SYMBIOSIS INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

SYMBIOSIS LAW SCHOOL, PUNE

ISSUES IN WORLD POLITICS

PRAKRITI TRIPATHI
16010125149
DIVISION-B

SUBMITTED TO:
PROF. KSHITIJ NAIKADE
 IS WESTERNIZATION SAME AS MODERNIZATION? AND IS CULTURAL
CONFLICT INEVITABLE?

Westernization and modernization are two ideologies that are under constant debate. When we
talk about modernization, it is often considered to be in hand with westernization. The
discussions revolve around the main question: Does modernization mean the same thing as
westernization?

If we look at the definitions of the same, Modernization has been a global process that we can
observe in most of the major cities of the world, regardless of culture. Samuel Huntington says:
“Modernization involves industrialization, urbanization, increasing levels of literacy,
education, wealth, and social mobilization, and more complex and diversified occupational
structures. These common elements may be present, even though the institutions that created
them are not. Modernization can be borrowed or bought.”

Westernization is an entire complex of practices and values that have shaped the West over the
2,500 years from ancient Athens to today. These practices cannot be replicated overnight.
Modernization may be seen as a civilization that emerged because of Westernization; however,
a country may be modernized without being westernized.

In simple terms, Westernization is a process of imitation of western countries by non-western

The misconception that modernization is often closely related to westernization has resulted in
many countries rejecting the idea of modern ideas, to maintain their ‘culture’, including India
and many other Islamic countries. Modernization is not limited to simply technology but can
also include ideas or theories. For example, the idea of the zero being used in calculations,
rather than merely a space occupier is an Indian concept. Application of this in order to make
calculations easier would be considered a modern idea of a modern concept. Hence, not all
modernity must come from the west.

However, the other side of the argument exists that in order for a country to become a modern
society, it must look at three areas where change must take place: economy, politics and
cultural. The economy must shift from traditional agricultural practices to modern industrial
processes. The politics must shift from dictatorial and feudal autocratic practices to free and
fair democratic society. Finally, the culture must also change from uncivilized groups to
conscious individualism.
However, the cultural bit is often argued to be an effect of modernity, where the industry and
its practices change, the people are bound to shift their views. According to the theory, modern
society shifts its view from economy centric to individual centric, where the individual
becomes increasingly important, eventually replacing the family or community as the
fundamental unit of society.

The easiest way to distinguish westernization and modernization is westernization deals with
ideas, religion and culture. However, modernization is limited to adoption of technology and
industrialization. Although, the arguments exist from both sides that modernity can only be
attained at the expense of also inviting westernization, they are many countries that have
become modern without having to adopt western notions.

China is one the most prominent example of a modern country. The country has adopted the
technology of the Western countries in order to make itself the leader in production around the
world. However, the country has not adopted Western ideas or rules. The government continues
to be a communist government and many people still follow the same ideals they did before.

On the other hand, we have Japan, who have adopted both the culture as well as the technology.
Japan, who has fought its way to become the technological capital of the world has incorporated
much of the technology of the Western civilization. Additionally, it has also incorporated much
of the culture with customs and ideas that are similar to that of the West.

It should be remembered that one cannot modernize oneself without a degree of educational
reform. In ancient India, before the British Raj, we had Sati system- where a woman was
compelled to burn herself with the body of her dead husband. But after the introduction of
education system, people were enlightened and raised their voices against this inhuman
practice, till it got finally abolished. Moreover, condition of widows was no better than animals.
But, in the modern times, men and women are considered equal. This transition from the India
where women were treated like animals to the contemporary India where they walk shoulder
to shoulder with men is the outcome of Modernization.

Modernization involves changes not only at the institutional level but also a fundamental
change at the personal level. It involves a change in modes of thinking, beliefs, opinions,
attitudes, actions and also a change in the social structure from a closed conservative society
to a classless, casteless society in which the individual’s status depends not on his birth but on
his personal achievements.

The Cultural Conflict is inevitable as the world is a very diverse place. Our diversities keep
expanding in such a way that we are coming closer together now, unlike several years back
where people are highly separated from one another due to some limitations like physical
features, religion and lack of coherence.

Several years of human existence, things like sea, rivers, mountains and deserts separated
people, because there were no means from the other side to reach to the other end of the world.
Today we have broken such barriers because of technology and how we have exponentially
grown as humans. Now we are together we still maintain our diversity, our ways of life are
different, our religions are different, our customs and norms are different and so many other
things which we share as people from our remote family which differ with other people outside
our cycle.

Most cultural differences reflect the fact that people live somewhat separately, a situation that
reduces practical problems. When they do arise, something usually gets worked out through
assimilation, accommodation, and sometimes mutual avoidance. A functional society is in
everyone’s interest, so people normally adopt habits and understandings that keep their
dealings reasonably amicable. Such things might involve standards like taking responsibility
for one’s own, dodges like avoiding “hot button” issues in company, or acceptance that people
differ in their virtues and vices, and find somewhat different ways to a good life.

A culture war arises when such habits and understandings break down, so that people
constantly offend each other, points of contention cannot be negotiated, the limits of toleration
are reached, and the society ends up in what amounts to a low-level civil war. Usually that
happens when a new outlook and way of life arrives that’s at odds with the old on basic issues
regarding what life is about and how we should live.

Conflicts will always exist because we have no one rule generally accepted, no one religion
generally taken for all humans, we have no one ideology which is generally accepted, no one
economic system generally accepted, no one system of government generally accepted and the
list goes on and on. Conflicts comes because of disagreements, sometimes interests sometimes
because of lack of respect for other people's way of life. And in our world today we always
strive to be dominant with what we know and sometimes other people don't buy the idea.

Conflicts are inevitable in the human society because it has become an industry. We have spent
huge proportion of our ingenuities towards weaponry. All these are built to be able to face such
tasks. We have a huge chunk of our brothers and sisters who are trained into the art of war,
trained to shoot guns, to fly fighter jets, and to launch nuclear weapons in the battlefields. This
industry has been established and will always be functional because the manufacturers of these
weapons most times want to make money.

Conflicts are inevitable because the human nature is filled with people of different
temperaments, people who see things from different perspectives and analyse in different ways.
This makes the human relations with another devoid of conflicts because what seems right to
you may be detrimental to the next person.

Conflicts are inevitable because it helps us to grow. The human family has gone through stages
of civilizations. And naivety and barbarism has decreased much better compared to centuries
ago. This is because some conflicts of the past thought us lessons. It made us understand
ourselves and others better. It made us accept better and more noble things even though they
may not come from us. We have taken leaps of civility because we have had conflicts and have
moved on from them. We have known what provocations are and what it brings to the human
family.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

References:
 Gregory S. Berns and Scott Atran, Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences,
Vol. 367, No. 1589, The Biology of cultural conflict (5 March 2012), pp. 633-639

 Steven J. Tepper, Sociological Forum, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Jun., 2009), pp. 276-306

 Romesh Diwan, Economic and Political Weekly, Vol. 31, No. 16/17 (Apr. 20-27, 1996),
p. 978

 http://thecornerwithaview.blogspot.com/2012/02/is-cultural-conflict

 https://www.crisismagazine.com/2014/culture-war

 https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/key2mideast/chapter/westernization-modernization/