Cultural hybridity and globalization

The question of hybridity is a central one for countries like Brazil which were formed through the clash of cultures. This question acquires great interest in times of so called globalization, when the circulation of ideas and of cultural products reaches a hitherto unknown degree. This situation shapes contemporary cultural debate and reposes the question of the interrelation between the external influx and national cultures. Some aver that today we have the opportunity to create a globalized culture, a new space of cultural diversity and pluralism. Others consider that what is really in question is the domination of the whole world by low brow American mediatic culture. The available positions seem to offer two possibilities: either we defend an alleged national culture or we get assimilated by the current version of a globalized culture. The aim of the essay is to map the main trends in the debate and to point out questions that the terms of the current debate tend to obscure.