There are numerous ethnic groups in southern Ethiopia of which most also speak their own language and have distinct cultural trades. But how would the future of the different ethnic groups and their cultural heritage look like in the face of globalization processes? Is this cultural and linguistic diversity now diminishing through globalization processes and becoming replaced by a homogenous global culture? This study examines whether the cultures of southern Ethiopia are being penetrated by American popular culture, local cultural products are threatened with extinction and whether traditional lifestyles are becoming abandoned because the people of south Ethiopia are increasingly becoming part of a global consumer culture. What about modernization efforts by development projects and the global spread of formal education through schooling, do they contribute to the elimination of indigenous knowledge systems? And does the spread of the English language already constitute a threat to linguistic diversity? Moreover, the impacts of the arrivals of international tourists and of Christian missionary organizations on the cultures of the different ethnic groups are being examined.

Text Sample: Influences on indigenous knowledge: In contemporary times, scientific knowledge is generated and distributed through the global network of universities and research institutes. Scientific knowledge is characterized by seeking information that are transferable to any spatial or social situation. In this way, it differs from indigenous knowledge which seeks spatially- and situation-bound information. However, scientific knowledge is no less culture bound than indigenous knowledge as it is largely rooted in the cultural framework of Euro-American societies. Is there a danger” of south Ethiopia's indigenous knowledge systems becoming eliminated by global science” through so-called development assistance or the introduction of formal schooling? Indigenous knowledge is defined as the local knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society. Indigenous knowledge systems are complex. In the following some examples from the traditional healing system of Hamar and Bashada, as well as from traditional agriculture of Konso, are depicted in order to give an idea of the diversity and store of indigenous knowledge in southern Ethiopia. In general, indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge share many commonalities: they both have an empirical and often methodological basis, they are based fundamentally on observation of the outside world, and operate with experiments in one way or another, and, above all, they are not static. However, in contrast to scientific knowledge, does indigenous knowledge seek spatially- and situation-bound information. This becomes obvious in the following example: According to the traditional belief in Hamar, all misfortune” is the result of bad barjo. Illnesses of which the cause and method of treatment are unknown to the people (e.g. fever) could be the result of displeased ancestors. Through the performance of rituals it is then possible to placate the ancestor and to bring the barjo into balance. Compared to a scientific explanation, diseases are not per se explained as resulting from physiological phenomena. Hence, the plausibility of this explanation rests on the intuitive emic understanding of the Hamar. Within a society, people may differ to some extent in what they know due to age, gender, experience, profession and personality. For instance, there are specialists or professionals who possess knowledge and skills not widely distributed among others in the society. In Bashada, such specialists are, for instance, the donza, elderly married men, who are - due to their social status - essential in the performance of rituals concerning the well-being of the community members. It is usually the donzas who are asked to call barjo for the sick and thereby can re-establish well-being. And in Hamar, there are, for instance, individuals who are able to examine the craw of a goat and conclude out of it which ancestor is causing a particular sickness. There are also sandal-throwers who throw little pieces of leather in order to identify the ancestor that causes the sickness. While these people cannot be considered as healers or shamans, they nevertheless possess more in-depth knowledge than others.

• Cultural globalization

• Global consumer culture

• Tourism

• Indigenous knowledge

• Christian missionary organizations

Sandra Herting, born in 1980 in Germany, graduated with a Master of Arts in International Relations Online from Freie Universität Berlin in 2010. Besides working as a civil servant, she voluntarily works for an organization to support the rights of indigenous peoples.