporary slaves, a result that is particularly ironic given that some of those laws were intended to abolish slavery.
Abstract: There are slaves living today in the West African Republic of Niger and their plight is being exacerbated by that country's aggressive program of legal westernization. Under the guidance of the United States and other Western countries, Niger recently passed a surfeit of new laws, including some that introduce and enforce the notion of private property ownership. The theory - widely accepted by donor countries and international development experts - is that uniform, easily enforceable rights in private property will spur investment and help breathe life into Niger's moribund economy. This paper does not dispute the validity of that legal and economic theory, but it shows that the introduction of the legal concept of private property has resulted in unintended, potentially devastating consequences for Niger's contemporary slaves, a result that is particularly ironic given that some of those laws were intended to abolish slavery. Drawing upon insights from the language and culture of the Zarma people of Niger, and upon careful ethnographic fieldwork among slaves, the paper explains how legal westernization has gone awry, and suggests a new, culturally attuned approach to law reform in Niger and across the developing world.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
01 Oct 2007
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how the concept and practice of globalization impacts teacher education in the United States, and their roles as faculty in preparing educators for globalization, and argue that education and educators as involved agents in the construction of a just social world, and contend that this implies infusing the curriculum and teacher education with cosmopolitan sensibilities, frequently, through critical theory and critical pedagogy.
Abstract: In this paper we explore how the concept and practice of globalization impacts teacher education in the United States, and our roles as faculty in preparing educators for globalization. We begin by locating the nature of globalization within modernity, and modernity's characteristic as that of constant change. We examine the sources, results, and implications of change within the international scene (First World/ Second World, and, Third World), and their (changes) implications for educators. We also problematize globalization by critiquing the link between progress and development. Because common nomenclature associates globalization with Westernization and the use of technologies to transform the world, we explore the role of technologies that make world-wide communication possible, and whether they (technologies) can be used to better the human condition as the Western and non-Western worlds converge and sometimes collide. Our perspective is that of educators who view the current world as one that is highly internationalized and intensely global, rendering nationalistic orientations obsolete. We also view education and educators as involved agents in the construction of a just social world, and contend that this implies infusing the curriculum and teacher education with cosmopolitan sensibilities, frequently, through critical theory and critical pedagogy.

Book ChapterDOI
01 Jan 2007
TL;DR: In the third quarter of the 19th century, when Japan was struggling to modernize, the idea was to overcome conventional "irrationality" in feudalistic and authoritarian social relations and culture by transplanting the thought of "enlightenment" for establishing modernized institutions.
Abstract: The concept of modernization in the Japanese context was associated with an orientation of “Westernization.” In the third quarter of the 19th century, when Japan was struggling to modernize, the idea was to overcome conventional “irrationality” in feudalistic and authoritarian social relations and culture by transplanting the thought of “enlightenment” for establishing modernized institutions. The leaders of this orientation stressed the importance of embracing the “West” by getting away from “Asia,” as asserted by Yukichi Fukuzawa, founder of Keio Gijuku University, one of the oldest modern, private universities in Japan. His famous book for enlightenment begins with the phrase: “Heaven has not created human beings above human beings, nor human beings below human beings (Fukuzawa, 187276).” This statement expressed social equality. However, he held neighboring Asian nations in contempt, and regarded them as inferior from a viewpoint of modern civilization (Fukuzawa, 1885). Enlightenment in its original sense consisted of “equality” against an authoritarian hierarchy, along with “progress” against conventional retard. In the Japanese context, enlightenment exclusively concerned the idea of “equality” between people in general, but not between nations, and the idea of “progress” accompanied discriminating attitudes against other nations in Asia. The latter was easily canalized into ideological rationalization for the expansion of Japan’s state power toward neighboring countries. After the fall of feudal power, the new state elites were aware of the necessity of defending Japan against imperialistic invasion from the West, and their efforts were devoted to both avoiding colonization by Western powers, and to attaining an equal position with these powers in the interna

