Prethodno priopćenje
Empire or Community? Homogenisation and Diversity of Cultures in the Context of Globalisation and Identity
Ivan CIFRIĆ
; Filozofski fakultet, Zagreb
Sažetak
In the article the author discusses two general options of the
future of human civilization: the pressure of Western culture
on the standardisation of elements of culture and the
creation of cultural imperialism via the mass media which
leads to cultural entropy and the possible establishment of a
new world empire; the other option is a critical appraisal of
the uniformity of life, prevention of cultural entropy and
preservation of diversity as humanity’s wealth for alternative
directions of development and a future community of diversities. The author supports the latter option. The
dilemma between empire and community is not of political
but cultural nature. The subsistence of cultural diversity
presupposes that cultural diversity be understood (a) as a
normative value because it contains in itself the ethical
aspect and (b) as a practical value because it contains the
political aspect. Awareness of the possible alternative choice
between empire or community of diversities, reflects the
contradiction of the modern age and enables variations of
the “third” paths from long-term anthropological to shortterm
developmental projections. In favour of the tendency of
the emergence and domination of imperial culture stands the
emergence of uniformity of the global cultural environment
and standardisation of the environmental conditions of life,
while against it stands cultural diversity. The social projection
depends on the meaning of the symbolical world, thus
making the question of future social options also a question
of cultural options. The world of culture is a world of
symbols, so society cannot do without its symbolical
dimension. “Empire” and “community” symbolically reflect
the ambivalence of social perspectives.
Ključne riječi
entropy (cultural and biotic); homogenisation of culture; empire; cultural imperialism; cultural evolution; diversity of cultures
Hrčak ID:
29459
URI
Datum izdavanja:
31.10.2008.
Posjeta: 4.506 *