Homogenisation: The process of people, products and places becoming the same.
Contact zone: Where one culture meets another culture. This normally happens because one culture is expanding into new areas. This obviously happened through colonisation in the past, put is increasingly happening through economic expansion now.
Cultural diffusion: This is the spread of cultural ideas around the world. The two main ways this can happen are through expansion (more likely trade than colonisation these days) and relocation.
Expansion diffusion: When an idea or culture spreads from a central location. The best modern example is probably the growth of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula. With expansion diffusion the idea/culture remain strong in the source location.
Relocation diffusion: Now that people are more footloose, they travel the world to a greater extent. When they move to a new area, they may take some of their ideas with them that then spread to their new location e.g. teachers bringing rugby and cricket to El Salvador. If the movement of people from the source is great, this may actually weaken the original culture or idea in the source.
Distance-time decay: The further the distance from the source of the original culture or idea the less strongly the new idea will be adopted.
Hybridisation: When two cultures meet they may adapt and merge to create a new type of culture. In South Vietnam the Caodaism religion was established in 1926 from a mixture of the following religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, as well as Geniism.
Adaption: When a new culture is accepted, it is often adapted (changed slightly) to fit in with existing cultures and ideas. In some circumstances the new culture or idea may adapt themselves. Many fast food restaurants adapt to fit new cultures - this is known as glocalisation.
Clone Towns
The term clone town was first used by the New Economic Forum in 2004. It was used to describe the state of some British towns, The term simply means that the centres of main towns have become dominated by the same chain stores, making them all very similar. The report said that the growth of clone towns was very damaging because:
Small independent businesses were lost
Choice was reduced as chain stores only stocked limited profitable lines
The chain stores had too much power and often treated suppliers unfairly. Suppliers were often to scared to criticise in case they lost business
Many chain stores relocated to out of town shopping malls and retail parks, damaging CBDs, damaging the rural-urban fringe and increasing prices, congestion and pollution in the rural-urban fringe.
Regional identity reduced as all supermarkets stocked the same food and products.
In 2005 the city of Exeter was discovered to have only one independent store on its entire high street.
All these processes refer to the adoption of different aspects of western culture. The west is considered to be Western Europe and North America. In the past westernisation has happened through colonisation, but it has increasingly happened through economic dominance and political pressure. Although Iraq and Afghanistan could be recent examples where the military has been used to impose ideas and beliefs. Aspects of culture that maybe adopted include:
Law
Politics
Music, food, clothes, film, language etc.
Economics (brands, economic system (capitalism) and companies)
Westernisation whether deliberate or not can be blamed on the loss of local cultures and speeding up the process of homogenisation.
Dubai is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Its principal city is also called Dubai and it is this city which I am going to talk about. Dubai has a population of about 2.2 million. Surprisingly out of this figure only about 15% are Emirati. By far the biggest group is South Asian accounting for over 65% of the population - Indian on there own account for about 43%. For more information on why the UAE has so many migrants visit: Movement responses - Migration. Dubai as a city has shown unbelievable growth. It has transformed itself from a small fishing town in the 1980's (see top image right) into one of the most recognisable and advanced cities in the world today (see bottom image right). The growth has largely been based on the discovery of oil and the revenues it created. What I am going to look at is whether this has made it an homogenised city. To look at this I will look at very different social, cultural and economic factors.
Before I talk about whether Dubai has become homogenised, I think that it is important to mention what Dubai was like 30 to 50 years ago. Emirati's would either live in tents and lead a nomadic lifestyle or in houses with wind towers within a small courtyard. The economy was mainly primary based, with fishing, pearl diving, date farming and camel herding all important. Shopping would have been done daily in small markets called souqs. The main form of transport would have been dhows (a type of boat), camels or on foot. Entertainment would have been family orientated and may have involved dancing and singing. Past times would have included falconery, hunting and horse riding.
