Globalization and the freedom of knowledge

Abstract

This article considers the transmission of knowledge in higher education. It takes the metaphor of the music industry that pre‐selects the music people can buy. The sales potential is the leading principle in the selection process. Often the small producer is excluded because his or her music is not of commercial interest. The end‐customer does not know what he or she is missing because he or she has never heard the music. It is to be feared that a similar market principle will also influence the selection of knowledge and affect the capacity of higher education institutions to freely generate and transmit new knowledge. The globalization of higher education risks homogenizing the cultural traditions of the non‐Western world through a process of Western cultural domination. On the other hand, the Internet, via open source software like LINUX, might serve to democratize higher education and allow greater grassroots input.

Notes

The concept Western world is used here to express the Euro‐Atlantic culture and tradition, particularly the Anglo‐Saxon strain. The Western world may be designated as “the Center”, whereas people who do not share this Western culture may be designated as “the Periphery”, e.g. people living in developing countries and minority groups in the Western world. The dichotomy is, nevertheless, misleading because there are peripheral realities in the Center and vice‐versa. The center and the periphery are very much interrelated and are not limited to specific geographical or ethnic boundaries. The contrasting distinction between Western and indigenous knowledge cultures is an over‐simplification of reality owing to the continuing fluidity of knowledge across cultures. Indigenous knowledge is largely influenced by colonists, migrant workers, and tourists, etc. Indigenous travelers incorporate knowledge they have found abroad into the local cultural structure. Therefore, the phenomenon of center and peripheral cultures should be considered here in dynamic terms. Unlike Negroponte (2003), the author believes that the digital era has not (yet) created a world without peripheries. On the contrary, owing to high costs, a new society of haves and have‐nots may become a reality. It is a major challenge of the Twenty‐First Century to address the peripheral groups.

International governmental organizations (IGOs) and Transnational organizations (TNOs) are the major institutions for funding and regulation worldwide. Two examples are the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.