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The Social-Cultural Dimension of Globalization in Kuwait: Implications for Young Kuwaiti Adults Identity Negotiation

Year: 2014
Type: preprint
Abstract: Globalization has meant an important conceptual change in the way we think about our world. The interconnectedness (on an unprecedented scale) that globalization engenders has implications for how individuals organize their lives in response to the new social realities of the world we live in. In view of the above, this presentation examines the following issues: (a) the extent of globalization in Kuwaiti society, with a specific focus on social globalization, (b) young adult Kuwaitis self-reported experiences of selected indicators of social globalization, (c) the associations between the selected indicators of social globalization and an index of bicultural identity, and (d) finally, the implications of social globalization for identity negotiation among young Kuwaitis.Much of the literature on globalization has used the nation as the unit of analyses. However, this presentation takes a social-psychological slant on the globalization debate and investigates the relations between aspects of social globalization and young adult Kuwaitis sense of bicultural identity. This is premised on the argument that the younger generation in the Arab world may be more exposed to Western and other non-Western worldviews and cultures (Solberg, 2002).Arnett (2000) offers two lines of argument on why in attempting to understand the effects of globalization on identity development, adolescents and young adults should be the foci. First, Arnett (2000) argues that youths and young adults’ identities are still in flux and may not have fully committed to a way of life. Second, adolescents and young adults are more likely to be exposed to the global media and consumerism through movies, internet, music, and TV. Taylor (1991) also contended that globalization has given rise to a more self-centered form of individualism that emphasizes, almost exclusively, the fulfillment and authenticity of the individual. However, as identity theorists such as Erikson (1968) and Tajfel (1981) point out, identity negotiation is not solely an individual undertaking. On the other hand, identification with social groups are, however, also complicated and eroded by the increasing prevalence of ideas that individual identity is seen as a product of self-construction, open to free choice. Consequently, group identification has also become largely a matter of individual choice (Calhoun 1994). The interaction of cultures via globalization can lead to the transformation of identity (Arnett, 2002) through a process of bicultural identity formation – adoption of a global identity and a local identity that is defined by traditional values and family obligations (Arnett, 2002). These views suggest that the forces that shape identity are no longer restricted to a locality, but have a complex mixture of both local and global elements (Pieterse, 2009). Methodology: This presentation relies on a secondary analysis of data collected on a sample of 146 undergraduate university students in Kuwait who are able to read and write English were used. Of the sample, about 53 percent were females, while about 47 percent were males. The males were slightly older (21.35 years) than they females (20.68 years). Measures: Social globalization. The eight questions chosen for this analyses, were intended to represent the three dimensional structure of social globalization: information flows, personal contact, and cultural proximity. Bicultural identity: An adapted version of the AHIMSA acculturation scale (Unger et al., 2002) was used to assess bicultural identity.Results: Globalization in Kuwaiti society. Using data from KOF, it shows that Kuwait has been penetrated by forces of social globalization in the three domains of information flows, personal contact, and cultural proximity. Reported experiences of social globalization. The means of some of the items used to assess social globalization on an individual level were relatively high with high variability. Example, items such as using (a) the Internet to exchange information, (b) the Internet for non-Kuwaiti entertainment, (c) the Internet for social networking, and (d) non-Kuwaiti TV for entertainment. Correlations between index of biculturalism and social globalization. Some of the items used to assess social globalization also exhibited significant association with the index of bicultural identity. Specifically, using (a) the Internet for exchange of information, (b) the Internet for non-Kuwaiti entertainment, (c) the Internet for social networking, and (d) Internet for getting the news were all positively associated with the index of biculturalism. As well, watching Non-Kuwaiti TV for international news was also linked with biculturalism.Implications for Identity Formation: Young Kuwaiti adults are traversing multiple worlds – the local and the global. Given that Kuwaiti culture is a collective one, pursuing individuation could have repercussions for the individual and family (Dwairy, 1998).In negotiating identity, one could have a both a public and private identity. The public identity would conform to the general standards and mores of Kuwaiti culture; the private, would only be exhibited in the company of like-minded individuals away from the public scrutiny. Furthermore, a focus on cultural and social processes is necessary to understand identity negotiation and construction (e.g., Jacobson, 1997, Peek, 2005).
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W1146275844
Cites: 25
Cited by: 1
Related to: 10