Below is information about what life in current day Dubai is like:
Sport: Horse riding and falconery are still important, but now people in Dubai enjoy most international sports and Dubai host many important sporting events including: IRB Rugby Sevens, Race to Dubai Golf, international cricket fixtures and ATP Tennis. There is now even an indoor ice rink in Dubai Mall and an indoor ski slope in the Mall of the Emirates. Shopping: Souks do sill exist, but most food shopping is now done in supermarkets e.g. Carrefour and Waitrose and most other shopping in malls e.g. Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Deira and Mirdiff City Centre Malls - Dubai Mall is one of the largest in the world with over 1200 shops. Global Brands: There are now many different global shops and brands available in Dubai e.g. NEXT, GAP, Nike, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, IKEA and Decathlon. Restaurants: Dubai has seen an explosion in fast food restaurants, with Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, KFC being found everywhere. International cuisine is also very common with people like Gordon Ramsey having a restaurant in Dubai. Tourism: Dubai is now a popular tourism destination with major airline like Emirates based in Dubai and airlines like Qantas, BA and Singapore Airlines all flying to Dubai. Hotel chains like the HIlton and IHG have a major presence. Entertainment: People now take in a wide variety of activities ranging from the cinema to quad biking, kite surfing to music concerts and yoga to paintballing. Schooling: There are still local government schools, but also a growing number of international schools that teach in English e.g. Repton and JESS. Many foreign teachers are recruited and international and British qualifications are often sat. Most universities teach in English. Housing: Not many people now live in tents.Most people live in compounds, apartments and suburb style developments e.g. Dubai Marina. Most people will now use air con and cookers instead of wind towers and fires. Transport: Not many people now walk or use camels, although dhows are still common sights. The most favoured form of transport is now 4x4. However, Dubai now also has a metro, monorail and bus system along with an international airport. Other: With the development of Dubai other sites are now more common e.g. parks, cricket pitches, football pitches, churches and canals. Culture: With the arrival of so many different nationalities, some aspects of Dubai culture have changed, pork and alcohol are now both available in licensed shops, you see more people wearing western dress (although most local still wear traditional dress), English is now the main business language, there are now different religions and religious buildings e.g. Hinduism and Christianity, people listen to more international music and watch international films.
Homogenization of landscapes
Homogenisation: The process of people, products and places becoming the same.
Contact zone: Where one culture meets another culture. This normally happens because one culture is expanding into new areas. This obviously happened through colonisation in the past, put is increasingly happening through economic expansion now.
Cultural diffusion: This is the spread of cultural ideas around the world. The two main ways this can happen are through expansion (more likely trade than colonisation these days) and relocation.
Expansion diffusion: When an idea or culture spreads from a central location. The best modern example is probably the growth of Islam from the Arabian Peninsula. With expansion diffusion the idea/culture remain strong in the source location.
Relocation diffusion: Now that people are more footloose, they travel the world to a greater extent. When they move to a new area, they may take some of their ideas with them that then spread to their new location e.g. teachers bringing rugby and cricket to El Salvador. If the movement of people from the source is great, this may actually weaken the original culture or idea in the source.
Distance-time decay: The further the distance from the source of the original culture or idea the less strongly the new idea will be adopted.
Hybridisation: When two cultures meet they may adapt and merge to create a new type of culture. In South Vietnam the Caodaism religion was established in 1926 from a mixture of the following religions: Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, as well as Geniism.
Adaption: When a new culture is accepted, it is often adapted (changed slightly) to fit in with existing cultures and ideas. In some circumstances the new culture or idea may adapt themselves. Many fast food restaurants adapt to fit new cultures - this is known as glocalisation.
Clone Towns
The term clone town was first used by the New Economic Forum in 2004. It was used to describe the state of some British towns, The term simply means that the centres of main towns have become dominated by the same chain stores, making them all very similar. The report said that the growth of clone towns was very damaging because:
In 2005 the city of Exeter was discovered to have only one independent store on its entire high street.
