UNITED STATES, February 27, 2003: Ira Rifkin’s new book, “Spiritual Perspectives on Globalization — Making Sense of Economic and Cultural Upheaval,” takes the globalization debate global — exploring how it looks to Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Catholics, Protestants, Baha’is, pagans and Muslims. This look by a noted religion author at globalization from other cultural perspectives helps to understand the phenomenon from their point of view and why some cultures may be less than enthusiastic. The chapter on Hinduism introduces readers to Indian Hindu expatriates working in the Washington suburbs high-tech industry. The author uses their efforts to maintain links to their cultural roots to illustrate the global spread of Vedic thought. But the chapter also delves into the concerns of Hindus who worry that globalization’s free-market capitalism and Western-oriented consumer lifestyle undermine Hinduism’s traditional emphasis on spiritual advancement over material acquisition. “For traditional Hindus,” author Rifkin writes, “both the earth and nonhuman life are sacred, and concern that transnational corporations, abetted by compliant or corrupt governments, have turned both into commodities are cause for additional opposition to globalization.”
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