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Courtney Patterson
LBST 2102
Robert Arnold
11 May 2016
The Impact of Globalization
According to Manfred Steger, cultural globalization refers to the intensification and
expansion of cultural flows across the globe (74). Although it seems like a great idea to spread
different cultures all over the world, this does not always have a positive impact. Not all cultures
are able to work cohesively together and this can form an intense clash that can negatively affect
both groups. Through reading both Boyhood by J.M. Coetzee and Dont Lets Go to the Dogs
Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, I have realized that white Africans do not always fit in with the rest
of Africas citizens and the practices they often try to bring from their foreign countries are
rejected. Although this makes it hard for both parties to live in harmony, the greater effect is
usually placed upon the individual with differing culture as they begin to feel endangered, judged
and often outcast by those around them. With this being said, it seems as if globalization is a
practice created so Westerners are able to feel at home when they begin life in a foreign
country. Although it may have its positive impacts, the practice can hurt the authenticity of other
cultures.
The first aspect that had an impact on both Fuller and Coetzees lives was their education.
Fuller grew up attending several different boarding schools, which is very common of foreigners
in Africa. Initially, Fullers school consisted of just white children, but eventually it became
desegregated. When this happened, she was shocked to realize the African children had more
money that her and were considerably smarter. In countries like the United States and Europe,

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where Fuller is from, almost everyone goes to school, regardless of socioeconomic status. In
Africa, where many people live in poverty, school is a luxury. Most of the children who attend
school have educated parents who are relatively high up in society. Fullers fair skin and blonde
hair made her feel very out of place and the education she received in Africa was not sufficient
enough for her. Later in life, she ended up leaving Africa to be educated elsewhere.
An article featured in The Atlantic highlights how globalized colleges in the United States
are becoming. It seems as if the lack of education in other countries is benefitting our economic
system, but could it be hurting that of the other countries? The article mentioned that members of
the hard-working middle class are saving up large sums of money, avoiding large purchases such
as houses and cars, because they are trying to save up the funds to send their child off to college.
However, if these students are using their education to return to their country, share their
knowledge and become a member of the working-class, this could be a win-win for both the
American economy and the economies of other countries around the world.
For Coetzee, education was an escape. Writing and learning were the only ways for him
to cope with his struggle to fit in and form his personal identity. Unfortunately, writing was not a
gateway to success in South Africa. His mother had the strong belief that real world knowledge
was much more valuable than keeping ones nose in a book. In order to make a living in Africa
one must be skilled in manual labor such as farming or carpentry. This made it even harder for
Coetzee to fulfill his dreams. Would Coetzee have been more successful and accepted as a writer
if he grew up in a country where education was valued? I would like to say yes. The values of
our culture have a strong impact on our personal identification and if our cultures values conflict
with our own values, we can easily feel out of place and confused. Coetzee is a prime example of
how outsiders living in a foreign country may have trouble fitting in.

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As we see in these two examples, education and life in Africa tend to conflict. The
literacy rate in Africa is extremely low. There are many factors contributing to this, but one of the
main ones is the lack of funding the country is given towards these endeavors. As we saw in This
Child Will Be Great, the United States does not have a problem funding Africas government, so
why can they not contribute some money towards their education? As I stated previously, this
may have a lot to do with United States ability to profit off of international students attending
their universities. If our country did provide funds for developing Africas schools, a great
amount of cultural globalization would occur; a greater amount than the country would be
willing to accept. In order to have well trained educators, they would have to be from the U.S., or
another country from which education is valued. Africa is a continent known for its vast array of
languages and in order to teach students, a universal language would have to be established. In
addition, during the colonization periods, education was pushed. These were times of suffering
for many Africans. They felt as if their country was being stolen from them and education was
only being used so Africans could become what the colonizers wanted. Due to this, some
Africans reject educational as a whole (Omolewa, 2008).
Education was not the only foreign practice that both of these individuals accepted.
Alexandra Fullers family used alcohol to help cope with the problems Africa brought them. This
family lived in poverty, often struggling to put a balanced meal on the table, but they always
seemed to have alcohol. This practice even caused the family to lose a child due to the fact that
Mrs. Fuller continued drinking while pregnant. When a child passed away in Africa, a certain
ritual had to take place in order for the baby to rest in peace. If this ritual was not completed, the
soul of the baby was said to manifest itself in the form of another child and haunt the family.
While trying to avoid the problems of Africa, the Fullers put themselves in a situation that

