Readings in Global Cultures’

Writings (From session one to the

last) : “Prof.Bennis’ lectures,
Grp.3”.

Hello everyone,

This PDF file contains all the material we've covered in Bennis's lectures, from the very
beginning up to the most recent session. It includes everything we've done so far.

I’d like to extend a big thank you to everyone who contributed by sharing their notes,
which helped make this document possible. It's meant to assist students who couldn’t
attend classes due to personal circumstances.

Please take the time to read through it carefully, and if you notice any mistakes or
inaccuracies, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Best of luck with your studies!

Session 1: Readings in Global Cultures:

(Dominant = Hegemonic).

Culture is a set of values, beliefs, traditions, customs, practices, rituals, identities, behaviors, etc.
In brief, culture is a whole way of life; that is, a lifestyle. Culture is not stagnant; it is changing.
Flexible, fluid cultures change according to generations' needs and aspirations. Every generation
develops its own culture, mindset, vision, and needs. As a practical example, the current
generation has come up with a new culture based on or shaped by digital technology, which
characterizes generation Z, or digital natives. Today, new technology is the shaping force of the E
(electronic) generation. Smartphones, laptops, smartwatches, AI, social media. This fact
enhances the change in flexible aspects of culture.

Cultures are different, numerous, multiple, and diverse. Every group, community, and society
produces or generates their own culture, which leads to cultural diversity. In this context, every
society or nation has their own cultural shape (framework).
Arab cultures are quite different from Amazigh cultures.
- Jewish cultures: "Tyler" defines culture as "that complex whole which includes knowledge,
beliefs, arts, morals, law, customs, and any capabilities and habits acquired by a human as a
member of society.
In the light of this quotation, culture gives/provides people with a sense of
belonging/membership affiliation.
Thanks to culture, people become active members of their societies. Culture is not inborn,
innate. It is learned and acquired. It is learned through socialization in family, environments, and
society.
"Raymond Williams" believes: "culture is ordinary; every human society has its own shape, its
own purposes, its own meanings... we use the word culture to mean a whole way of life."

According to this quotation, all cultures are the same/equal.

In theory, but in practice, cultures are not always equal/flagrant.
The whole world is dominated by one global culture, which is America. Another example of
culture hegemonic is stereotypes and discrimination. All of these are cultural practices.

Session 2: Readings in Global Cultures:

Cultures are not the same; they differ from one space/context to another. Most cultures develop
their own specificities and traditions. However, in practice, some cultures are more dominant
and hegemonic than others. They hold or possess the means (elements) of power worldwide;
they have the potential to

Cultures are not the same; they differ from one space/context to another. Most cultures develop
their own specificities and traditions. However, in practice, some cultures are more dominant
and hegemonic than others. They hold/possess the means (elements) of power worldwide; they
have the potential to spread/distribute their cultures and values to other less powerful nations.

As an example, American cultures and values have become global/universal ways of

life/lifestyles. These American practices have been adopted/assimilated by local cultures,
Moroccan context, for example, "youth" especially, are massively influenced by American
products, dress, fast food, technology, smartphones, smart watches, and social media.

This is why less powerful nations are acculturated by more powerful cultures. This cultural
interaction gives way/leads to hybridity, through which less powerful cultures consume
dominant cultural values.

As a conclusion, culture is a human product. It shapes people's lives, values, identities, visions,
worldview, and the correlation/relation between powerful and powerless nations.

Culture also refers to stereotypes, gender relationships, center and periphery (margin), etc.

Globalization refers to the act or process of the transmission, movement, flow, and sharing of
cultures, values, capitals, people, ideas, ideologies, power, and relations.
Thanks to globalization, the world has become shrunk or reduced to a small village or global
village.

Through globalization, the world has been reshaped, redefined metaphorically,

trespassing/going beyond geographical borders/frontiers/boundaries. As a lucid example, we
can travel, navigate, and move through nations, cultures, and spaces on the Internet or
cyberspace.

Social media provides opportunities for users to communicate, interact, and share knowledge
and information, which confirms that we live in a small global village.