Think Tank Warns on Clone Towns - BBC article
Attack of the clone towns - BBC article
UK's Ultimate Clone Town - Daily Mail Article
Americanisation, Westernisation, Disneyfication, Mcdonaldlisation
All these processes refer to the adoption of different aspects of western culture. The west is considered to be Western Europe and North America. In the past westernisation has happened through colonisation, but it has increasingly happened through economic dominance and political pressure. Although Iraq and Afghanistan could be recent examples where the military has been used to impose ideas and beliefs. Aspects of culture that maybe adopted include:
Westernisation whether deliberate or not can be blamed on the loss of local cultures and speeding up the process of homogenisation.
Is globalisation americanisation? - BBC article
Dubai - An Homogenised Ladscape?
Dubai is one of seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates. Its principal city is also called Dubai and it is this city which I am going to talk about. Dubai has a population of about 2.2 million. Surprisingly out of this figure only about 15% are Emirati. By far the biggest group is South Asian accounting for over 65% of the population - Indian on there own account for about 43%. For more information on why the UAE has so many migrants visit: Movement responses - Migration. Dubai as a city has shown unbelievable growth. It has transformed itself from a small fishing town in the 1980's (see top image right) into one of the most recognisable and advanced cities in the world today (see bottom image right). The growth has largely been based on the discovery of oil and the revenues it created. What I am going to look at is whether this has made it an homogenised city. To look at this I will look at very different social, cultural and economic factors.
Before I talk about whether Dubai has become homogenised, I think that it is important to mention what Dubai was like 30 to 50 years ago. Emirati's would either live in tents and lead a nomadic lifestyle or in houses with wind towers within a small courtyard. The economy was mainly primary based, with fishing, pearl diving, date farming and camel herding all important. Shopping would have been done daily in small markets called souqs. The main form of transport would have been dhows (a type of boat), camels or on foot. Entertainment would have been family orientated and may have involved dancing and singing. Past times would have included falconery, hunting and horse riding.
Below is information about what life in current day Dubai is like:
Sport: Horse riding and falconery are still important, but now people in Dubai enjoy most international sports and Dubai host many important sporting events including: IRB Rugby Sevens, Race to Dubai Golf, international cricket fixtures and ATP Tennis. There is now even an indoor ice rink in Dubai Mall and an indoor ski slope in the Mall of the Emirates.
Shopping: Souks do sill exist, but most food shopping is now done in supermarkets e.g. Carrefour and Waitrose and most other shopping in malls e.g. Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates, Deira and Mirdiff City Centre Malls - Dubai Mall is one of the largest in the world with over 1200 shops.
Global Brands: There are now many different global shops and brands available in Dubai e.g. NEXT, GAP, Nike, Debenhams, Marks and Spencer, IKEA and Decathlon.
Restaurants: Dubai has seen an explosion in fast food restaurants, with Burger King, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, KFC being found everywhere. International cuisine is also very common with people like Gordon Ramsey having a restaurant in Dubai.
Tourism: Dubai is now a popular tourism destination with major airline like Emirates based in Dubai and airlines like Qantas, BA and Singapore Airlines all flying to Dubai. Hotel chains like the HIlton and IHG have a major presence.
Entertainment: People now take in a wide variety of activities ranging from the cinema to quad biking, kite surfing to music concerts and yoga to paintballing.
Schooling: There are still local government schools, but also a growing number of international schools that teach in English e.g. Repton and JESS. Many foreign teachers are recruited and international and British qualifications are often sat. Most universities teach in English.
Housing: Not many people now live in tents.Most people live in compounds, apartments and suburb style developments e.g. Dubai Marina. Most people will now use air con and cookers instead of wind towers and fires.
Transport: Not many people now walk or use camels, although dhows are still common sights. The most favoured form of transport is now 4x4. However, Dubai now also has a metro, monorail and bus system along with an international airport.
Other: With the development of Dubai other sites are now more common e.g. parks, cricket pitches, football pitches, churches and canals.
Culture: With the arrival of so many different nationalities, some aspects of Dubai culture have changed, pork and alcohol are now both available in licensed shops, you see more people wearing western dress (although most local still wear traditional dress), English is now the main business language, there are now different religions and religious buildings e.g. Hinduism and Christianity, people listen to more international music and watch international films.