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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.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present five adaptive strategies used by Hindus who converted to Christianity, by Hindus refusing to convert, by Europeans, including Catholic missionaries, who were in charge of the conversions, called transformational mapping, privatization, individuation, cohesiveness and pragmatism.
Abstract: The objectives of this research are to present certain adaptive strategies used by the members of a society when exposed to conflict and interaction with a different culture for decades or centuries and to demonstrate that the use of these strategies minimizes or prevents sociocultural disintegration and the resulting demoralization. The setting of the study is the Christianization and ‘westernization’ that took place from 1510 till around 1773 in three districts of Goa, a former Portuguese state on the western coast of India. Information on the history of Portuguese India was studied in the archives and libraries in Goa, the United States, Portugal and other European countries. Five adaptive strategies were used by Hindus who converted to Christianity, by Hindus who refused to convert and by Europeans, including Catholic missionaries, who were in charge of the conversions. They are called transformational mapping, privatization, individuation, cohesiveness and pragmatism. Examples of each strategy are gi...

8 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the position of Cyprus within the geopolitical vision and broader worldview of the National Outlook Movement (Milli Gorus Hareketi) and especially the National Salvation Party (MSP) is analyzed.
Abstract: This paper seeks to analyse the position of Cyprus within the geopolitical vision and broader worldview of the National Outlook Movement (Milli Gorus Hareketi) and especially of the National Salvation Party (MSP). The importance of this particular Party lies on the fact that it participated in the coalition government that made the decision to militarily intervene in the island in 1974. The paper’s principal focus is on the Islamic criticism of Turkey’s Westernization and the development of a comprehensive programme of Islamic transformation. Drawing from the above-mentioned axes, and from the context of the MSP’s geopolitical vision, Cyprus and the Cyprus problem, as well as their impact on the political stance of the MSP, are analysed.

8 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The independence movement in Africa was a movement toward westernization as discussed by the authors, and African political leaders stated that it was meant to bring the fruits of economic growth and modernization, long stinted under colonial controls.
Abstract: To a large extent the independence movement in Africa was a movement toward westernization. If political independence had any purpose beyond its own self, African political leaders stated that it was meant to bring the fruits of economic growth and modernization, long stinted under colonial controls. All this seemed appropriate enough. Had not the West made gigantic strides, particularly in science and technology, advances that had brought steadily rising living standards, better health, housing and schools, and greater leisure with which to enjoy the many new material advantages of life? During the colonial era and before, Europeans had unceasingly assured Africans that their own culture was barbaric and dated, that was best to emulate the European as quickly as possible, to get on with the business of joining the modern world. Africans seemed to agree. At independence governments moved forward at full pace to mechanize their agriculture, to establish modern industries, to introduce all the manifestations of high technology. Among the planners and the politicians there seemed to be little hesitation. All eyes were on the future and the model was the West.

8 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors trace back the history of how Chinese Government attempted to strengthen its national power by learning from the USA, Western Europe and Japan since the mid-nineteenth century, as well as analyse the influences Westernisation had on the development of China’s modern education.
Abstract: This article aims to trace back the history of how Chinese Government attempted to strengthen its national power by learning from the USA, Western Europe and Japan since the mid-nineteenth century, as well as to analyse the influences Westernisation had on the development of China’s modern education. In this process, the Chinese Government overseas-study scholarships played a key role in speeding up China’s learning from the West, and assisted numerous students in experiencing Western modernisation while they studied abroad. By examining this historical retrospect, some findings are concluded from this research. First, several significant conflicts between China and foreign countries stimulated Chinese officials deeply to learn the knowledge and skills of Western navy, military, sciences, technologies and philosophies. Second, Chinese scholars also began to reflect and criticise the influence of these Westernised reforms on Chinese traditional culture and values.

8 citations

Journal Article
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors focus on the impact of Western social workers in Romania and discuss the dilemma posed by Western involvement at all levels; therefore, they focus only on the negative side effects.
Abstract: Ideally the social work profession promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance their well-being (IFSW 2004). The social work practice, however, often proves to be different. Social workers are always in the danger to make decisions for their clients or define problems according to their own interpretation and world view. In quite a number of cases, the consequence of such a social work practice is that the clients feel disempowered rather than empowered. This dilemma is multiplying when western social workers get involved in developing countries. The potential that intervention, with the intention to empower and liberate the people, turns into disempowerment is tremendously higher because of the differences in tradition, culture and society, on the one side and the power imbalance between the ‘West’ and the ‘Rest’ on the other side. Especially in developing countries, where the vast majority of people live in poverty, many Western social workers come with a lot of sympathy and the idea to help the poor and to change the world. An example is Romania. After the collapse of communism in 1989, Romania was an economically, politically and socially devastated country. The pictures of the orphanages shocked the western world. As a result many Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), churches and individuals were bringing humanitarian goods to Romania in order to alleviate the misery of the Romanian people and especially the children. Since then, important changes in all areas of life have occurred, mostly with foreign financial aid and support. At the political level, democratic institutions were established, a liberal market economy was launched and laws were adapted to western standards regarding the accession into the European Union and the NATO. The western world has left its marks also at the grassroots level in form of NGOs or social service agencies established through western grants and individuals. Above and beyond, the presence of western goods and investment in Romania is omnipresent. This reflects a newly-gained freedom and prosperity - Romania profits certainly from these changes. But this is only one side of the medal, as the effect of westernisation contradicts with the Romanian reality and overruns many deep-rooted traditions, thus the majority of people. Moreover, only a small percentage of the population has access to this western world. Western concepts, procedures or interpretations are often highly differing from the Romanian tradition, history and culture. Nevertheless, western ideas seem to dominate the transition in many areas of daily life in Romania. A closer look reveals that many changes take place due to pressure of western governments and are conditioned to financial support. The dialectic relationship between the need for foreign aid and the implementation becomes very obvious in Romania and often leads, despite the substantial benefits, to unpredictable and rather negative side-effects, at a political, social, cultural, ecological and/or economic level. This reality is a huge dilemma for all those involved, as there is a fine line between empowering and disempowering action. It is beyond the scope of this journal to discuss the dilemma posed by Western involvement at all levels; therefore this article focuses on the impact of Western social workers in Romania. The first part consists of a short introduction to social work in Romania, followed by the discussion about the dilemma posed by the structure of project of international social work and the organisation of private social service agencies. Thirdly the experiences of Romanian staff with Western social workers are presented and then discussed with regard to turning disempowering tendencies of Western social workers into empowerment.

8 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
202366
2022165
202124
202035
201935
201838