Culture and Globalisation: Evaluation of Guardian's Katine Project in Uganda

The present study is based on the critical evaluation of the development project for the small-size African Village named as Katine, located in the north-east of Uganda. The study will include the assessment of culture concept and will cover whether the theory of evolution or cultural relativism is a more appropriate framework for the overall project. The study will discuss the methods briefly while considering their loopholes and effectiveness in the project of the same.

Culture and globalisation

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Culture concept and the Guardian’s Katine project in Uganda.......................................................3
Alan Rusbridger in relation to the theory of social evolution.........................................................4
Comment on Guardian’s project.....................................................................................................5
conclusion........................................................................................................................................6
References........................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
The present study is based on the critical evaluation of the development project for the small-size
African Village named as Katine, located in the north-east of Uganda. The study will include the
assessment of culture concept and will cover whether the theory of evolution or cultural
relativism is a more appropriate framework for the overall project. The study will discuss the
methods briefly while considering their loopholes and effectiveness in the project of the same.
CULTURE CONCEPT AND THE GUARDIAN’S KATINE PROJECT IN
UGANDA
Culture is entirely different of market researchers; the concept of culture can strengthen the racial
theory of difference. This could stimulate discourse on ethnic identities at the same time adjuring
racism. For the development of the area, and make a little difference by aiding the place, the
cultural concept must be first initially clear, the cultural gaps must be filled up to upward the
society as a whole and enhance education and health. This is required to be carried out with the
help of the technological advancements and communication and 21st-century tools to, interpret
the people that they have to change their mindset take advantage of the contemporary aspects
and features offered by the project (Rusbridger, 2007). The initial and the most noticeable aspect
is to assess the cultural concept, the project is all about community empowerment, which
ultimately needs the support of the community and their culture. For addressing the core areas of
poverty, preparing villages with the capability to aid them and reforming unique level of
transparency. The building of community is vital to the sustainability of the project. The Katine
will state the development approach based on community (Manyozo, 2012). It is a well-known
fact that there are wide regional variations present in Uganda in terms of income and life like
health and education issues, so the conditions in Katine are considered as worse beyond the
realization of people. Community capacity has been built to collect information on Katine so
that the area can cope with better plans with ten support of the government. For this aspect, the
community has to place contribution and work on their priorities first.
With the consideration towards the cultural issues and problem held in Uganda, a total 3-year
relationship with the individuals is agreed across a small-size African Village named as Katine,

located in the north-east of Uganda. The people residing in Katine have gained minor aid and
helped formerly and experience some of the problems of a fragile economy, cultural conflict,
partial education, and poverty and health issues. The project is designed to assess and address the
causes of poverty, inclusive of gaining a better understanding of cultural practices, issues and
problems (Abu‐Lughod, 2002). Due to the social setting of the learning process, the people are
not able to be persuaded that their own living is the most desirable one. Since people realize their
personality by the helping culture, thereby resilience and respect for the differences between
individuals involve underlying respect over the cultural differences. It is urged that culture is
highly revolving, and one needs to understand the cultural practices and differences to resolve
the matter of poverty and conflicts and aid the society in getting back to life (American
Anthropological Association, 1947). A cultural change is required to alleviate poverty, further
the culture is considered as the core topic or concept of study that has substituted the society as
the general aspect of inquiry with the progression. It is essential to primarily understand the
culture concept to understand the Guardian’s Katine project in Uganda.
The central theme is that the aspects of the evolution of the society are not included in it, they are
embedded in the interface of the free societies. In essence, it is asserted that the revolutionary
change is the consequence of the modification in the external economic as well as political
relationships of society (Eriksen, 2014). These transformations take place due to the
technological advance and other relations which are mixed with the improvised efforts on
political authority. Further, a reconceptualised culture of the social change is provided. The
theory of evolution is considered as the waste of resources and time, and the best example is of
Uganda. It is not required to rely on a theory, and seek for differences.
ALAN RUSBRIDGER IN RELATION TO THE THEORY OF SOCIAL
EVOLUTION
Social evolution is said to be the evolution of the social frameworks and systems. The theory has
been employed to advance a range of political projects. The regulation of anthropology, starting
with these recent social theories takes place mainly in relation to the encounter between culture.
Alan Rusbridger claimed that the Katine has experienced over 20 years of inconsistency and is
presently compounded by rapidly increasing climate, by considering this aspect new abilities are