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would force them to accept the traditions of African culture. This goes to show that one cannot
live in an area and completely reject its cultural practices and values.
Along with education, religion is another aspect of life that is often connected to a
specific culture. Neither Fuller nor Coetzee lived heavily religious lives, but these practices still
influenced them in one way or another. For a lot of people, religion is a vast part of their identity.
They spend a lot of time practicing their religion or learning about it and they often surround
themselves by people with the same beliefs. For Coetzee, he had no religion and he had no
identity, so when his teacher asked him what his religion was, he said the first thing that came to
his mind; Roman Catholic. Unfortunately, this choice still made him an outsider because his
school was dominated by Christians. In comparison, those who are native to the area are often
considered the outsiders and are bullied by those who have grown up with Westernized practices,
in this case Christianity. This revisits my previous discussion about how the majority of African
schools are globalized and controlled by foreigners. Now we see that not only is the educational
system adapted by outside sources, the religious system is as well. In this case globalization can
be viewed as a negative for natives. In order for Westerners to feel at home, the native
practices are being taken away.
Dont Lets Go to the Dogs Tonight showed Western religion in a different light. When a
pair of American missionaries come to visit the Fullers, the mother says Oh shit, Jesus
Creepers (80) and she and Alexandra laugh at the fact that they are American. Instead of
Christianity being the dominating religion, as seen in Boyhood, this novel views it as more of a
joke. When the men enter the house, they are given the typical food that the Fullers eat and they
are also exposed to fleas, which the Fullers have grown accustomed to. This seems to represent
how religion, and possibly other aspects of Western culture, can not withstand the harsh realities

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of Africa. Whether it be due to current practices and traditions or the individuals themselves, not
every practice can thrive all over the world. Before the missionaries left, they prayed with the
family. Alexandra asked for a baby to be brought into the family and ten months after, she was
given a sister; however, Olivia passed away at a very young age and her death was an event that
left a heavy burden on the entire family, especially Alexandra. This goes back to what I
previously stated regarding the family taking up African practices associated with the death of a
child. For a brief period, the family cooperated with Western practices, but in the end they were
still forced to conform to those of Africa.
According to an article in USA Today, Christianity has risen from 9% to 63% in SubSaharan Africa over the past decade. A large percent of this rise is due to the fact that more and
more missionaries are coming to the country to spread their message and also help out those in
need. Missionaries are a great example of how globalization can look good on the surface, but
can actually play out badly. After reading several book reviews written by Yolanda Rodriguez
Perez and Magnus Echtler about White Men's God: The Extraordinary Story of Missionaries in
Africa, it is clear to see that although missionaries intended to help the country, their racist
mentalities conflicted with their goals. They often got too involved in politics and were seen as
trying to colonize the continent. Even for those missionaries who did not mean any harm,
bringing their religious practices and personal beliefs into the foreign land did not accomplish the
great things it was meant to.
Religion and education may be two of the most obvious forms of globalization in both of
the novels; however, there are several other smaller things that show how Western cultures are
working their way into that of Africa. First of all, Coetzee mentions several book that he is
reading such as Treasure Island and The Swiss Family Robinson, both of which are classics here

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in the United States. He also talks about going to Boswells Circus, which originated throughout
Europe and America (Ricketts, 1). He states, even the coloured children go, (47) which shows
that this has become a popular tradition for everyone in the area, not just the whites. For Fuller,
there were several Americanized things that stood out. At one point she became sick from
drinking contaminated water, something that is very common in Africa, and in order to make her
feel better and get some nutrients, she starting drinking Coke. Just like the Circus, Coca-Cola is
a product that has been adopted by almost everyone living in Africa.
There is no clear cut answer as to whether or not globalization is good or bad. There are
practices like education that can be extremely hard to globalize in countries where there is no
prior education system and there are things like religion that can develop about the world much
easier, even though some people may not accept the practices. There are also small parts of our
culture such as literature, leisure activities and foods and drinks that somehow end up becoming
popular in areas far away from us. At times, globalization can be used to better societies.
Foreigners coming to the United States for education helps our economy and can also help them
better their country if they choose to return with their degree. On the other hand, it can also harm
societies by taking away their traditional practices and beliefs and replacing them with that of the
foreigners in order to make themselves feel at home. One thing to be learned from both of the
novels is that culture is a vast part of our identity and when we are not surrounded by a culture
we feel we belong to, we often feel a sense of isolation and confusion. This is why certain
degrees of globalization can make our world a better place for everyone.

Works Cited
Echtler, Magnus. Books Reviews. Numen 58 (2011) 129151. Web. 8 May 2016.
MacDonald, Jeffrey. Study: Christianity grows exponentially in Africa. USA Today. 20
December 2011. Web. 10 May 2016.
Mckenna, Laura. The Globalization of Americas Colleges. The Atlantic. 18 November 2015.
Web. 7 May 2016.
Omolewa, Michael. Adult Literacy in Africa: The Push and Pull Factors. International Review
of Education (2008) 54:697-711. Web. 9 May 2016.

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Perez, Yolanda. Book Reviews Journal of Religion in Africa 39 (2009) 462-469. Web. 8 May
2016.
Ricketts, Charles. The Boswells: The Story of a South African Circus. circusfederation.org.
Web. 10 May 2016.

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