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Pop Culture in the Arab Worl

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TED Talks At TEDGlobal University, Shereen El Feki shows how some Arab cultures are borrowing trademarks of Western pop culture - music videos, comics, even Barbie - and adding a culturally appropriate twist.

Seth Dixon, Ph.D. 's insight:

This TED talk cleverly discusses the cultural processes of globalization by examining two examples from the Islamic world. In the examples of the TV station and the comic book series show that all global cultural interactions don't have to result in a homogenous "melting pot." Local cultural forces can tap into the powers of globalized culture that can create dynamic local cultures that are both intensely local and global.

Questions to Ponder: What does the speaker mean when she by refers to cultural interactions as a mesh (as a opposed to a clash or mash) of civilizations? What other examples of cultural meshes can you see that show these processes?

See on www.ted.com

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TED Talks At TEDGlobal University, Shereen El Feki shows how some Arab cultures are borrowing trademarks of Western pop culture -- music videos, comics, even Barbie -- and adding a culturally appropriate twist. Seth Dixon, Ph.D.'s insight: This TED talk cleverly discusses the cultural processes of globalization by examining two examples from the Islamic world.

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1 million

Various prophet-healing churches founded since c.1918, West Nigeria.

Generally monotheistic; a mix of Anglican, Pentecostal and traditional African beliefs.

Strong emphasis on healing and salvation in this life.

Not emphasized; views vary.

none

unknown

Salvation or redemption not emphasized. Fatalistic outlook.

Valhalla (heaven) for death in battle; Hel (peaceful place) for most; Hifhel (hell) for the very evil.

All have sinned and are thereby separated from God. Salvation is through faith in Christ and, for some, sacraments and good works.

unknown

Especially popularized in the 18th-cent. Enlightenment under Kant, Voltaire, Paine, Jefferson, and others

One Creator God who is uninterested in the world. Reason is basis for all knowledge.

not addressed

not addressed

None prescribed, although some deists practiced prayer.

Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason and similar texts

Greek Religion

ancient form extinct; various modern revivals

Indigenous religion of the ancient Greeks, c. 500 BCE to 400 CE.

Human life is subject to the whim of the gods and to Fate; these can be partially controlled through sacrifice and divination.

Beliefs varied from no afterlife to shadowy existence in the underworld to a paradise-like afterlife (mainly in mystery religions).

Epic poems of Homer and Hesiod.

1.6 billion

One God (Allah in Arabic); the same God revealed (imperfectly) in the Jewish and Christian Bibles

Submit (islam) to the will of God to gain Paradise after death.

Obey God's commandments, live ethically. Focus is more on this life than the next.

Mayan Religion

Several million Maya practice a Catholicism that retains many elements of traditional Mayan religion.

Began c.250 CE (rise of the Mayan civilization)

Many gods, including Itzamná, Kukulcán, Bolon Tzacab, and Chac

Appease and nourish the gods; determine luckiest dates for various activities.

The soul journeys through dark and threatening underworld; but sacrificial victims and women who die in childbirth go to heaven.

Astronomy, divination, human sacrifice, elaborate burial for royalty, worship in stone pyramid-temples

Dresden Codex; Madrid Codex; Paris Codex; Books of Chilam Balam; Popol Vuh; The Ritual of the Bacabs

12.2 million

God the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate individual beings

Return to God by faith in Christ, good works, ordinances, and evangelism.

Rastafarianism

1 million

God is Jah, who became incarnate in Jesus (who was black); Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I was messiah.

Humans are temples of Jah. Salvation is primarily in this world and consists of liberation from oppression and return to Africa.

Some Rastas will experience "everliving" (physical immortality). Heaven is a return to Eden, which is in Africa.

20 million specifically of Taoism (Chinese religion contains Taoist elements)

Based on teachings of Lao-Tzu, c. 550 BC, China.

General attitude of detachment and non-struggle, "go with the flow" of the Tao. Tai-chi, acupuncture, and alchemy to help longevity.

Unitarian Universalism

800,000

Has no set beliefs, which is its defining characteristic.

Salvation is "spiritual health or wholeness." Members seek "inner and outer peace," insight, health, compassion and strength.

Not specified. Some believe in an afterlife, some do not. Very few believe in hell - "Universalism" indicates the belief that all will be saved.

1-3 million

Based on ancient pagan beliefs, but modern form founded early 1900s. Founder generally said to be Gerald Gardner.

Polytheism, centered on the Goddess and God, each in various forms; also a belief in a Supreme Being over all

"If it harms none, do what you will."

No sacred text; foundational texts include The Witch Cult in Western Europe and The God of the Witches

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1 million Various prophet-healing churches founded since c.1918, West Nigeria. Generally monotheistic; a mix of Anglican, Pentecostal and traditional African beliefs. Strong emphasis on healing and salvation in this life. Not emphasized; views vary. none unknown Salvation or redemption not emphasized. Fatalistic outlook.

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Religion can be explained as a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

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Guides to world religions and beliefs. Includes Atheism, Christianity, Islam, Paganism, Jainism, Zoroastrian and many more.