Globalization and Cultural Identity: Negotiating Tradition and Modernity
Krishnappa M
Assistant Professor, Dr.S.Gopalraju Govt. First Grade College, Anekal. Karnataka, India
Keywords: Globalization, Cultural identity, Tradition vs. modernity. Cultural hybridity, Glocalization, Cultural homogenization
Abstract
This research investigates the complex between global connectivity, digital media, and indigenous heritage preservation within rapidly modernizing non-Western societies. As international technological networks accelerate, communities face profound social and psychological friction caused by the tension between external Westernization and traditional expectations. Utilizing a qualitative, interdisciplinary cultural studies design, this study examines visual media, advertisements, and urban demographic trends through critical discourse analysis and thematic coding. The findings reveal that local populations are not passive victims of cultural homogenization, but active agents who selectively interpret and merge global elements with ancestral customs. The analysis highlights a distinct glocalized reality, characterized by vibrant cultural syncretism across art, language, lifestyle, and fashion. The investigation uncovers a prominent generational split: younger cohorts eagerly embrace borderless digital identities, whereas older generations prioritize historical continuity. These dynamics demonstrate that tradition and modernity are mutually constitutive forces rather than mutually exclusive opposites. Ultimately, this work emphasizes that human creativity continuously drives local reinvention, ensuring cultural diversity survives transnational commercial pressures.
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