Section Article

CULTURAL HOMOGENIZATION VS. PRESERVATION: THE IMPACT OF GLOBALIZATION ON INDIAN SOCIAL LIFE
Author(s): Dr. Prashant Singh

Abstract
Globalization has emerged as one of the most powerful forces shaping the socio-cultural landscape of modern India. By 2024 India had become deeply integrated into global economic networks digital platforms communication systems and cultural flows leading to unprecedented transformations in social norms consumption patterns identity formation and community practices. This research examines the dual processes of cultural homogenization and cultural preservation in India under the influence of globalization. On one hand global media international brands digital content modern lifestyles and transnational values have accelerated the spread of homogenized cultural practices across urban and semi-urban spaces. These transformations can be seen in language use entertainment preferences food habits fashion choices youth culture and elite consumption patterns. On the other hand India has also witnessed powerful counter-movements promoting cultural preservation traditional knowledge systems local crafts linguistic revival indigenous practices and regional identities. These contrasting tendencies demonstrate that globalization does not lead to uniformity but creates a hybrid cultural environment characterized by negotiation resistance adaptation and reinvention. This paper explores how globalization reshapes Indian social life by producing new cultural aspirations hybrid identities and transnational influences while simultaneously stimulating cultural protectionism and renewed attachment to indigenous traditions. The study argues that India’s response to globalization is not passive rather it is active selective and deeply rooted in its civilizational continuity. The research analyzes how families youth groups local communities and state institutions negotiate cultural change in a globalized world highlighting the complexity of cultural flows in twenty-first-century India. Keywords: Globalization cultural homogenization cultural preservation Indian society hybrid identities.