Homeland vs. globeland
Who are we? What is our identity? How do we perceive ourselves? How do we differ from other people and what is so special and unique in our nations and countries? Do we feel like citizens of the world living in one common ‘globeland’ or do we still miss our homeland while being abroad? And finally, what is our identity? Those were the questions some participants of the M100 Media Workshops were asked.
We are now living in the globalisation era. The world has changed, so has the national identity and cultural borders with cheap airlines, Internet, mass media, mixture of cultures and no barriers. The world is closer than we think. The world has become the ‘globeland’. People perceive themselves in a different way than, for example, one hundred years ago. They are not closed in their countries’ borders or cultural limitations anymore. They are seeking something new and trying to find themselves in a new way.
One could say that one of the most negative effects of globalisation is the destruction of cultural and national identity. I agree with that a 100%, says Yegor Samusenko from Ukraine. Bori Cserős from Hungary disagrees – It all depends on people. Of course, globalisation could destroy the culture, but only if we let it. In my opinion we can not close the door, because we will be left alone. Gesine Westphal from Germany adds that globalisation is good for cultural diversity. Thanks to the fact that our cultures reach a higher level of development. I don’t think we are loosing our identity or traditions. Countries and nations are so mixed and that is just fine! – says this 20-year-old German language and litterature student.
The national identity is not only built on a set of unique features, such as common history, language, traditions. It is more based on the individual sense of belonging to concrete nation or ethnic group. While describing ourselves, our affiliation group, such as family, local community, neighbours and our nation we need to have a look not only on how we perceive ourselves, but also understand how we are seen by others and what differs us from them. Bori says that in the case of Hungary it has a very specific language, beautiful girls and big, but still not discovered, know-how potential. Yegor, who works for Kyiv Student Council, thinks that calmness is a specific Ukrainian state of mind that differ his nation from others. When you see on TV some political or economic crisis, you are sure nothing serious will happen. We got used to unstable politics.
I asked Bori, assistant at Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, how did the EU enlargement in 2004 changed people from Hungary and if they feel more European now? Hungarians usually are very pessimistic - she says - and we always find something to complain about. Before the EU the problem was ‘we are not in the Union’ and now it is ‘we are there’. In the last century Hungary had lost almost 2/3 of its territory and there are about 2 million Hungarians living abroad. Now almost all countries they live in are in the EU and that will help them in finding their identity again. Yegor, talks about possible Ukraine’s membership in the European Union and changes in the identity, smiles and says that for sure there will be changes.
Being a part of a nation, understanding who you are, what your origins are and feeling some kind of sentiment towards the place you call ‘home’ make us being more aware of our identity. But the feeling of homesick is not important for Gesine, who feels herself as a citizen of the world. Of course I miss my family and friends while being abroad, she says. But I don’t need or miss any special German food or traditions. I try to mix and develop my own philosophical opinion and attitude. I want to go to America or England someday, just to get impressions of other cultures. In contradiction, Bori can’t imagine herself living abroad for longer period, mainly because of the language and different cultures. Being and feeling Hungarian is very important for me, she summarises. I live in Kyiv, capital city of Ukraine, – says Yegor – where Ukrainian and Russian cultures meet and I am influenced by that. But I can say I feel European.
As we see, there is no easy answer to the identity problem question. And there is no winner of ‘homeland vs. globeland’ challenge. Some people perceive themselves as ‘world citizens’ and the national identity plays a marginal role in their lives. Sometimes we feel like being home in a place that is 1000 km away from home and sometimes we feel like foreigners in our own city, says Yegor. And, on the other hand, there are some people who are closely connected with their nation and country, treating national identity as an important thing. It’s hard to predict how the situation will look like in the next one hundred years.
Posted in 2006+07 M100| 02.09.07
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