22 Dec 2007
TL;DR: For example, Turkey has become one of the countries which determine the bulletin about the Middle East because of two reasons: the traditional Middle East policy inherited from the Ottoman State and the consequence of the reformation in the region by the international dynamics.
Abstract: Introduction Turkey has become one of the countries which determine the bulletin about the Middle East because of two reasons: the traditional Middle East policy which was inherited from the Ottoman State and the consequence of the reformation in the region by the international dynamics Especially the secular and democratic structure of the Turkish Republic has been the main factor determining its policy in this region Turkey's history in the region and its influence has still been continuing and as a result, it has become an indispensable country in the Middle East This situation has made Turkey to be ready for an unexpected formation in the region and to determine a thorough foreign policy for the region First of all, Turkey strategically occupies a very important geography which connects Asia and Europe Turkey is economically the twenty-first biggest country in the world Moreover, it is an important actor in Europe with regard to its economy and population Turkey, as a secular country with overwhelming Muslim population, is governed by participating democracy, thus it is a permanent factor for the stability of the region The unchangeable truth is that Turkey has been applying and following a Pro-Westerner Policy since the foundation of the Republic, and has been trying to be a member of the economic, political and security foundations of the West, alongside being a Middle Eastern country Although Turkey has continuously followed a pro-westerner policy trying to avoid itself from the unstable geography, it has not been able to prevent itself from the continuous influence of the events in the region which have an important place in the international system and the world politics On the other hand, one of the most important Middle Eastern countries from Turkey's perspective will remain Syria, where problems of water, political ambition, religion, boundaries, and the PKK are factors 1 The Fundamentals of Turkish Foreign Policy The basic elements of the Turkish state identity were mainly constructed in the early Republican era, when the founding fathers of the Republic applied a reform project to create a "civilized and modern" nation (Aras ve Koni, 2002: 47-58) This emerging new identity--later called the Kemalist identitywas the product of a pragmatic-eclectic ideology that took shape on an international level in the 1920s and 1930s It was inspired by Comtean positivism adopted by certain Ottoman intellectuals at the end of the l9th century, as well as the process of westernization initiated during the same period This project was basically a modernization project dependent upon the three pillars of nationalism, westernization and secularism In this vein, the foundational elements of the Kemalist identity were the abandonment of the Ottoman past, the termination of Islamic power in the public sphere -preventing it from functioning as a source of political legitimacy- an understanding of citizenship that excludes non-Muslim minorities, all within an ethnolinguistic and territorial conception of state While clamoring for increased modernization and Westernization so as to elevate Turkey to the economic level of the civilized world, official identity, at the same time, has been the source of distrust and a latent enmity towards the West inherited from the Ottoman administrative elite Any careful analyst will recognize that official identity has been shaped not by limited westernization but through praxis of a third world nationalism deeply influenced from the 19th century nation-state model of Europe (Aras ve Koni, 2002: 47-58) Although the official identity was projected as a civic one, the burden of the Ottoman imperial past and Kurdish rebellions in early periods of the republic led to a shift to ethnic nationalism exclusively based on Turkishness (Aras ve Koni, 2002: 47-58) The early steps of the Kemalist long march toward westernization were in conformity with creating an ethnic and homogenous national identity at home …

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the question of whether China is about to consciously challenge the power of the US and its allies not only in Asia, but also in the Greater Middle East (GME), mainly through China's impact on the economics, political, and social structure of those countries rather than through rivalry in the field of military power.
Abstract: The reshaping of the domestic social, political, and economic structures all over East Asia takes place in the context of a restructuring of the international (security) order. Despite China's increasing acceptance of international institutions and regimes the divergence of vital security interests of the United States (US) and Japan vis-a-vis those of China has raised the specter of increased polarization. This article will seek to answer the question of whether China is about to consciously challenge the power of the US and its allies not only in Asia, but also in the Greater Middle East (GME), mainly through China's impact on the economics, political, and social structure of those countries rather than through rivalry in the field of military power. China's conceptualization of the current global order is also shaped by historical memories of an age in which China was merely an object of Great Power politics which also directly affected the wider region, including the heartland of Eurasia, Southeast Asia, and in particular Japan and the Korean peninsula with their direct impact on China's security equation. To some Chinese strategists the Indian Ocean and countries of the GME have acquired a vital importance not only with regard to the supply of raw materials (including those obtained from Africa). Continuing Western strategic dominance in this large area would also have an important negative impact on China's global strategic position. For the first time in its history, China has become critically dependent on the acquisition of foreign resources—raw materials, investment and technology, as well as earnings from exports. China's economic activities in near neighbors such as Japan, South Korea, Pakistan, ailand, and Iran are also strategically important due to the impact on domestic and international politics of these countries. The US tends to interpret such influence in terms of Chinese power projection. This article interprets the linkages between domestic events and international strategies on the network of global (security) relations in terms of neogeopolitics rather than mainstream US scholarship.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the introduction of a new alphabet in 1928 Turkey, breaking loose from ideological or cultural explanations, is discussed, with a focus on the social and political motivations behind it.
Abstract: This article aims at giving visibility to the social and political motivations behind the introduction of a new alphabet in 1928 Turkey, breaking loose from ideological or cultural explanations. More than a step in the process of 'modernization' or 'westernization', the authoritarian reformulation of the graphic norm actually (1) represents a decisive step in the enrooting of the Republican state power structures, (2) prepares the way for the homogenisation of national territory and (3) makes for the shoring up of symbolic hierarchies. The setting of the new letters, then the enforcement of the Millet Mektepleri [Schools of the Nation], which means inventing, institutionalising and propagating a new orthographical orthodoxy, give a good indication of the social role played by the new alphabet. First, the new writing produces the cognitive frame likely to induce a break with the cultural practices of the Ottoman Empire. Second, diffusing the 'Turkish alphabet' [Turk Alfabesi], especially among the young generations, enables new authorities both to familiarize the population to 'national values' and to 'nationalise' the statute of the literati in the People's Party Republic. Third, the legal alteration of literacy appears as a strategy of the Kemalist elites aimed at turning a transitory position of political superiority into a long-term cultural domination.