Glocalization in a Globalized City

In a country striving for international recognition, glocalization is probably the last thing one would expect to be happening there. The country I am talking about is Qatar–the little country everybody knows as “the country near Dubai.” The glocalization I am referring to is happening in a place known as Education City, which is the education central of the country. In Education City, there are around six American Universities–Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown School of Foreign Services, Texas A&M, Virginia Commonwealth University and Weill Cornell Medical College.

These American colleges came to Qatar as part of an attempt to globalize, resulting in them taking the form of pseudo-multi national corporations. It is interesting to see that the universities change their branding to include the word Qatar in the name. Wherever there is any sort of globalization, one can find resistance. Not the violent form, but the intellectual kind, especially from the society. The citizens of Qatar might prefer their children to study in Qatar University, which is the country’s first higher studies school which offers diplomas and Bachelors degrees.

Glocalization is a way to counter this form of undesirable resistance from the people of the country. The universities in Education City especially Northwestern University try to portray a Qatari look by using Qatari and Arab students on posters that shall be placed in public areas. The consequence of this glocalization still brings about a radical change in the society, primarily because it is still an American University, imparting an American education. My personal opinion is that this resistance is slowly but definitely reducing. This is again because of the acceptance of globalization by the people.