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Americanization in Kuwait

Introduction

Americanization is one of the dominant cultures in Kuwait’s television programs, shows, movie theaters, and fashion trends. In other words, Kuwait is governed effectively from Washington DC with a menu that is culturally set by designers in both Los Angeles and New York. Moreover, any form of resistance to Americanization is more likely to make an individual to be classified as very uncool. However, largely, Americanization in Kuwait can be classified as a positive thing to Kuwait’s language and education system but can to some extent be assumed to have had a negative impact on Kuwait’s traditional mode of dressing.

Fashion

It is universally acknowledged that the fashion trend in Kuwait has been Americanized for quite some time now since the Second World War ended. In Kuwait, a country that is well known in observing its traditions, a black headscarf together with a loose-fitting Manteau black in color became an obligatory mode of dressing during the 19th century. However, Americanization has challenged this fashion trend by putting on fashionable, colorful coats with matching head coverings. In this case, the way the modern Kuwait women wear the Manteau is itself a fashion statement with colors changing each season according to the American fashion trend. To explain further, it can be noted that the Americanization aspect in terms of fashion cannot be categorized as a positive thing since it has made most Kuwait Women to lose their values, norms, and their ethics of dressing. As a result, the government of Kuwait has tried to curb the fashion trend of women by revisiting the national-dress-code legislation without success.

Apparently, most individuals in Kuwait misunderstand the difference that exists between globalization and Americanization. In other words, most of those individuals who imitate and copy the American fashion culture do so blindly and jokingly following the latest global hypes regarding socialization, fashion, and cultural development. Unfortunately, the strong American influence in the Gulf region blinds the people of Kuwait since they copy and imitate what they watch in movies and on the internet without fully comprehending the symbolism behind the fashion. Therefore, the American fashion has also clearly affected the way individuals view others hence leading to premature mimicking of values that lead to extinction of the traditional modes of dressing.

Education System

The development of education system in Kuwait revolves around the Americanization of culture and the abundance of wealth obtained from oil. Additionally, before Americanization of the education system, there were very few and poorly established schools in Kuwait. The only existing institutions were fundamentally the Al-Katib /Quaranic schools, which taught students how to read, write, and perform arithmetic tasks but there were no public schools. After the culmination of World War 2, as Americanization and oil production picked up, seventeen schools had been established as the government started emulating the American system of education by investing large sums of money in social amenities and infrastructure. As a fundamental right of every Kuwait citizen, the American government has acknowledged the education system. In the modern Kuwait, the education system has established three educational levels based on the American system of education. They include elementary level, secondary level, and the intermediate level.

Language

In Kuwait, people start learning English as soon as they join school. Additionally, the English that is studied in Kuwait borrows so many words from American English. Moreover, the Americanization of English language in Kuwait has had a positive influence on the adoption of American educational system and the general American way of doing things. The language taught in schools for instance, is modeled based on the American influence on higher education scholarships. Students can get scholarships to study abroad, and this makes Americanization of the English language a very positive aspect. Another important aspect is that it has enhanced communication between Kuwait and other countries globally. Furthermore, unlike in traditional Kuwait where only members of a particular tribe could understand each other, the adoption of the English language has made it possible for individuals from different tribes to discuss and relate effectively. Kuwait has developed from being a local country into a more global country. Furthermore, the discovery of oil in Kuwait required people to communicate in a comprehensive global market, which makes the Americanization of Kuwait regarding language a very positive thing.

Conclusion

America being a global superpower, it transfuses its culture on large scale using the internet or television programs, shows, and movies. Additionally, through fashion, music, and generally media, the Americanization influence is growing every day in most countries. The spread of the American influence is highly attributed to the advancement in technology. In Kuwait for instance, Americanization has influenced the education system and elevated the language of the Kuwait citizens to global standards. However, the fashion trends that are exhibited in the media are making the women of Kuwait to lose their dressing values. Therefore, apart from the few limitations, Americanization in Kuwait has influenced its culture positively to a greater extent.