Westernization

About: Westernization is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 1154 publications have been published within this topic receiving 15791 citations. The topic is also known as: occidentalization.

Spread of English and Westernization in Saudi Arabia

Abstract: There is a sense of fear among the Saudis that the use of English entails Westernization, detachment to the country, and a source of corruption to their religious commitment. The present study is an attempt to investigate the validity of such a fear. Moreover, the study aims at examining attitudes of university Saudi students towards the following issues: Westernization; national identity; and religious commitment. An earlier questionnaire developed by the researchers (in press) was used and distributed to 1,176 undergraduate university students representing all universities in KSA. The results of the study reveal that the use of English does not make the participants Westernized, neither their national identity gets weakened, nor their religious commitment becomes corrupted. Learning English is believed to be a religious and a national duty among the Saudis. The study concludes with implications and recommendation to establish a rigid language policy in KSA.

The Westernization of the World: The Significance, Scope and Limits of the Drive Towards Global Uniformity

Abstract: Preface to the English Edition. Introduction. 1. The Irresistible Rise of the West: The Crusadersa Revenge. 2. Where and What is the West?. 3. Uprooting the Planet. 4. The Limits of World--wide Westernization. 5. Beyond or Elsewhere. 6. Must we Save Babel?. Appendices. Index.

Islam, the West and the Challenges of Modernity

Abstract: Tariq Ramadan attempts to demonstrate, using sources which draw upon Islamic thought and civilization, that Muslims can respond to contemporary challenges of modernity without betraying their identity. The book argues that Muslims, nurished by their own points of reference, can approach the modern epoch by adopting a specific social, political, and economic model that is linked to ethical values, a sense of finalities and spirituality. Rather than a modernism that tends to impose Westernization, it is a modernity that admits to the pluralism of civilizations, religions, and cultures.Table of Contents: ForewordIntroductionHistory of a ConceptThe Lessons of HistoryPart 1: At the shores of Transcendence: between God and ManPart 2: The Horizons of Islam: Between Man and the CommunityPart 3: Values and Finalities: The Cultural Dimension of the Civilizational Face to FaceConclusionAppendixIndexTariq Ramadan is a professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Oxford and a visiting professor in Identity and Citizenship at Erasmus University. He was named by "TIME" Magazine as one of the one hundred innovators of the twenty-first century.

Decolonizing Conflict Resolution: Addressing the Ontological Violence of Westernization

Abstract: The discipline of conflict resolution perpetuates ontological violence, the suppression and silencing of Indigenous ways of conceptualizing and experiencing the world. In most practice, research, and training, Western problem-solving models of conflict resolution are promoted as appropriate for all cultures, including Indigenous peoples. Indigenous worldviews are marginalized through Westernization, which includes any process used to shape things in a Western mode (Galtung 1990, 313). Westernization involves issues of both power and difference as members of Western cultures often forcefully impose their worldview. Currently, “the West has the power and inclination to institutionalize and implement its conceptions” regarding conflict resolution (Galtung 1990, 314). Utilizing the power of the dominant culture, Western methods have assumed hegemony in the fields of conflict resolution and mediation (Kraybill 1996, 22–23; Lederach 1995). In response to concerns regarding Western methodologies, researchers within the discipline of conflict studies recommend further research in developing effective communication between individuals from differing cultures (Bendana 1996; Camilleri 1994; Clements 1994; Cohen 1991; Lederach 1991; Nudler 1990; Szalay 1981). However, very little research has been completed on conflict transformation methodology that is designed to acknowledge and accommodate deep cultural differences or worldviews (Avruch and Black 1990, 1991; Galtung 1990, 1996). Western models of conflict resolution have been criticized as culturally inappropriate for Indigenous peoples due to differences in the worldview underlying the techniques (Beattie 1997; Behrendt 1995; Bluehouse and Zion 1993; Grose 1995; Yazzie 1995). Concerns have been exDecolonizing Conflict Resolution

Exposure to westernization and dieting: a cross-cultural study.

Abstract: Objectives The study aimed to establish whether an index of exposure to westernization would predict dieting behavior over and above the predictors of body mass index (BMI) and social influences. The study also sought to compare dieting behaviors among adolescents from three different cultural backgrounds. Method A total of 100 females from Beijing, China, 60 females of Chinese heritage living in Sydney, Australia, and 100 female Australians of no Chinese background were assessed. The exposure to westernization index incorporated the country of birth, the predominant language spoken at home, the country of birth of one's parents, and the country of residence. Results Exposure to westernization was found to be a significant predictor of dieting status. The westernization index remained an important predictor when BMI and social influences to diet were taken into account. Interestingly, the Chinese Australian girls dieted the least, although the Chinese girls living in China perceived more influence from their peers to diet, despite their lower BMI. Conclusion The exposure to westernization index provides a useful assessment of important influences on dieting in adolescent females. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 29: 289–293, 2001.