The global village/globalization has been facilitated by new technologies, which have accelerated
or increased the speed, pace, and condition of interconnectedness between the world's nations.

The world has never been so connected/close as nowadays; people don't need to travel on the
ground, sky, or physically; they just need to immerse themselves in their digital devices to
discover and learn about other cultures, which become global cultures.
Globalization has been accelerated due to global connectivity. Today's nations are densely
interdependent economically, socially, and culturally, which reinforces the dynamics of
globalization.

Globalization has always been part of human mobility/movement through colonialism,

immigration, and expansionism. However, modern globalization often dates back. To the 1970s,
the invention/emergence/rise of new technologies.

Session 3: Readings in Global Cultures:

Ibn Battuta was a traveler, explorer, geographer, Moroccan writer, adventurer, and passionate
for travel. He was also courageous, full of power; he traveled 120,000 kilometers starting from
Morocco to North Africa, Egypt, Palestine, Asia, especially India and China, Africa, Andalusia, and
back to Morocco (Tangier). Ibn Battuta wrote a travel book called "Rehla."

His book belongs to the tradition of travel literature (Autobiography Book). In this book, Ibn
Batota wrote about travel and his discoveries of other cultures, peoples (nations), places,
countries, traditions, ways of life, and religious practices/rituals. Ibn Battouta was also a jurist
and devoted Muslim with a special tendency toward Tassawof "Sufism." Through his travels, Ibn
Battouta achieved cultural encounters and relationships, discovering new or known cultures. Ibn
Battouta's travels help in reducing geographical distance between peoples, which anticipates
what is called nowadays globalization. For example, through his book "Rehla," we Moroccans can
discover Indian, Egyptian, Persian, and Chinese cultures and traditions, which lead to cultural
and geographical interconnectedness. Ibn Battouta has set up the building blocks of
globalization in today's world. Ibn Battouta witnessed the rise and fall of Islamic civilizations,
especially in Andalusia. (The Chinese are all infidel.)

Ibn Battouta is describing them from his Muslim background; he's judging them, adopting a
religious value judgment. He implies that the Chinese are cursed by God (Melediction-
Benediction) "cursed by God, and the destiny will be hell." Here we can see, observe, and detect
a cultural shock/clash; he is providing minute details about Chinese cultures, provinces, towns,
and the Muslim minority in China.

His description of China is not objective but influenced/mediated by his own perspective/point
of view; there is an implicit comparison between the Chinese who eat the flesh of dogs and
swine, which is prohibited in Islam. He is shocked and astonished by these strange and
unexpected practices. He is portraying the luxurious lives of Chinese who are fond of pleasure
and hedonistic (the love of pleasure). He is also differentiated between people who live in luxury
and those who live in poverty. Ibn Battouta is trying to provide a holistic or comprehensive view
of Chinese land and cultures as well as strange habits (from a Muslim point of view), seeking to
narrow the cultural and geographical distance/gap.
"Ibn Battouta" managed to make himself popular and famous among kings, which facilitated his
travel adventure journey. His travel was marked by a series of troubles and obstacles, either by
sea or land. He also refers to temples in Shrien (a place of worship), where Chinese practice their
religious rituals. He is also keen on showing the place of Muslims in China by referring to
"Sheikh" and "the mosque." He is narrating in a story-telling form his experiences, the
merchants, the kings, and the infidels. He also refers to Chinese craftsmanship in the ways they
build up their cities, towns, and houses.

As a conclusion, Ibn Battouta has left a valuable heritage through his perinnial book "Rehla,"
which continues to fascinate the readers, travelers, and researchers.
He had left an indellible impact on Islamic history in terms of geography, cultures, people's
traditions and habits, and jurisprudence because he was also a jurist. He has also experimented
with "Adab al Rehla," or "Travel Literature," which is a form of autobiography through which the
traveler/explorer narrates/tells/recounts his discoveries and adventures using his own point of
view. He is one of the Moroccan gems in history.

Session 4: Readings In Global Cultures:

1- Text of “The travels Of Ibn Batuta” :

Ibn Batuta’s Vocabulary:

Infidel : people who are against religion.

Desolated : to make people suffer/unhappy.

