Ch 7, 8, & 10

Developing A Need For Social Status And Cultural Identity

The globalization of civilization created many changes in human societies. Primarily these changes were the result of increasing interaction between people of different cultures and regions. Cross-cultural interaction changed the patterns of developing civilizations making it harder to establish and maintain a unique identity. Cultural identity became increasingly dependant on social status and superiority, since globalized trade generated so much change within society.

Change in society resulted from interactions with strangers or different people. Globalized commerce in the form of cross-cultural trading increased interactions between people of different civilizations, cultures, and regions. Cross-cultural trade interactions changed economic practices and trade interactions and the patterns of how civilizations developed.

Cross-cultural contact created local cosmopolitan regions emerging from trade and migration, and new states and empires were established to facilitate trade. Long-distance trade changed the values, ideals, morality, and social structures of societies through sharing new Ideas , technology, and religion.

Trade primarily revolved around the transportation of luxury goods. Focus on trading luxury goods had little direct impact on most people, but it did have economic and social consequences.

People began to change their work to participate in the global-trade process. Farmers began to produces less food crops and more luxury related And peoplewho had good geographical locations among the trade routes could benefit greatly from long-distance trade.

Luxury goods befame to be symbols of social status. Social status was used as a means to establish social order, structure, and identity. Social status was maintained through a sense of superiority.

In China the sense of superiority over outside peoples was maintained through a system which reinforced these ideas through, words, actions, and traditions. Western Europeans used Christianity to help unify people and establish cultural identity.

Consequences of patterns of globalized commerce and cross-cultural interactions include the disintegration of ethics and morality. Globalized commerce reinforced the need for social superiority.