Consuming Cultures
Globalization and Local Lives

Cultural commentator Jeremy Seabrook looks at the threat to cultural diversity and integrity all around the globe, including in Western societies.

Myths, languages, rituals and local cultures are all expressions of cultural identity. Acoording to Seabrook these cultural identities have an economic root; they grew out of a need to ensure the success of the harvest and to provide security for a community.

But what happens when local cultures collide with the wave of economic globalization?

The hurtling speed of the global market knows no cultural boundaries. Languages, customs, rituals and myths - the building-blocks of local culture and identity - are swept aside with the global market’s promise of security and prosperity.

Is this promise false? Is the survival of pockets of local culture true resistance? Can communities reclaim the value of local cultural identity?

Harnessing moving personal testimonies of cultural loss and resistance, Seabrook embarks upon a wide-ranging and sensitive exploration of the battleground between local and global.

Jeremy Seabrook has written more than 30 books, and has worked as a teacher, social worker, journalist, lecturer and playwright. He has contributed to many journals, including the New Internationalist, New Statesman and The Ecologist.

Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Size: 175 mm x 175 mm