Good Essay On Globalization: Is It Good Or Bad?

“I must make it clear that many of these concerns are valid, and to a certain extent the culture and traditions of the UAE might have been adversely affected by the rapid socio-economic development that the country has witnessed in the past two to three decades”..
“The Gulf countries are an important site for a heated debate on how globalization is threatening national identity and contributing to the loss of culture, heritage, and traditions. A review of both Arabic and English media sources in the GCC countries clearly demonstrates that the issue of threats to national identity is on the radar”.
“The UAE is planning to preserve its national image because it is too proud to let go of it. “Even though globalization is welcome in the GCC because it is equated with competitiveness, advancement and progress, it provokes equally strong negative reactions because of its perceived effects on culture”.
“The concern with “preserving Emirati identity” is a social phen-omenon that I believe is tied to re-imagining what it means to be a national of the UAE. In the past such issues weren’t even considered, purely because there was no real value attached to national identity. But today being Emirati comes with privileges, thereby creating a big difference between a national and an expatriate”.
“In the new era of globalization, people become much more concerned about the uniqueness and particularity of their own culture. Cultural identity provides the global significance of local knowledge and the sense of self, community and nation”.
“Being Emirati carries certain benefits, but also dangerous drawbacks. Accounting for just 2 per cent of the workforce in the private sector of their own national economy is a prime example of the precarious position Emiratis find themselves in”, and the nationalistic values in Arabs serving them well because they do not have to work, but get to live in luxurious settings after all.
“Similar to the boost in technology is the proliferation of “global” education initiatives which sees a plethora of international universities permeating the education landscape of the GCC” .
“Human societies across the globe have established closer contacts over many centuries, but recently the pace has dramatically increased. The communications revolution, thanks to its rapidity and outreach, has made the world a global village”..
“Emiratisation campaigns cannot fix this astronomical imbalance in any shape or form. So it is understandable that UAE nationals have suddenly become concerned with understanding what it actually means to be Emirati”.
”Nowadays, globalization is an overwhelming world trend. Advocates of Anti-globalization view globalization as homogenization. In fact, globalization is not simply homogenization; on the contrary, it enhances cultural identity. First, People are not mere objects of cultural influences, but subjects who can reject or integrate culture” , and
Wang adds that “we can say that the homogenization brought about by globalization is superficial and is limited to the material level of the consumer goods used by people and a certain consumer culture that is artificially promoted by the media. It does not affect how people relate to each other and how they find meaning and purpose in life”.
Finally, Wang argues that “If we can respect the diversity of peoples and their cultures in this new era, it can lead to global community marked by unity in pluralism. The cultures may no longer be local in the traditional sense, but still different and plural”.

References

Abdulla, G. (2014, April 9). Emirati identity in age of globalisation. Gulfnews.com.
Al-Dabbagh, M., & Gargani, G. (2011). Negotiating Identity: New Perspectives on the Globalization and Identity Debate in the GCC. Dubai: Dubai School of Government.
Wang, Y. (2007). Globalization Enhances Cultural Identity. Intercultural Communication Studies 16(1), p.83-86.