EUROPE AND CHINA: CULTURAL CLASHES OR CULTURAL BLENDING?
EUROPE AND CHINA: CULTURAL CLASHES OR CULTURAL BLENDING?

Summary/Abstract: The whole world went through a continuous process of change after the IIWW. It was believed that this change would create a new level of conflict for the big civilizations – the cultural level (Huntington, 1993). Starting from the predictions of the past this study follows the impact of technology and globalization on the clashes of civilizations. We argue in this paper that technology and globalization influenced the development of politics and cultures, and pushed them towards toleration. The study analyzes the change of society at both macro and micro levels. For that, we concentrate on the case of Europe and China. Consequently we understand that at a macro level the liberal democratic societies are engines that sustain cultural blending because of their policies oriented towards cultural equality to avoid any economic and political pressures of the economic groups (Carens, 1997). At the opposite pole, we have the example of China, which represents the model of a state which normally would get into a clash of civilizations, but its economic interdependence does not allow to maintain its power if separating from the global market. At a micro level, we analyze the impact of technology and the neo-liberal markets on individuals. As a result, we highlight that technology, access to information, and the capacity of different nations to connect influenced social thinking. We found that the way the neoliberal market has influenced people has brought people closer instead of clashing.

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