Honors College Theses

Publication Date

4-15-2022

Major

International Studies (B.A.)

Document Type and Release Option

Thesis (open access)

Faculty Mentor

Dr. Jacek Lubecki

Abstract

To what extent has cultural hybridity occurred in cases of Halloween and El Día de los Muertos, and what kind of meaning is attached to this hybridity? While there is a lot of research on globalization and its effects on people in general, there is no specific research on how globalization, specifically cultural globalization, has impacted holidays through cultural hybridity. Exploring these concepts and applying them to the case of Halloween and El Día de los Muertos will allow people to better understand the two holidays and their relationship with each other. Today, there is an increase in people moving around the world. Finding out how this impacts holidays practiced will be beneficial to the people trying to understand these holidays, policymakers, and to scholars interested in the topic. With holidays being the backbone of some cultures, this research could have a strong meaning on certain groups of people and the way they view their traditions. I hypothesize that there is a significant level of cultural hybridity happening between the two holidays due to globalization, which can be applied to other holidays appropriately. After performing a survey and ethnographic observation, it can be concluded that there is cultural hybridity within the holiday of El Dia de los Muertos. The hypothesis was partially correct because the findings are more consistent with cultural assimilation, rather than any mutual influence between the two holidays.

Thesis Summary

Cultural hybridity as a result of globalization has impacted holidays and the way holidays are celebrated all over the world. In this case study, Halloween and El Día de los Muertos are explored and examined to see how both of these distinct holidays impact each other as a result of the migration of people.

Download

Share

COinS