Addicted : Obsession with a certain object/habit.

Immense : Huge.

Coarsest : Harsh.

Plentiful : a lot / abundant.

Custom : habit / tradition.

Melt down : Dissolve.

Knead it : to paste bread.

Scarcely : rarely.

Vessel : ship / pot.

Require : necessitate / entail.

Concubine : mistress.

Co-habitation : having children andlive together without marriage.

2- Text of “American Chick In Saudi Arabia, A Memoir...etc”

(You will find them in the copy center).

American Chick In Saudi Arabia’s vocabulary:

A young girl / informal term: Chick.

Inflamed : to make things worse.

Wild : savage / living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated.

Callous : showing or having an insensitive and cruel disregard for others.

Riot : a violent disturbance of the peace by a crowd.

Veil : a piece of fine material worn by women to protect or conceal the face.

Mutawah : a person.

Cautioned : warned (warning).

Modest : humble.

Discovered : find out / to find information, a place or an object, especially for the first time.

More details:

It’s an autobiography of a young girl telling her life in Saudi Arabia, she is being impressionistic, highly
stereotypical, vituperate, She is criticizing Saudi Arabia and also portraying its culture in a negative
light.

From her own perspective/point of view (a western position), she is being subjective.

Binary opposition between the West and East (Non-muslims Versus Muslims). Through history, there
has been stereotyping of Arab Islamic culture/civilization, where the white has always considered
himself in a vantage position, well mannered, and more powerful, in contrast to the other side that has
always been powerless, irrational, etc.

They were always considered living in prehistory, disturbed by lust (sexual desire), "lustful.".
She intends to dramatize/aggravate the life in Saudi Arabia, extremist fanatic, while the Westerns fail
to see us as we are, but they see us as they wish in order to keep the gap between us and
civilization. She is adopting a Western critic attitude. Her purpose is to orient the reader and shape
the reader's interpretations; she aims/her goal is to make the reader sympathize with Saudi Arabian
women.

Women follow the Saudi Arabian dress code, which abides by Islamic rules and restrictions. The
writer does not seem to be aware of Islamic laws and traditions; she judges people according to her
Western background; she is implicitly/invisibly making comparisons between eastern women and
western women.
Session 5: Readings In Global Cultures:

The author is telling or narrating her experience in Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country that follows
or pursues Islamic Sharia law. In English, it is called "jurisprudence." She does not manage to
cope with or deal with this Islamic law and culture, which she considers strange, weird, and
queer. She is furious, frustrated, and outraged at women's rights and position/situation in Saudi
Arabia. She adopts Western vision, scope, and stance based on stereotypes/prejudices.

Saudi Arabia represents the Middle East as dangerous, scary, and uncomfortable, especially for
women. She insists on the fact that being a woman, a foreigner, means danger and insecurity,
especially for those without a scarf or veil. Wearing a scarf in Islamic society is a rule and a
culture, a way of life. She is compiling a feeling—a mood of fear, anxiety. She does not feel safe,
especially in front of the powerful athletes like Mutawah, who resembles a frightening monster
according to her biased point of view.

The story revolves around cultural clashes and encounters between East and West, where the
writer is altogether swayed by her western cultural background; the words, vocabulary, and
lexicon used in the narrative (text) reflect epitomize (summarize) a whole western culture and
mindset about the other non-white. The author keeps aggravating the same aura of fear,
despair, and apprehension. By doing so, she intends to draw the reader to adopt her point of
view. She's also depicted a parchal aspect of Saudi Arabia, the Mutawah, who is represented as a
man without feelings, a machine-like figure programmed to harm and inflect pain on women
who do not respect or comply with law.

Women are left to their destiny and fate, especially those who do not comply with rules and
laws. Here, we are engaged with a patriarchal or male-dominant society. Once again, the writer
does not seem to fathom Middle Eastern culture and society; she is situating herself in a
superior, vantage position. As a conclusion, this memoir, an autobiography, reflects and
represents a stereotypical or orientalist vision of Saudi Arabia or the Middle East. She depicts life
as being filled with fear, shock, insecurity, violence, and deprivation of especially women's rights.

By Abdessamad Nf