IC lecture: ‘Culture amidst globalization’

“The Internet is a world in itself and nearly for itself,” journalist and writer Alfonso Palomares declared in his recent lecture at the Instituto Cervantes on the state of culture and journalism in today’s postmodern, highly technological society.

The Spanish journalist, a close friend and mentor of IC Director José Rodriguez, drew examples from contemporary culture and from personal experiences to illustrate the societal changes that technological advancements, e.g., Internet and the mobile phone, have brought upon mankind in his lecture “Culture and Journalism in the Scene of Globalization”. The new communication technologies are capable of overcoming space and time between peoples on this planet,” he said. “Sports are no longer contained within playing fields, money is no longer exclusive to banks, religion is no longer confined within churches or temples or mosques, and there is no longer just a single sender or originator of messages. . . [Now] The global anatomy is basically formed by computers and mobile phones and millions of silicon chips that make up a digital universe.”

Globalization is the fruit of “technological determinism” and owing to this, “humanity faces the great challenge of ensuring that the progress brought by the Internet and other communication technologies will serve to improve the lives of everyone.” Despite the debates sparked by the issue of globalization,  Palomares sees it as an inevitable and irreversible process. Although it has its “perverse effects,” such as the danger of destroying local, individualized cultures with a global one, he believes that there can be a new global order where information can help break down the domination of first-world powerhouses over developing countries. With this, he looks to his fellow journalists, whom he refers to as “modest laborers of the word,” as essential factors in defending, conserving and enriching the various languages from different cultures. “Culture is what gives sense to the words of a language, hence language is one of the great factors in any culture,” he contended. And as language is not static but rather transforms through time, cultural identity, too, becomes enriched. “The possibility of agreeing to and accepting different cultures has more positive aspects than negative ones, as long as it doesn’t suffocate or drown out a determined culture.”

Palomares went on to use the Spanish language as an example. With Spanish as the third most widely spoken language in the world next to Mandarin Chinese and English, and spoken by almost 500 million people worldwide, it has become the Filipino’s potential passport to becoming a global citizen, while remaining truly Filipino. Citing Instituto Cervantes’ objective of teaching and promoting the Spanish language and culture, Palomares reasoned that Spanish will open windows of opportunities for Filipinos, from being able to directly access the works of Spanish poets and writers to becoming economic players and partners with Spanish-speaking countries. “[José] Rizal and other heroes wrote about independence for the Philippines in Spanish; Rizal wrote in impeccable Spanish,” he reminded the audience, describing how a foreign language can help push forward and promote an individual culture’s identity and ideology, even as far back in history.

“Globalization exists as a technological mark without frontiers, a reality that one must consider in order to achieve a more equal world,” Palomares told his audience of professionals and students. “I wish that this great country, the geographical beauty that is the Philippines, will not only be a globalized country but also be an active agent for globalization.”

Palomares was formerly president and director general of the Spanish news agency EFE (1986 to 1996) which won the prestigious Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities in 1995. He has published numerous essays, biographies and novels such as Albert Camus (1970), Te amaré después de siempre (2001) and Felipe González, el hombre y el politico (2005). He is now director of Casa de Galicia in Madrid.

(The translation of the lecture from Spanish to English is by Chaco Molina.)