Culture, Globalization, Educators Speak

Beginning of article

Byline: Dolores Baja Lasan, Ph.D.

THIS paper proposes an educational approach to culture in an era of globalization.

It advances the proposition that the study and understanding of the culture prevailing in one country must now be analyzed and understood in relation to cultural practices of other countries in order to enhance relationship patterns in a globalized world towards a more meaningful process of globalization; that while preserving cultural uniqueness, culture must now be seen more as a unifying rather than a differentiating factor in the scheme of human affairs by focusing on the meaning of the parts of a whole over and above how parts are combined to make a whole. The assumption is that there is something universal in the ultimate essence of each part of a whole culture which could facilitate a more egalitarian filtering down and sharing of the economic benefits from globalization.

Culture and education

Culture is at the heart of education in all countries of the world. Traditionally, educational institutions are anchored on the culture of the people they purport to serve in order to nurture a national identity.

In the Philippines, culture education seeks to develop a Filipino sense of identity which hopefully will translate itself into a consideration of the national patrimony over and above oneself. It is not within the purview of this paper to assess whether this particular goal of culture education is being achieved by …