The Impact of Cultural Globalisation on Identity Formation among the Malaysian Chinese

Globalisation has been a widely contested concept, a term bandied about since the 1980s. In general it implies a breaking down of boundaries of time and space. Supporters of globalisation separate their analysis of the effects of globalisation into three major dimensions - economic, political, and cultural. The focus of this paper is on the latter - the cultural. The impact of cultural globalisation on the socialisation process which forms social identity for individuals is of interest. A major concern is whether globalisation has led to cultural homogenisation or cultural differentiation. The author hence attempts to answer this question with the case study of the Malaysian Chinese, who have historically been divided into two main groups - the Chinese-educated, and the non-Chinese educated, diverging in terms of values, aspirations, and lifestyles. Was there a division of cultural capital among Chinese-educated and non-Chinese educated Malaysian Chinese, prior to globalisation? After globalisation (circa 1980s), did these differences still remain? Did the two main groups become homogenised instead? Or hybridised? Does this prove or reject the hyperglobalist point of view that there is cultural homogenisation, and if it is proved, is it free-market driven? What are its mechanisms, in terms of the process of socialisation? A survey questionnaire was distributed to 200 respondents from three institutions of higher education in Malaysia, centering in the capital city – the locus of globalising activity. Three institutions were selected for their representativeness of the two Malaysian Chinese groups, and one was selected as a control group, containing a mixture of both. The results show that respondents are aware of the impact of globalisation and that certain attitudes and practices have been altered as compared to historical trends, as a result.