Blog #2: Globalization

“Globalization is sitting with a German, an Italian, and an American in a Krispy Kreme shop in India.”

Sometimes I forget I’m in India, and I think there are two reasons for this. First of all, my mental image of India has been crafted by Western media and my own academic research. Western media, like the movie Slumdog Millionaire,often portray India as an entirely undeveloped country engulfed in poverty. Although poverty is an inescapable part of Indian society, the images presented in the media are not an accurate depiction of the country as a whole. Additionally, my academic research has focused on injustices in wealth stratification and religious violence, and after spending so much time analyzing these aspects of Indian society, it was easy to forget about everything else it has to offer.

Secondly, globalization has led to Westernization in India, and it’s hard to miss. Whether it’s McDonald’s, Starbucks, and Krispy Kreme, or the general shift away from traditional Indian values (such as caste or conventional clothing), it is easy to be sucked into ‘Western pockets’ in the city that could almost be mistaken for New York or Chicago. Sometimes the fact that I’m in India drifts out of my conscious thought, until I see something like a cow crossing the street or a dozen faces staring at me. In these moments, I feel the full impact of the fact that I am in India, and that I will be here for at least the next four months. It is also in these moments that I realize just how global globalization really is (duh). This mix of old and new is epitomized in India, and I have come to enjoy the diversity that surrounds me as a result of globalization.