Counterworks

Richard Fardon

Globalization is often described as the spread of western culture to other parts of the world. How accurate is the conventional depiction of 'cultural flow'? In Counterworks, ten leading anthropologists examine the ways in which global processes have affected particular localities where they have carried out research. They challenge the validity of anthropological concepts of culture in the light of the pervasive connections which exist between local and global factors everywhere. These essays contend that culture is itself a representation of the similarities and differences recognized between forms of social life. Focusing on specific local situations, including Bali, Cuba, Bolivia, Greece, Kenya and New Zealand, the contributors argue that the apparent opposition between strong westernizing, global forces and weak local resistances is ideologically loaded. Through detailed case...

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