Evaluate the extent to which globalization has eroded distinct cultural identities in the period after 1980.
Excerpts from historical sources. Cuts are marked with ellipses, and words in brackets were added for clarity.
Document 1
Visual source
Photograph of a protest food distribution held by a French farmer on the sidewalk in front of a McDonald's restaurant during demonstrations against the World Trade Organization, Seattle, United States, 1999.
Carwil, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Describe the image
A color photograph of a sidewalk covered with a blue patterned tablecloth. Laid out on it are long loaves of French bread, blocks and slices of cheese, bottles of red wine with a filled glass, tangerines, grapes, a jug of juice, and three lit candles; more loaves sit on a small wooden tray. People crouch at the edge of the cloth cutting cheese while others stand around it, and a woman leans against the wall behind the food. Above her hangs part of a hand-painted banner reading "McDomin," with the rest cut off by the edge of the photograph; the "M" is painted in yellow in the shape of the McDonald's golden arches.
Document 2
Abdelaziz Belkhadem, foreign minister of Algeria, speech to the United Nations General Assembly during its debate on the United Nations Year of Dialogue among Civilizations, New York, 2001.
No one can have any doubts that today we are witnessing the growing spread of a universal civilization that is but the result of the numerous contributions and experiences made by various human civilizations since the dawn of time. If the words globalization and Internet are on everyone's lips, it is because they have been translated into every language. But, propelled primarily by economic dynamics, one language in particular has dominated this universal civilization. . . . [I]t must not be forgotten that dozens of languages are dying as a result of having lost the battle against the universal. The irresistible momentum towards the universal has therefore produced victims similar to those left behind by globalization. . . . Of course, not all cultures and civilizations different from the dominant culture are condemned to disappear. Some, as if emerging from a stupor, are awakening. That awakening should not be perceived as a threat to the dominant culture, but rather as a new boon that strengthens the universal civilization . . . .
Document 3
Office of the United States Trade Representative, National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, section on South Korea, 2007.
On July 1, 2006, the Korean government reduced its screen quota requirement to 73 days of the year. Korea had previously required that domestic films be shown on each cinema screen for a minimum of 146 days of the year, corresponding to a 40 percent market share. The domestic market share for Korean films has, for the last several years, far surpassed 40 percent. In 2006, for instance, Korean films achieved a 60 percent market share in Seoul. . . . Korea restricts foreign activities in broadcast television by limiting the percentage of monthly broadcasting time (not to exceed 20 percent) that may be devoted to foreign programs. Annual quotas also limit broadcasts of foreign programming to a maximum of 75 percent for motion pictures, 55 percent for animation, and 40 percent for popular music.
Document 4
Visual source
Photograph of the ordering counter of a McDonald's restaurant, Delhi, India, 2011.
Rolling Okie, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0Describe the image
A color photograph of customers and uniformed staff at a McDonald's counter beneath illuminated menu boards. Prices are in rupees. The main menu board lists the McVeggie Burger, Paneer Salsa Wrap, McChicken Burger, Filet-O-Fish, Chicken Maharaja Mac and Chicken Mexican Wrap, along with Chicken McNuggets, French fries and Diet Coke. A lower board advertises a Happy Meal, with vegetarian options such as the Veg. Pizza McPuff and McAloo Tikki, packaged with toys from the American animated film Megamind. Another board reads "Try Chicken McNuggets with new Schezwan sauce." Two young women with long hair, in jeans and jackets, wait at the counter with their backs to the camera.
Document 5
Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, speech to the Valdai International Discussion Club, an annual forum of Russian and foreign scholars and journalists, Novgorod Region, Russia, 2013. Official English translation from the President of Russia website, kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0.
Today we need new strategies to preserve our identity in a rapidly changing world, a world that has become more open, transparent and interdependent. . . . Meanwhile, today Russia's national identity is experiencing not only objective pressures stemming from globalisation, but also the consequences of the national catastrophes of the twentieth century, when we experienced the collapse of our state two different times. . . . Another serious challenge to Russia's identity is linked to events taking place in the world. Here there are both foreign policy and moral aspects. We can see how many of the Euro-Atlantic countries are actually rejecting their roots, including the Christian values that constitute the basis of Western civilisation. They are denying moral principles and all traditional identities: national, cultural, religious and even sexual.
Document 6
Profile of Quechua Memes, a social media project run by Marisol Mena Antezana, a Quechua speaker from the Apurímac region of Peru, published by Rising Voices, an online initiative supporting Indigenous-language digital activists, 2017. Translated from Spanish by Laura MacFarlane; Rising Voices, CC BY 3.0.
The Quechua Memes initiative aims to share spoken and written Quechua across social media using jokes, therefore promoting the revitalization of the customs of the people with a reflective joke . . . The statistics also show that 80% of access has been made using mobile devices. As for the nature of the most popular content, it has been identified that the greatest impact has come from that which relates to the traditions and customs of the people. . . . [Mena states:] "Yes, I have received [and receive] criticism, because we are putting a foreign image with a message in Quechua . . . I tell them that Quechua belongs to the Andean world, and the memes to the Western world, so we are trying to unite the two worlds. We seek to be open-minded, always having respect." . . . Many potential users do not have internet access from their mobile devices . . . .
Document 7
Data
Percentage of the population using the internet, selected countries and the world, 2000–2023. Data from the International Telecommunication Union, published by the World Bank; figures rounded.
Country | 2000 | 2010 | 2023
United States | 43% | 72% | 94%
South Korea | 45% | 84% | 97%
France | 14% | 77% | 87%
China | 2% | 34% | 91%
Brazil | 3% | 41% | 84%
Peru | 3% | 35% | 79%
India | 1% | 8% | 60%
Nigeria | less than 1% | 12% | 40%
World | no data | 28% | 69%
How it's scored
1 ptThesis or claim. A historically defensible thesis that establishes a line of reasoning, in one or more consecutive sentences in the intro or conclusion.
1 ptContextualization. Describe a broader historical context relevant to the prompt: events, developments, or processes before, during, or after the prompt's time frame.
2 ptsEvidence from the documents. One point for accurately describing the content of three documents. Two points for using the content of at least four documents to support the argument.
1 ptEvidence beyond the documents. Use one specific, relevant piece of historical evidence that appears in none of the documents, and explain how it supports the argument.
1 ptAnalysis and reasoning: sourcing. For at least two documents, explain how or why the point of view, purpose, historical situation, or intended audience is relevant to the argument.
1 ptAnalysis and reasoning: complexity. Demonstrate a complex understanding: explain nuance, consider multiple variables, analyze both similarity and difference, or qualify the argument with evidence that cuts against it.
