In class, our main focus is globalization. We are forced to question what globalization is, its origin, how it affects us and vice versa. As a class, we try to conjure up a time, place, and reason for why globalization is important and relevant in our lives. However, I have come to an understanding that globalization is a way of life, and we are simply living in it. It is in everything that we do, even when we are not conscious of it. It is all around us. It is in our history. It is in our language. It is in our culture. More importantly, it is in every one of our experiences which makes us unique individuals. We are the reason for globalization because we search for it, find it, consume it, and then spread these experiences to others thus causing this ripple effect. Humans consume globalization and then recycle it. It shapes our mindset and how we perceive the world we live in, and it is what we do with what we are given that matters because in the end, our actions can affect others.
Young minds retain the most information because of curiosity and imagination. When one becomes exposed to information that is outside of their societal norm, it affects their views and how they react to the world around them. Likewise, when a young mind is allowed to learn about the world, families, societies, communities, politics, and influencers outside of their own, it opens up their perspectives on certain events. It is education and exposure to other cultures that create an influence. Cultural globalization has the most significant impact during childhood. The exposure that globalization brings, impacts how will navigate the complexities of life, thus changing their future and those around them.
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In class, following Manfred B. Steger’s “Globalization”, we read “Persepolis” by Marjane Satrapi. The book illustrates the life of Marjane Satrapi, who narrates her life growing up in Iran after the Iranian Revolution in 1979. Satrapi provides vivid images and details of how she perceives her life around her while she struggles to become accustomed to the new political and ideological systems put in place as Iran becomes the Islamic republic under Ayatollah Khomeini. Before this change, Satrapi lived in a well-westernized household where she was exposed to Western culture. Some of the culture she shows throughout the novel includes western music, sporting a pin of Michael Jackson, western films, and she was exposure to clothing that was forbidden like blue jeans. Even with the attempts to exclude “Americanization” in Middle Eastern countries such as where Satrapi lives, she is the example of how bands can’t always work: as Steger mentions, “the spread of American popular culture seems to be unstoppable”. Likewise, Satrapi’s upbringing involved books about current events, inside and outside of the world she lives in. Because of her parents’ beliefs against the revolution, Satrapi is given an opportunity that many other children around her do not have the luxury of. She is allowed to form opinions that are the opposite of what her government enforces. In this exposure to Western culture, she uses what she has learned and places it into her daily life as she navigates through her childhood.
Persepolis signifies the collective effects of cultural globalization. For example, throughout the book, the reader is given a cartoon-like script of how Satrapi’s life plays out as she provides a view of the Iran-Iraq war that is unique compared to how the Western media portrays the Middle East/ or Iran. The book adheres to the images and narratives of history. Since the story is told through Satrapi’s perspective, it offers a unique perception outside that of Western news organizations or other non-Western media. Satrapi is dealing with these world issues at such a young age and surprisingly, information about what is truly taking place is never withdrawn from her. It is common for parents or adults to protect children from the vulgar truth of things, but that is not the case for Satrapi. She is involved because of the danger of not knowing.
The whole topic of Persepolis is culturally globalized. As referenced, from early on, Satrapi's life is culturally global due to the assortment of media she is presented to, as well as her feelings towards the US. Since she participates in western items like wearing a denim coat, enjoying music by Iron Maiden, and perusing a variety of books she is encountering cultural globalization as these commodities lure her into Western homogenization. The introduction of Western culture shows how persuasive societies can be. It permits Satrapi to truly give her character, which is the Western political and social she and her family hold.
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