required to amend to confront the immense challenge of climatic changes (Eriksen, 2017). Alan
Rusbridger commented that working together can assist the people living in Uganda and a
significant change could be made with a distinct difference, by taking advantage of the power to
twenty-first-century technology, communications skills and resources, people living there can be
helped, and their lives could be changed. Since the editor Alan Rusbridger introduced the
outstanding development in Katine sub-county, aided by the liberality of readers, there have been
substantial changes. The people of Katine are now able to have clean water, better education
system, fewer diseases and the knowledge to improvise the livelihoods and better manage the
communities (Kuper, 2009). Each and every aspect was traced by the journalist of Ugandan
based in Katine coming up with the unparalleled transparency to the projected by a dedicated
website.
COMMENT ON GUARDIAN’S PROJECT
By considering the remarks of Alan Rusbridger, it can be said that the theory of evolution is not
related with the sayings of the editor and the reviews and claims of the people and journalists
(Escobar, 1997). The theory of evolutions does not suit the criteria of the community of Uganda,
like the articles, websites and Guardian shows that the theory cannot bring a change in the
overall development or resolve the problem of the area.
According to the other materials on the website, the cultural relativism has been suggested as a
more appropriate framework, it is because the change is based on the community and community
is based on cultural aspects, so it is essential that cultural aspects must be considered and the
difference between the same must be improved to change the lifestyle of the backward areas in
the society (Huntington, 1993).
The conflicts of the future will take place along with the fault lines of culture separating the
civilization, the culture as well as region build the base of all related aspects and together bring
all to unite and develop (Tsing, 2009). The discipline granted to the key understanding and
addressing with the cultural differences can offer crucial consideration of justifications made on
the project.

Cultural relativism is the concept that a belief, values and exercise of an individual must be
interpreted on the basis of the own culture of the individual, instead of being judged in
opposition to the criteria of other (Ellis, Schummers and Rostoker, 2011). Cultural relativism in
terms of anthropology can be asserted as the individual suspends their moral judgements on a
short-term basis, aiming to acquire some extent of empathy with the unfamiliar norms, standards
and preferences.
By considering the facts mentioned in other materials and websites, cultural relativism is the
suitable structure of the development of the project and making a difference as it is the capability
to interpret the culture on a personal basis while not making judgements by making use of norms
and standards on another person’s culture. It targets to support the empathy of the cultural
practices which are not generally the part of an individual’s own culture, facilitating in thinking
out of the box. By making use of the perception of the cultural relativism results to the view that
comparing one culture to another is not the point, as no culture is superior to another while
making a comparison to the morality system, law and politics. It is the idea that cultural values
and terms obtain their own meaning in a specified social way (Ssewamala and et al., 2011). This
is meant on the basis of the idea that there is no presence of absolute standard of bad or good,
whereby each and every judgement must be made by considering whether they are right or
wrong with giving consideration towards society.
The fact of cultural relativism asserts that any perception of ethics is subjected to the perception
of each individual in their specified culture. In an agile understanding of the cultural relativism,
it attempts to support the findings of cultural practices that are not familiar with other culture.
CONCLUSION
On the basis of above evaluation, it can be concluded that the project has provided great
assistance to the area and the project development resulted as expected. However, the theory of
evolution is not an appropriate framework for the concerned project. Instead the cultural
relativism evidenced to be more appropriate, as it will help in developing the area with an
optimal cultural mindset.

REFERENCES
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Escobar, A., 1997. Anthropology and development. International Social Science
Journal, 49(154), pp.497-515.
Huntington, S.P., 1993. The clash of civilizations?. Foreign affairs, pp.22-49.
Kuper, A., 2009. Culture: The anthropologists' account. Harvard University Press.
Manyozo, L., 2012. Media, communication and development: Three approaches. SAGE
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Rusbridger, A., 2007. ‘Can We, Together, Lift One Village Out of the Middle Ages?. The
Guardian, 20.
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