On globalization and problems of cultural identity.

Ulzhalgas Altayeva

Gulmira Myrzatayeava

M. Auezov South Kazakhstan State University, Shymkent city, Kazakhstan

The modern world represents close interaction of cultures and civilizations. The Humanity has challenges represented by global problems, which it should face as indivisible subject, who makes conscious and agreed decisions. In this creation of unity of the whole humanity a great role is played by mutually enriching dialogue of cultures and world cultural process. In the modern world interaction of internal processes in each country and new phenomena on the world scene are intensifying. Recently large-scale globalization eliminate distinction between internal and external policy, that is determined by world global trends and processes in financial, social, economic and other spheres. Many States take concrete measures to keep traditional cultures. This problem including issues on creating conditions for more “soft” entrance of local cultures into the field of interaction with other cultures is a subject of research of ethnic ecology. Problems of establishment of informational society, globalization effects management demand active search of non-traditional approaches for their awareness, understanding, and possible effective solutions. The major problems are identified as climate change on our planet, disappearance of traditional ethnic beginning, morals, ineffectiveness of international system. Disadvantages of globalization are openness of societies, leading technologies of communication have made inhabitants of the Earth vulnerable to terrorism, drug abuse, crime, epidemics, ethnic and racial conflicts. Anthropogenic influence on our planet has gained such scale, that environmental problems are vital. This requires changing of the vector of world cultural development into spirituality, spiritual evolution. Therefore issues of culture, cultural development are key problems, which are able to answer even unformulated questions, that are significant for further development of Kazakhstan society and world community in general. Cognition of culture as component of social regulation together with politics and economy must take the main place in researches of processes of modernity. With the development of civilization, that has taken up the way of intensification of its material resources number of problems arise. These problems are connected with crisis of a person’s and society’s detachment from nature, and rare contact with it; ecological crisis, which distrustfully affects fundamental sources of life of civilization; information field is hypertrophied and often cannot be used in a rational way. Despite of this crises, the process of globalization has its positive moments: openness of the society can contribute to increasing of living standards, slowing down environmental destruction, establishment of general prosperity; disseminating new technologies; integration into world economy can lead to new technologies and ideas; openness presupposes investments into human element: education, health care, infrastructure and so on.

By globalization they mean quantitative new level of interdependence and world integrity. Some researches consider that globalization is a dominating tendency and factor of the world development and this is paradigm of civilization structure of the world. Accordingly, modernization acquires its new dimensions and image. Important problems of global level should be taken into account. The nature of globalization is that its positive possibilities can be realized only by corporate efforts of all countries and nations.

Paradox of national self-identification in terms of globalization lies in the fact, that today an individual needs recognition of his/her social significance, historical roots. Problem of reanimation of stabilization mechanisms of culture is the task of modernization process in national states. However the vacuum of spiritual and national values have not yet been filled. It is evident, that cultural tradition needs worldview comprehension from today’s reality. Only cultural self-identification of a nation will point to its place in the world. Only national culture meets high esthetic, ethic, social requirements. According to Eurasian conception, a culture cannot be learned, it cannot be borrowed. A follower of cultural tradition is a person, who makes it an element of his spiritual being, i.e. recreates it again.

Culture makes its step from the past to present in every human being. Cultural-historical development happens not in linear, but in a cyclic way. One of the researchers of civilization problems N.Sadykov states, that having entered new stage of world politics, that is characterized by the end of ideological confrontation, resistance to cultural borders, civililizational breaking-up it is especially important for Kazakhstan to have an identity on the level of civilization./1

However rich inner world of nation may be, it remains world of national, grows in space-time bounds, fixes original world perception and understanding of an ethnos, people, a nation. In this way it is great, but at the same time limited. Future is open to that culture, which affirming its original view of the world open to experience of world history and culture, can understand other cultures and interact with them.

The modern national spiritual culture must develop as open self-organizing dynamic system. New Kazakhstan in a new world takes an active part in development of cultural links with foreign countries. Talking about integration of Kazakhstan into world community and contribution, that it can provide, it should be emphasized, that Kazakhstan is open to world collaboration in all spheres of humanitarian activity. Kazakhstan is ready to share experience and achievements of national science, education, healthcare and national culture. Despite of all economic and social severities, multinational kazakhstani culture has proved its vital activity. Democracy, moral purification are almost impossible without saving and augmenting of storage of cultural potential. In the last years in the framework of national programme “Cultural heritage” basic investments are directed to strengthening of resource-and-technical base, reconstruction and restoration of highly valuable objects of cultural heritage. Dynamic of spiritual culture’s development of Kazakh nation represents by itself contradictive and complicated process due to present social-economic situation. Polyethnicity of Kazakhstan’s population does not give chance to identify any criteria, borders, which could define clear graphical picture of its development. Spiritual life of Kazakhs shows itself in many events and social commitment, in degree of national values that become or can become a fact, phenomenon with the significance for the whole world and civilization. Their renaissance has not only self-valued character for Kazakhs, but also it is condition and premise of spiritual self-expression of all nations and ethnic groups living in Kazakhstan; it is also systemforming factor of institualisation of Kazakh nation. Uniqueness of national culture does not presuppose its setting apart from civilization movement of humanity. Finally all changes are projected on the life of every human being, who is the most sensible to socio-cultural transformations accompanied by globalization.

“Our responsibility is greater, than we could imagine, said once J.P.Sartr, as it is applicable for the whole humanity”./2

At present stage globalization should be understood as complicated sociocultural process which demands special approaches, as study of separate aspects of globalization in framework of certain scientific subject areas, without taking into account of the whole spectrum sociocultural transformation leads to simplification and one-way interpretations of one of the most complicated phenomenon, the roots of which can be found in previous epochs and its influence on modern civilization has significantly increased. The modern civilization irreversibly changes its environment, image of the society, its morals and manners. In this respect culture is often referred as a source of social innovations, factor of creative life organization. It is culture, that is heuristic way of world cognition. Each cultural process can be subjected to rational reconstruction. Such approach allows to model historic sequence of replacement of cultural types, mechanisms of interaction of local cultures. Any rapid globalization and modernization is fraught with social crisis, if it is not supported with adequate spiritual factors. A social system is viable only in cases when it, choosing its historic way develops social-psychological parameters of its existence. In such conditions the role of state greatly increases, and prosperity of society will depend on accuracy and coherency of its actions.

Bibliography:

1. N. Sadykov , Kazakhstan and the world: sociocultural transformation, Astana 2001, p.98

2. J.Sartr “existentialism is humanism// twilight of gods.”, M., 1990, p. 324

3. V.S. Stepin, Selfdeveloping systems and perspectives of man-caused civilization.// Synergetic paradigm: variety of ways and approaches. M., 2000

4. I.M. Moiseev, Universum. Information. Society., M., 2001.