The modern world is not in vain called international. At the end of the 19th century, a process began, later called globalization, and going on at an ever-accelerating pace to the present day. It is represented by many diverse phenomena, the most important of which can be called a “dialogue of cultures”, or, if simpler, cultural exchange. Indeed, the media, more advanced (compared to the XIX and earlier centuries) transport, stable ties between nations - all this makes inevitable and necessary constant cooperation in all spheres of society.
Features of international society
With the development of television and the Internet, everything that happens in one state becomes almost immediately known to the whole world. That is what has become the main cause of globalization. So they call the process of unification of all countries of the world into a single, universal, community. And first of all it is expressed in cultural exchange. This is, of course, not only the emergence of "international" languages and international projects related to art (such as, for example, "Eurovision"). The word "culture" here must be understood in a broader sense: like all types and results of human transformative activity. Simply put, this can be called everything that was created by people:
- objects of the material world, from sculptures and temples to computers and furniture;
- all ideas and theories formed by the human mind;
- economic systems, financial institutions and methods of commercial activity;
- languages of the world, as the most obvious manifestation of the "soul" of each particular nation;
- scientific concepts;
- religions of the world that have also undergone a major change in the age of globalization;
- and of course, everything that directly relates to art: painting, literature, music.
If you look at the manifestations of the culture of the modern world, you can see that almost any of them has some "international" features. This can be a genre popular in all countries (for example, avant-garde or street art), the use of world-famous symbols and archetypes, etc. The exception is the works of folk culture. However, this was not always the case.
Cultural exchange: good or harm?
It has long been known that peoples who choose a policy of self-isolation develop much more slowly than countries that maintain close contacts with their neighbors. This is clearly seen in the examples of medieval China or Japan until the end of the 19th century. On the one hand, these countries have a rich own culture, successfully preserve their ancient customs. On the other hand, many historians have noted that such states inevitably “stiffen”, and adherence to traditions is gradually replaced by stagnation. It turns out that the exchange of cultural values is the main development of any civilization? Modern researchers are sure that this is indeed so. And there are many examples in the history of the world.
Dialogue of cultures in primitive society
In ancient times, each tribe lived as a separate group and contacts with "strangers" were random (and, as a rule, extremely aggressive) in nature. Collision with a foreign culture most often occurred during military raids. Any alien a priori was considered an enemy, and his fate was sad.
The situation began to change when, from gathering and hunting, tribes began to move first to nomadic cattle breeding, and then to agriculture. Emerging surpluses of products have led to the emergence of trade, and, therefore, stable ties between neighbors. In the following centuries, it was the merchants who became not only suppliers of necessary products, but also the main sources of information about what is happening in other lands.
First empires
However, cultural exchange has gained great importance with the advent of slave civilizations. Ancient Egypt, Sumer, China, Greece - none of these states can be imagined without constant aggressive campaigns. Together with slaves and war trophies, the invaders brought home and fragments of a foreign culture: material values, works of art, customs and beliefs. In turn, in the conquered territories, a foreign religion was often implanted, new traditions appeared, and quite often there were changes in the languages of conquered peoples.
Relations between countries in the New and Modern times
The development of trade and subsequently great geographical discoveries made the exchange of cultural experience a necessity and an important condition for the prosperity of peoples. Silks, spices, and expensive weapons were brought from Europe to the East. From America - tobacco, corn, potatoes. And with them - a new fashion, habits, features of everyday life.
In English, Dutch, and French New Age paintings, one can often see representatives of the noble class smoking a pipe or hookah, playing chess from Persia or laying in a robe on a Turkish ottoman. Colonies (and hence the constant export of material values from the conquered countries) became the key to the greatness of the largest empires of the second millennium. A similar situation was observed in our country: Russian nobles wore a German dress, spoke French and read Byron in the original. The ability to discuss the latest trends in Parisian fashion or events on the London Stock Exchange was considered an important sign of good education.
XX and XXI centuries dramatically changed the situation. After all, at the end of the 19th century a telegraph appeared, then a telephone and a radio. The time when news from France or Italy came to Russia two to three weeks late was over. Now international cultural exchange meant not just borrowing individual habits, words or methods of production, but practically merging all developed countries into a colorful one, but having some common features in the global community.
Dialogue of cultures in the XXI century
Archaeologists of the future, who will excavate modern megacities, will not easily understand what kind of people belonged to a particular city. Cars from Japan and Germany, shoes from China, watches from Switzerland … The list goes on and on. In any educated family, on the bookshelf, the masterpieces of Russian classics stand side by side with Dickens, Coelho and Murakami, versatile knowledge is an indicator of the success and intelligence of a person.
The importance and necessity of exchanging cultural experience between countries has been proven long ago and unconditionally. In fact, such a “dialogue” is the key to the normal existence and continuous development of any modern state. Its manifestation can be seen in all areas. The most striking examples of cultural exchange are:
- film festivals (for example, Cannes, Berlin), which feature films of various countries;
- various international awards (for example, the Nobel, Laskerovskaya for achievements in medicine, the Asian Shao Prize, etc.).
- award ceremonies in the field of cinema (Oscar, Teffi, etc.).
- international sports events that attract fans from all over the world.
- famous festivals such as Oktoberfest, the Indian Holi festival of colors, famous Brazilian carnivals, Mexican Day of the Dead and the like.
And, of course, we must not forget that the plots of world pop culture these days, as a rule, are international. Even the film adaptation of a classic or a work on a mythological plot often has elements of other cultures. A vivid example is the inter-author cycle of “free sequels” of Sherlock Holmes novels or films of the Marvel film company, in which American culture is closely mixed, borrowings from the Scandinavian epos, echoes of eastern esoteric practices, and much more.
Dialogue of Cultures and the Bologna System
The question of the internationalization of education is becoming ever more acute. Nowadays, there are many universities, the diploma of which gives a person the opportunity to be employed not only in his native country, but also abroad. However, not all educational institutions possess such high authority. In Russia today, only a few universities can boast of international recognition:
- Tomsk University;
- SPbSU;
- Bauman Technical University;
- Tomsk Polytechnic;
- Novosibirsk State University;
- and, of course, Moscow State University, the famous Lomonosovka.
Only they provide a truly high-quality education that meets all international standards. In this area, the need to exchange cultural experience forms the basis of economic cooperation between states. Incidentally, it was precisely with a view to internationalizing education that Russia switched to the Bologna two-tier system.
