Shall we Begin to face Cultural Impearlism

JEHANGIR ALI

Yesterday was a beautiful day of joys and sorrows which have became a norm for us, although the later being much more in frequency. I was coming out of my department when I witnessed two academics of University of Kashmir, face to face in conversation with a foreigner. He was Mark, I came to know later. He was showing some architectural design to his counterparts, which confused me because we have a different idea of western people and westernization. It does baffle our psyche because we always look upon those westerners as being elite and intellectuals. We tend to trust them for their pleasing articulation and crispy pronunciation. It is always a tendency inside, which becomes a source of reliance for us to take their words as words of authority and superiority.
Architecture was over and things started to take a U-turn in the ongoing discussion. Now the focus shifted on India, its past and present, its future (western) and things like that. Development of India was the topic, I guess. I was puzzled by this strange shift of paradigm. A sense of skepticism started to grow in my mind. I hope that there is no link between architectural design of a house and development of a country but this made me skeptical about the process that was about to begin. The man started growing more articulate and ideas started coming out of his mind like ants. He went on to spray phrases like ‘Woman Empowerment’, ‘Sex Discrimination’, ‘Role of Woman in Development in society’, etc possibly trying to please someone in the discussion. His articulation and the way he was putting things forward also, for the time being, molded my level of imagination to a level of insanity. But I woke up to realize a reality. I woke up to see that it was not a coincidence at all. Cultural Imperialism was making its way into the state. Things really have changed a long way. Globalization is waiting at our doorsteps.
What I learned out of a short period of time was simple yet fetching. World has transformed into a global village. We don’t have to wait for an opportunity, it will come on its own provided we are willing to sacrifice the conscious within us, provided we are willing to speak one language of big brother, provided we are willing to accept the dominance of unipolar world and provided we are willing to change the basics on which we have grown and matured. But at what cost? Why does the name ‘West’ influence and makes us feel inferior when there is a conflict of ideologies going on in western countries. Why don’t we recall the fact that west as a culture has started to diminish? Why we feel downtrodden and stagnated as a culture and why are we willing to change when it is not for the betterment but for Cultural Imperialism.
When we watch an event for an observer’s point of perspective, it is very easy to criticize because things become quite comprehensible and apparent but remaining silent is as political an act as speaking out. There is no way to escape. We can either agree or disagree but we cannot ignore it. Even if we remain flat for a time being, it always pinches on the back of mind, to draw relations and search for truth as we have been taught in the classroom.
‘The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order’ by Samuel Huntington has persuaded the westerners that culture is shaping the pattern of cohesion, disintegration and conflict in the post cold war world thus being an important tool of development and motivated them to propagate their ideas and more importantly culture. When I read the book, I observed one important point “The West won the world,” Huntington writes, “not by the superiority of its ideas or values or religion . . . but rather by its superiority in applying organized violence.” Now the things have changed. War is obsolete in present circumstances where the economy of west in general and US in particular is depleting at a fast rate due to waging and sponsoring of wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Personnel and formal meetings
All said and done. But one thing deserves to make mention. Things have a habit of changing. Hope is still the last hope. Our future lies in our hands. We can either accept the change or reject it. The choice is ours?