ABSTRACT
Tensions between the local and global have sustained throughout the history of crossing borders and making sense of people’s lives. An important task before us today is to find space for exploring and explaining cultures without becoming lost in the frenzy of global trends. In some domains, globalization is visualized as the new colonizer, forcing this generation of world citizens into homogeneity. In a reply to a question about whether globalization will kill literature, Salman Rusdhie (2009) argues that as long as there are individual differences between people (and peoples), one brother’s story will always be different from the other’s. 1 Globalization, he argued, will never destroy story. These chapters are also stories. Stories about people going about their daily lives in the best way that they believe they can, given the difficulties of everyday circumstances. It is our responsibility as cultural scientists to interpret these stories with responsibility and regard for people, taking into account the different perspectives involved in the research.
