Over the past few decades, societies around the world have undergone rapid and far reaching change. These shifts have affected how people live, work, relate to one another, and understand their place in the world. Taken together, they suggest the possibility of a new phase in human development, one in which culture plays a more central role in shaping collective life. This perspective is explored in Paul Schafer’s book The Great Cultural Awakening: Key to an Equitable, Sustainable, and Harmonious Age (2024), which situates current global changes within a broader cultural context.
A growing number of thinkers argue that many of today’s challenges cannot be addressed through economic or technological solutions alone. Issues such as environmental degradation, widening gaps in income and wealth, and social fragmentation point to deeper questions about values, meaning, and how communities are organized. Addressing these concerns may require a more holistic perspective, one that considers human well being in cultural, social, and ethical terms as well as material ones.
The cultural historian Johan Huizinga captured this idea clearly when he observed that material progress must be balanced by strong spiritual, intellectual, moral, and aesthetic values. This balance is often seen as lacking in contemporary life, where economic priorities can overshadow other dimensions of human experience.
In response, there has been increasing interest in strengthening the role of the arts, humanities, and shared heritage in everyday life. Efforts to support families, communities, and education systems in more culturally grounded ways are gaining attention. These approaches often emphasize developing culture not only through institutions and policy, but also through everyday participation at the community level.
One example of this shift can be seen in initiatives like Reconnecting With Your Culture, which encourage young people to explore their cultural backgrounds within their own communities. By documenting and sharing their experiences with peers, participants engage more directly with questions of identity, belonging, and heritage.
Similar efforts are taking place in cities and regions around the world through cultural and creative placemaking. These initiatives aim to shape public spaces and local development in ways that reflect the identities and values of the people who live there. At a broader level, many countries are also reconsidering how cultural symbols and shared traditions contribute to a sense of national identity, especially during periods of uncertainty.
In Canada, for example, cultural identity is expressed through a mix of symbols, landscapes, sports, and artistic contributions. Familiar emblems such as the maple leaf, along with wildlife like the beaver, moose, polar bear, and Canada goose, reflect aspects of the country’s natural environment and history. Sports such as lacrosse, curling, hockey, and basketball, along with influential musicians including Céline Dion, Joni Mitchell, