NEB Grade-11 (English) Unit 17 What Lost Identity? The Diaspora and Globalisation -by Abdalhadi Alijla (Globalisation and Diaspora)

 

Unit 17

Globalisation and Diaspora

What Lost Identity? The Diaspora and Globalisation -by Abdalhadi Alijla

 

“Globalisation is a strategy of liberalisation that becomes an economic nightmare for the poor.”                                        - Anonymous

A diaspora (प्रवासी/फैलाव) is a scattered population whose origin lies in a separate geographic locale. Historically, the word diaspora was used to refer to the mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous territories, specifically the dispersion of Jews.

Globalization (भूमण्डलीकरण) is the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale.

Before you read

a.  Why do you think people leave their home countries?

People leave their home countries for higher education, employment, fun, knowledge of culture, rituals and places and so on.

b.  Do they have their cultural identity in other countries?

No, they do not have their cultural identity in other countries in the sense their cultural identity get lost among the dominant other cultural identities.

c. What happens when one’s identity is lost?

When one’s identity is lost, he/she finds himself/herself missing among other cultures. He/she has only the feeling of nostalgia, recollections and so on.

d.  How is culture globalised?

When one is found dominant all over the world and people of other  countries also follow and valorizes the same culture as their own culture, culture is globalised. It takes place due to its popularity, good sides, and many more traits publicized by people all over the world.

 

What Lost Identity? The Diaspora and Globalisation : Main Points  

-by Abdalhadi Alijla 

• Abdalhadi Alijla’s What Lost Identity? The Diaspora and Globalisation, written and published in April 30, 2013 in What's Texas without the twang is about the voices in the globalised world by the locals reflecting how people get lost their identity as they shift from one country to another for betterment of life.

•  In the opening of the article, Alijla talks about nearly 5 million Palestinians refugees and More than two million live in Western Europe and North America. They left their country to find a better life and better economic opportunities as they were denied from their basic human rights in their country.

•  He says that no institution, government, group or people can clinically separate the young generations from the huge waves of technological advancement that shape and form this global culture which is, after all, part of our new global identity but after all they are not same. It also indicates that the global culture is formed by the young generations through their huge waves of technological advancement. Thus, it is  Cultural identity which provides the global significance of local knowledge to global level.

                       

§  According to the author, many immigrants have started their own businesses in their new homes but the case was just opposite about 20 years ago which illustrates how the existence of immigrants can foster economics at different magnitudes of scale. Though this needs time; starting from learning the language, integrating culturally, and with  the labour market. Immigrants can foster economy at different magnitudes of scale in their new homes by starting their own businesses in their new homes.

§  The author further says that Currently, many schools in Sweden are teaching Arabic as a second language for immigrants and provide students with halal food. Integration programs do not fail because immigrants are unwilling to be part of the new society, but because society does not open its doors fully to allow them to integrate. Furthermore, people are unwilling to be part of the new society.

§  The number of multinational corporations and businesses are increasing because of the increasing number of immigrants in the receiving countries.   This will boost an economic, political and cultural interaction between the two sides. Governments of Europe and North America should start their integration programs by encouraging newcomers to establish their own businesses that link them to their homeland. This will make it easier to understand, smoothly integrate and contribute to the economy.

§  Last and least,  the writer says that the most newcomers are guests and must leave a positive impression when they leave, or they are part of this society and they must adapt with it and build their future in conjunction with their new surroundings which not only will flourish their business and enhance their familial status from before but also they will have a sense of belongingness in the residing state.

