List of participants

Diplomat

Journalist

“In the past we thought about Western culture, Chinese culture, Japanese culture, or Eastern culture as of separate cultures belonging to big civilizations over broad geographical regions. In the era of globalization they are increasingly cross fertilizing each other. However, they are still maintaining . . . If you’re in the United States, you don’t think you’re in India. You don’t even think you’re in Canada necessarily. I mean there’s still regional differences, and I think those will remain. But they’ll become more subtle. And they will become fertilized by other people often in weird ways so that the person who is from India will not necessarily recognize as their religion the weird, Westernized version of their religion. But you see that sort of cross fertilization”.

“Globalization can be called a profoundly enriching process, opening minds to new ideas and experiences, and strengthening the finest universal values of humanity. Universal global culture is formed on the basis of indigenous cultures which transend national borders with the help of mass media. In the era of globalization mass media have proven a powerful means of spreading and imposing traditional cultures and values. It is a medium through which cultural practices and ideas otherwise unknown outside a region are transmitted globally. The globalization of the production and distribution of goods and services is a welcome development for many people in that it offers them access to products that they would not otherwise have. "

Human rights activist

“Globalization is a threat to traditions. Globalization means many cultural changes, the loss of traditional existence, the marginalization of indigenous groups, and the problems associated with rapid urbanization and industrialization — pollution, increased crime rates, dramatic inequalities, and a location for a hotbed of social and political instability and upheaval. Such problems can be resolved only within a region. So regional approach seems to be more effective in dealing with contemporary problems and less destructive for cultural identities”.

Culture expert

The UN representative

“The impact of regionalization on culture seems to complement that of globalization since regional indigenous cultures determine cultural values of the whole world. Have you ever heard the expression: "American mass culture goes global"? What is meant by it? It's quite obvious that the US mass culture has influenced the shape of the world's entertainment industry and tastes. So strong is the impact of American culture on people's values and lifestyles all over the world that the US culture and global culture should be regarded as synonymous”.

“Indigenous groups are becoming increasingly assertive in term of maintaining their local identity. Globalization has made it easier for indigenous people to organize, raise funds and network with other groups around the world, with greater political reach and impact than before. The United Nations declared 1995–2004 the International Decade for the World’s Indigenous People, and in 2000 the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was created. Thus national and local communities are becoming more prominent possessing more power and opportunitites to promote their cultures at regional and even global levels. In this case the fact that national and local identities compete for the world dominance becomes obvious”.

Film producer

“Although the United States may play a dominant role within the phenomenon of cultural globalization, it is important to keep in mind that this is not an entirely one-way street. Many other countries also contribute to global culture, including American culture itself. Just as American popular culture influences foreign countries, other national cultures are influential within the United States and also increase their presence worldwide. Most people would think of Hollywood as something entirely American. However, while Hollywood dominates world cinema, American movies are subject to foreign influence. According to The Economist, "one reason for Hollywood's success is that from the earliest days it was open to foreign talent and foreign money." From this perspective, it can be argued Hollywood is a multicultural institution.”

Regional studies expert

Politician

“Regionalism is concerned with an increase in political and economic cooperation based on shared interests, norms and cultural values in a certain region. It is true that cooperation is a lot easier among smaller and more similar groups of states. For instance, indigenous Asian culture is popularized by a conclave of countries situated in Asian region. Common cultural background allows the nations of the region to collaborate effectively in the realm of economy. Strong business bond unites countries of a region in terms of taking care of their aboriginal cultures and preserving their national identity.”

“When global flows of goods, ideas, people and capital lead to cultural exclusion, multicultural policies are needed to manage trade, immigration and investments in ways that recognize cultural differences and identities. The cultural impact of such goods as films and the cultural identity of immigrants needs to be explicitly recognized. The aim of multicultural policies is not to preserve tradition, but to protect cultural liberty and expand people’s choices – in the ways people live and identify themselves – and not to penalize them for these choices. Unfortunately, today’s debates about globalization and the loss of cultural identity have often been argued in terms of upholding national sovereignty, preserving the ancient heritage of indigenous people and safeguarding national culture in the face of growing inflows of foreign people, films, music and other goods. But cultural identities are heterogeneous and evolving – they are dynamic processes in which internal inconsistencies and conflicts drive change”.

ASEAN representative

“Despite recent progress in terms of regional integration and a wide spread perception that the concept “unity-in-diversity” plays a role of a driver of regionalism, differences between cultural values and political systems impede the creation of a common identity. In ASEAN, for example, the discrepancies have become more pronounced since its enlargement, and after the financial crisis when it became obvious that “Asian values” were no guarantee to economic success. The processes of regionalism and identity building to some extent create a divide between the member states.”.

Chairperson

Stage 1

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I now declare open the round table devoted to the subject "Do the processes of globalization and regionalization erode indigenous cultures?".

On behalf of the University allow me to express our great appre­ciation for your presence here today and for the contributions you are ready to make to the coming discussion. The questions to be debated today are highly controversial and allow for a variety of opinions. The attacks on globalization are many and come from various angles; its public defenders are few and unimpressive, though they are not extremely unattractive. Yet, all those who assembled here today feel that the young generation needs to know the an­swers. The questions are as follows:

1. Does globalization dilute national identities and “transnationalize” cultures?

2. Is creation of global monoculture possible?

3. How can societies attempt to manage globalization and become developed while maintaining a viable national identity?

I propose a time limit on statement of position of 2 minutes and one minute for all оther speakers during the debate.

Is that agreed? Thank you.

Stage 2

Will participants please identify themselves clearly to the Chair if they wish to speak or ask a question.

I call Mr. ...

Mr. ..., thank you for that stimulating speech.

I now welcome Mr. ... Mr. ..., you have the floor.

Мay I remind the participants to identify themselves clearly to the Chair if they wish to ask a question or make an objection. Does anyone else wish to speak?

W e can't all speak at once; Mr.... Would you like to speak first?

I shall have to call you to order, Mr. ...

Now let me summarize the points of view on the first/second/third problem expressed by the participants. According to the majority of the opinions …, though we should mention …

Stage 3

To sum up our discussion today, it seems we all agreed that... The discussion revealed that… We weighed the pros and cons of … Consequently, we took a closer look at …

Basing on the discussion we have had and the facts and arguments you’ve presented to us today, I’d like to point out that …

I declare the discussion closed. Thank you, Ladies and Gentle­men.