Globalization is the interconnecting, inter-depending, and integrating that occurs between different nations governments, people, companies, etc and these influences have both positive and negative effects. Technology and the accessibility to maneuver around the globe has made globalization much more prominent and it is heavily driven by international trade and financial gains/investments. In Lebanon, globalization can be seen within its economy, for the lack of raw materials/natural resources like oil or gas require Lebanon to be dependent on foreign trade to receive these raw materials and energy products. In addition, globalization can be seen in Lebanon’s food industry for there are a plethora of American fast food places represented in the Lebanese market. For instance, there are McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, Burger King, and more found in Lebanon. This type of globalization in the food industry has influenced the younger generations to move away from the consumption of traditional dishes and the eating preferences they had. A third example of globalization in Lebanon is the “traditional Lebanese house” that are found across Lebanon and were first established and built in the late 19th century. These houses have heavily influenced by European architecture and the red tiles that are used for the roofs along with the marble used for the flooring come from Italy. These houses met the climate and social needs for the people in Lebanon and therefore they are seen everywhere in Lebanon but with the materials coming from all over Europe and international trade making these houses possible it is hard to authentically call them traditional Lebanese houses. I think globalization within Lebanon has positive effects such as keeping it more current with what is happening in the world through the access of technology/internet that links people to endless resources. There is a lot of growth and spread of knowledge that is able to come and go from Lebanon as a result of globalization. However, I can see how their is a slight decline in the Lebanese traditions within Lebanon through so many other cultural influences that are now becoming more present in Lebanon. With that being said, I don’t think that is necessarily a bad thing because diversity teaches people so much; and Lebanon’s cultural aspects are also traveling around the globe to others places as well so globalization is not restrictive. Furthermore, if globalization did not exist in Lebanon the development of the country would be so different because geographically it is lacking many natural resources and raw materials so international trade is essential for Lebanon’s economy.
Hello Everyone!
I just finished researching and writing about education in Lebanon. What I have written about Lebanon's education can be found on my politics/economics page. I invite you all to take a look at my report on Lebanon's education and comment on what your thoughts are on this topic. As always, thank you all for your time, thoughts, and feedback! In Lebanon, the element of family is very important and within that element their are specific societal roles that are separated by gender. For instance, the family structure in Lebanon is patriarchal. The male gender play a superior role in society in comparison to women. The men are the economic unit of the family, for they are seen as the property owners and what is seen as the crucial part that the family depends on to supply. In the traditional perspective of the role women play in the Lebanese society, they are confined to being mothers and the homemakers (Collelo). I think that there is beauty in family however a mother and father role are both crucial when raising children and women can have a career outside of the home as well.
In more traditional and earlier times in Lebanon, marriages were arranged. This is not so much true in the present day for Lebanon. A reason for this was because marriage was more about recognizing adult status and bringing together interests, but the main concept behind marriage was not that of romantic attachments. I think that this way of viewing marriage puts a lot of stress on making others happy as opposed to taking care of ones self as well. A woman’s role in marriage was to bear son’s and attain status. I can’t help but imagine how much stress must come from being expected to bear son’s. I believe that this idea alone makes the male gender seem superior from birth. There is beauty in both genders and they should be loved and treated equally. Consequently, for men they marry to have sons that will continue their lineage and continue taking care of their land while bringing honor to their family (Ghazi). When it comes to religion, Christian and Muslim villages stress marrying within the village. With that being said, it is common to marry close relatives/first cousins which expands family resources and keeps the religion the same (Ghazi). This is especially common in religions such as Druze, where people cannot convert into or leave the religion so the community is rather small to begin with. The marriage age varies depending on each village for some stress that their women marry young and others have men that marry in their late thirties. Since a woman’s role in the Lebanese society is very heavily stressed on bearing sons a women without children or without sons is seen in a sympathetic light (Ghazi). In terms of the political element of Lebanon’s culture women are still inferior to men in this aspect. In 1952 women may have won the right to vote and participate in national elections but their political participation is still extremely minimal since (Khalife). It seems to me that women in Lebanon are easily silenced and follow along with what has been done for years. In Lebanon, the political culture is male dominated and family affiliated. Also, in 1970’s women were allowed to play a more active role in the work force because there was a shortage in manpower due to an intense migration of men to Persian Gulf countries (Khalife). I think that it should not take a shortage of men for people to realize that they can utilize women and give them similar opportunities in the work force as men. Sources: Collelo, T. (n.d.). Lebanon - Gender Roles. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://countrystudies.us/lebanon/60.htm Ghazi, A. (n.d.). Lebanon's Culture: Society. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from http://www.ghazi.de/society.html Khalife, N. (2009, July 2). A Woman's Place, in Lebanon. Retrieved October 12, 2015, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/07/02/womans-place-lebanon Hello there, I'm thrilled that you have taken the time to look through my webpage on the beautiful country, Lebanon. Even though this country may be smaller in size it has a lot of depth to it that I am eager to unpack! As always, if you have any comments or suggestions in regards to this webpage and how to improve it please feel free to share them. I value your opinions and want to improve this webpage as much as possible!
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