Cultural Insecurity: Where Lies the Threat?

Abstract

In Cultural Security conferences and tea party drawing room discussions,there seems to be much concern about two particular issueson the subject: the articulation of an accurate definition of ‘culture’,and identifying the external threats to the same.Extremely complicateddefinitions are obsessed over, and thus, much time and effortis expended on what seems to be an endless pursuit.The United Nations may defineculture in a particular way, dictionariesin anotherand learned professors in their way, but in the wakeof this intellectual wrestling, the bottom line isthat whatever it mayentail, culture is, simply put, a way of life.Then, in the twists and turns of the intellectual jousting regardingwhat aspects of the human existence may be includedin or excludedfrom it, the issue of security is considered, and the defaultstress seems toprimarily be placed on the ‘external’ forces as beingthe greatest threat.It is rare for one to hear participants and otherswho are concerned about their cultural security, to lay equal,let alonegreater, stress on the factors of theinternal threat to theirculture.