 

Ways with words

A.   Choose the words from the box for the following meanings.

                     (confront, refugee, ravage, assimilation, enclave, usurp )

a.      the severely damaging or destructive effects of something -ravage

b.     someone forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster -refugee

c.      to face a difficult situation -confront

d.     take a position of power or importance illegally or by force  -usurp

e.      the process of becoming a part of a group, country, society, etc.  –assimilation

f.       an area within a larger territory whose inhabitants are culturally or ethnically distinct  -enclave

 

B. Collocation refers to words that are found together in spoken and written language. Collocations can be either fixed, where it is difficult to replace one of the words with an alternative, or freer, allowing for more choice of words. The most common types of collocation are:

•                   Verb + noun  -accept responsibility

•                   Adjective + noun  -firm determination

•                   Verb + adjective + noun  -make steady progress

•                   Adverb + verb  -strongly recommend

•                   Adverb + adjective  -completely useless

•                   Adverb + adjective + noun  -totally unacceptable behaviour

•                   Adjective + preposition   -accused of

•                   Noun+ noun  -window frame

C.  Fill in the gaps with the correct word from the brackets.

a.I asked him if he was attending the ceremony and he …… his head 'no'. (shook/moved/ nodded) –shook

b. They made a horrible decision which caused …… damage to our company. (hopeless/ inflexible/irreparable) –irreparable

c. The leaders need to break down …… so as to create favorable environment in the nation. (barriers/obstacles/hindrances)  -barriers

d.   You ought to talk to the manager to ……the dispute. (solve/settle/clear up) -settle

e. Perhaps this issue will not get much media …… (security/examination/ coverage)  - coverage

f. This week is the first week of Joan as an in-charge. Everything is running …… (smoothly/ calmly/ easily) –smoothly

g.   I haven't read the text thoroughly, but given a … glance. (fast/quick/rapid)  -quick

                     

Comprehension

Answer the following questions.

a.      Why did millions of Palestinians leave their country?

Millions of Palestinians left their country to find a better life and better economic opportunities as they were denied from their basic human rights in their country.

b.     How is the global culture formed? Is cultural identity possible even in the global culture? Justify.

The global culture is formed by the young generations through their huge waves of technological advancement. 

Yes, Cultural identity is possible even in the global culture saying that we should not confuse cultural identity with global culture. In this new era of globalization, people are more concerned with their  uniqueness and particularity of their own culture. Thus, it is  Cultural identity which provides the global significance of local knowledge to global level.

 

c. Why can moving from one side of the world to the other be an economic challenge for newcomers?

Moving from one side of the world to the other can be an economic challenge for newcomers because this needs time; starting from learning the language, integrating culturally, and with  the labour market.

d. How can immigrants foster economy at different magnitudes of scale in their new homes?

Immigrants can foster economy at different magnitudes of scale in their new homes by starting their own businesses in their new homes.

e.  Can immigrants fully integrate in the new societies? Give reasons.

No, immigrants can't fully integrate in the new societies because of following reasons:

Ø Society does not permit its door fully  for them to integrate.

Ø They are unwilling to be part of the new society.

Ø They have negative effects in the new places.

f.       Mention any two benefits of integrating into a new society for the immigrants.

       i.  Immigrants will have equal opportunities in several fields like learning, management, engagement and self-esteem.

     ii. They can build a solid bridge between the two cultures and develop the feelings of co-operations and understandings.

  iii.   They can enhance their economic as well as cultural status

g. Why should the immigrants run in concordance (computing/ agreement) with global culture?

 The immigrants should run in concordance with global culture due to followings:

       i.            They may face the sense of isolation in the new place.

     ii.            They can have the fear of losing identity and their culture in the new country.

  iii.            They want to flourish their business and enhance their familial status from before.

 

Critical thinking

a.      Do you think that the local is globalised and the global is localised? Can there be the global culture as well? Give examples

•      Ofcourse, local is globalised and global is localised. Localization is the adaptation of a resource or product to fit the demands of one specific culture or locale, while globalization is the adaption of a particular resource to fit the demands of multiple cultures and locales. Localization makes a resource accessible to an audience of a specific locale, while globalization makes a resource accessible by people from different cultures and locales. Localization conveys value to a specific audience, while globalization makes a resource acceptable by people from different cultures and locales. Thus, they are intermingled to each other.

