"So Near Yet So Far". Isolationism and the Cultural Future of a Globalising World.

Abstract

This paper investigates the ever complexifying notion of culture from an anthropological perspective, in an effort to both improve our understandings of its nature, and to suggest how it will be forced to adapt into a future which is defined by globalisation and mass immigration, challenging many of its traditional conceptions. In examining the relationship between culture and two of its principal developmental forces (law and religion) the paper provides in depth analysis of the anthropological and political perspectives pertaining to globalisation which offer commentary on the role of culture in a global future. In light of these perspectives, the paper concludes by discussing historical precedent as a reflection of fundamental human nature and the implications of those two factors on our cultural future.