The Socio-Cultural Construct of Global Britain

Globalization as a concept refers both to the compression of the world and the intensification of
the consciousness of the world as a whole. Also it might involve the declining significance of
territorial borders in inhibiting the spread of interacting and interdependent global forms of
economy, politics, and culture. There is a diffusion of economy, politics, and culture from
localized bases to a more global extent. It requires interdependent relations rather than just the
movement of people, ideas, or money from one place to another. Globalization needs to include
some sort of regularity and durability in structures rather than just isolated or transient
occurrences.
One area in which multicultural or hybrid dimensions to British culture have arisen has been
from post-war immigration from former colonies. A focus on post-war postcolonial immigration
overlooks that Britain has long been a hybrid country, through centuries of invasions and
migration. However, post-war postcolonial inputs have brought further complexities to British
culture through greater cultural diversity and raised political questions to do with immigration
and citizenship, multiculturalism and integration, racism and inequality, and, for some, national
identity.

British culture can be described as hybridization with inputs not just from America and former
colonies but broadly from, for instance, Asia, Africa, and Latin America when it comes to music,
fashion, and food, for example. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that British culture is not
just an importer, but also an exporter using English as a world language as facilitating factor for
the export of British culture, pop music, and media.

Another important factor of Britains cultural organization is the imperial history rendering
postcolonial influences on the globalization of culture. Economic drives were behind the
imperial expansion, which has been influential in these ways and behind the importing and
exporting of culture more recently. Britain provided impetus for globalization in the nineteenth
century, as a result of the industrial revolution, the adoption of free trade and the pursuit of
empire, as well as the many technological innovations that came out of Victorian Britain. In the
1950s and 1960s, the British economy was booming and immigrants from the West Indies and
South Asia were encouraged to migrate to Britain to fill up some of the job vacancies that were
available. Many of these immigrants settled down and made Britain their home, so that their
children would be born and raised in Britain. They brought with them their own beliefs, cultures
and experiences that were going to shape British society and make it be considered a
multicultural one.

Most of the twentieth century was dominated by the Cold War and the battle between the U.S.
and the U.S.S.R. over which was the strongest superpower. Britain was obviously on Americas
side and British politicians were very much influenced by American economic policies. De-
regulation and privatization meant that British companies were being dismantled and sold to
foreign investors, a situation which continues today.

Globalization seems to have intensified from the late twentieth century onwards, as technology
moved forward extremely rapidly, becoming cheap enough for ordinary individuals to access.
This is most notable in the case of computers and the growth of the Internet. In Britain, this has
meant that people are finding different ways to work and to meet new people.

It is also much easier to go abroad and to keep in contact with friends and relatives and since job
security is a thing of the past in Britain, this is clearly a positive feature of globalization.
However, it could be argued that it is because of globalization that jobs are being relocated in
developing countries where labour costs are cheaper.
Whether globalization is regarded as a good or a bad thing for British society, it is something
which cannot be reversed. Besides, it would be difficult for most Britons to imagine a world in
which globalization had not taken place and what going backwards would actually mean. On the
whole, globalization has probably benefited British society more than it has harmed it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
1. L. MARTELL, Britain and Globalization, Globalizations, v. 5, 2008;
2. R. Robertson, Globalization: Social Theory and Global Culture, 1992;
3. M. Wilkinson, The impact of globalization on British society, http://www.helium.com/

B bold
R reserved
I indomitable
T tenacious
A abusive
I imperious
N nonconformist

History has proved that the British are abusive and imperious as they conquered other people and
imposed their civilization and language on them. They wouldnt have succeeded without being
bold, indomitable and tenacious. Insularity makes them reserved and nonconformist at the same
time.