Globalization is considerably one of the most controversial topics to be debated in the field of humanities and social sciences in the modern world. Even if it is viewed as a set of cultural changes or economic consequences, globalization is considered by most theorists to be characterized mainly by sustainable and regular exchanges that foster inter-reliance and a sense of interconnectivity on a global scale thus resulting in the development of a global awareness of a particular thing. Globalization stresses on the differences, extols pluralism, and modifies diversity through the speeding up of circulation and duplication of cultural beliefs and practices. This literal change is increased by the conditional or unconditional mass movement of peoples and the creation of foreign, as well as the trans-cultural entertainment of artistic creations and activities.
Consequently, every form of art or popular music that we practice or study today is in somehow related to the patterns of inter-cultural duplication that were put I place during the period of ancient globalization. The increase of Western music forms, in particular hip-hop, can be linked explicitly to the beginning and the changes of global capitalism and seen to depend on the sourcing of valuable material resources. The absorption of artistic encouragement from the rest of the world also added to the increase in western influences. Music, it was known acted as a tool of territorial and colonialism when viewed in the side of European expansion. It also served as a means of resistance and cultural self-identification for other societies mostly African societies. Several factors that would then follow this period led to changes on how music would then be practiced throughout the world. The global monetary increases, the emergence and expansion of world religions and practice of new thoughts, the elimination of cultural and political boundaries, the establishment of human rights, and the class struggles characterized by the widening wealth gap, all had consequential effects on musical all over the world. Consequently, music had effects on globalization in these fields in significant and un foretold ways.
Global popular music forms like hip-hop or pop music can be indigenized to fit in the cultures of other communities that did not embrace these forms as music for different reasons. In most cultures, music has traditional ways of writing and even performance. The performance aspect would actually tell what type of music a society embraces. These global forms could also adopt indigenous performance tactics in order to appeal to the indigenous and or foreign cultures. They could for example, incorporate accompanying instruments like traditional drums in order to be acceptable to these indigenous communities.
Globalization has very much fostered interactions in the Diaspora. Where different cultures have come to meet as a consequence of globalization, people have come to embrace and accept one another. There are values and virtues that one could borrow from another culture when people meet on the global scene. In the diaspora, therefore, different cultures and practices are put on display on the global stage. There are those who would be willing to experiment on the practices of other new cultures. The people end up making friends as a result of these interactions and eventually, they would embrace one another, thanks to globalization.
Music diasporas refer to the existence of a sizeable following of foreign music in another foreign land. This has been as a result of the reduced world stage caused by globalization. Globalization has reduced the world into a small village in that it is possible to find people from all races in a particular part of the world. When these people settle in these foreign lands, they begin to identify themselves as a people of a common origin. Such identification would be done either through cultural events or musical events. As these activities intensify, these people of common roots and culture become identifiable by their culture and types of music in the foreign land, otherwise known as diaspora. They would establish themselves there and become known for their different tastes and style of music. If it were not for globalization, such people would not have been found on these foreign lands and their type of music would not have been known in these diasporic places.
When global superstars organize concerts and events overseas to meet with their fans, followers and admirers, one thing that would be true is that they have influences on their fan base. Globalization more so through communication and entertainment channels has allowed these music icons for example in reggae to gain fame in many countries around the world. This is evident in their social media accounts, for example Obrafour has almost a quarter million likes on his face book page while Reggie Rockstone has close to two hundred thousand followers on his twitter handle and close to forty thousand likes on his face book page. These fan scenes have had influences on culture in that they would want to do music the way their preferred musicians do it regardless of what their cultural music demands and practices.
Work Cited
Reggie Rockstone Profile (2014). Retrieved on 15th December 2014, from: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=351
Irving , D. R. M. The Globalization of Music: Origins, Development, & Consequences, c1500 1815. Retrieved on 15th December 2014, from: http://talks.cam.ac.uk/show/index/20376
Totoricaguena, Gloria P. Basque Diaspora: Migration and Transnational Identity. Reno: Center for Basque Studies, University of Nevada, 2005. Print.
Obrafour, (2014). Retrieved on 15th December 2014, from: https://www.facebook.com/Obrafour