• Yes, there can be global culture as well. It simply means a set of shared experiences, norms, symbols and ideas that unite people at the global level.  Cultures can exist at the global, national, regional, city, neighborhood, subculture and super culture levels. For instance, Sports such as soccer, running and swimming that are enjoyed on an international basis. Soccer fans in the United Kingdom and Japan may have different traditions but enjoy a shared experience.

b.     What is globalisation? Discuss the effects of globalization on traditional cultures.

Globalisation is the process by which the world is becoming increasingly interconnected as a result of massively increased trade and cultural exchange. Globalisation has increased the production of goods and services. It is the speedup of movements and exchanges (of human beings, goods, and services, capital, technologies or cultural practices) all over the planet.

 The effects of globalization on tradition culture are:

Ø The transformation of traditional religions and belief systems.

Ø The beginning of the disintegration of the traditional social fabrics and shared norms by consumerism.

Ø Introduction of cyber-culture, new religions.

Ø  Changing work ethics and work rhythms.

Ø Reduction in cultural diversity.

Ø Increasing hegemonic control in the name of free trade and freedom of communication at all levels.

b.     Discuss the impacts of globalization on the process and progress of education in Nepal.

Ø Globalization is accelerated in recent decades in many aspects of development by providing both opportunities and threats to all nations.

Ø It is worthwhile to examine the impacts of globalization and education in development in Nepal. As the country like Nepal is  lagging behind in tapping globalization for national development.  Due to globalisation, there has been many changes found in the country like economic growth, expansion of school systems,  and use of multi-media in the education. It has also helped to explore how strong educational base is instrumental to withstand the increased competition and capitalize the opportunities. It has contributed to enhance labour productivity, technological development together with building social trust and cohesion, advancing competitiveness in global market, and building efficient institutions. €

Ø In this process, education can play a crucial role in optimizing the gains from globalization and ultimately achieving development goals, particularly in less developed countries like Nepal.

                     

Writing

A.   Look at the following news story.

PM Oli, Indian PM Modi Jointly Inaugurate Cross-Border Petroleum Pipeline

RSS

§  : The much awaited interstate petroleum pipeline project has been inaugurated today. PKathmandu, Sept 10 rime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the project from the respective countries.

§   A programme was organized at Singh Durbar for the PM Oli and at Hyderabad House for Indian PM Modi to switch on the project together as the inauguration via the video conference. With the inauguration, petroleum product has arrived in Amlekhgunj, Nepal from India's Motihari. The pipeline is the first cross border project in South Asia.

§  For the first phase, diesel is brought and petrol and kerosene later. The Amlekhgunj, Motihari stretch is 69.2 km long.

§   The pipeline supplies nearly 4,000 kl petroleum product every day, the project said. With the cross border project in place, more than Rs 2 billion is saved which was earlier spent on it transportation.

§  Similarly, as the import cost declined, the price of the petroleum products has been slashed by Nepal Oil Corporation.

§  The NOC cut the price of diesel, petrol and kerosene by Rs 2 per litre. Of the total diesel consumed in the country, 70 percent is supplied from Amlekhgunj.

§   A high level technical team including NOC Executive Director is at Amlekhgung in course of the project inauguration. The NOC and Indian Oil Corporation had agreed in 2004 to construct the interstate pipeline project. It was however stalled for a decade on various reasons.

§   In August 2015, then Minister for Commerce and Supply, Sunil Bahadur Thapa, and his Indian counterpart Dharmendra Pradhan had signed for the construction of the project. Both Nepal and India had special interest on completion of the project.

§   Similarly, PM Oli and the Indian PM Modi had jointly laid the foundation stone to the pipeline in New Delhi during Oli's visit to India.

§   The project cost is 2.75 billion Indian currencies.

§   The programme organized to inaugurate the project at Singha Durbar was attended by Cabinet members, secretaries of various ministries and high level officials of the government.

§  (The Rising Nepal, 10 September 2019)

                     

Read the above news story and answer the given questions.

A.   Questions:

a.      What did PM Oli and PM Modi jointly inaugurate?

b.     What is the first cross border project in South Asia?

c.      How much petroleum product is supplied everyday?

d.     What does NOC stand for?

e.      How much does the project cost?

f.       Where and when was this new published?

B.   Fill in the blanks with appropriate words from the passage.

a.      For the first phase, diesel is brought and ……. later.

b.     The Amlekhgunj Motihari stretch is …… long.

c.      The project cost is 2.75 billion……….

d.     A high level technical team including ……… is at Amlekhgung in course of the project inauguration.

B.   Have you identified the following parts in the above news story?

•      Headline:             title of the news report

•      Byline:                 who wrote the news article

•      Dateline:              where and when the report is written

•    Lead paragraph: expansion of the headline in one or two sentences, usually answering the questions: who? what? where? when? why? how?

•      Body paragraphs: greater detail of the event in                                          chronological order, often in one, two or three paragraphs

C.   Write a news story to be published in a newspaper about a local festival/fair you have witnessed.

•      BAN-MAHOTSAVA

[Deepal Niraula, Cultural Secretary]

•      The environment club of our school, MPSS celebrated Vana-Mahotsava on 24^th Chaitra, 2078 B.S. Our Botany teacher Mr. Tikanath Yadav, set the tone by delivering an illuminating discourse on the importance of the trees in our environment and on the life of human beings. Then, Narendra, the president of the club, informed the assembly of the day’s programme. Some posters and slogans were displayed. These depicted the benefits of trees and the harmful effects of deforestation.

•      The Ban-Mahotsava was inaugurated by the Principal by planting a Neem tree. Teachers and students followed suit. One hundred trees were planted. Each tree was allotted to a group of five or six to take care. Thus the awareness of preserving trees was created showing direct connection of trees to human beings.

 

Grammar : Infinitive and gerund

A.   Study the following examples.

                  It didn't stop raining all day yesterday.

                  She promised to take me there.

                  It started raining or It started to rain.

                  She stopped smoking three years ago.

                  It was hot, so we stopped to have a drink.

 

 

B.   Complete each sentence using what/how/where/whether + one of these verbs:

                        ( apply get do ride use go )

a.      Do you know …… to Rama’s house?        

                  →Do you know how to get to Rama’s house?

b.     I don’t know …… for the job or not.

                  →I don’t know whether to apply for the job or not.

c.      Have you decided …… for your picnic?

                  →Have you decided where to go for your picnic?

d.     Can you show me …… this camera?

                  →Can you show me how to use this camera?

e.      Ask Hari. He’ll tell you …… a bicycle.

                  →He’ll tell you how to ride a bicycle.

f.       I was really astonished. I didn’t know …… on the horse.

                  →I didn’t know how to ride on the horse.

 

C.   Paraphrase the following sentences using the verb in brackets as in the example.

                  Example:  She has lost her weight. (seem)

                          → She seems to have lost her weight.

a.      Mahesh forgets closing the windows. (tend)

                  Mahesh tends to forget closing the windows.

b.     Your car has broken down. (appear)

                  Your car appears to have broken down.

c.      Ashika is worried about her exam. (seem)

                  Ashika seems to be worried about her exam.

d.     They have developed the theory. (claim)

                  They claim to have developed the theory.

e.      He’s enjoying his new job. (pretend)

                  He pretends to be enjoying his new job.

Questions for Practice:

1. They're dancing in the party. (pretend)

2. Sarala is very friendly. (seem)

3. He isn’t very rich. (seem)

4. She's large sum of money.(pretend)

5. They're happy with their family.(tend)

6. He was some kind of businessman. (claim)

7. Her computer software cracked. (appear)

8. She's been working in a hospital for a long time. (seem)

9. They watch television a lot. (pretend)

10. He's lived a very interesting life. (claim)

Any queries...?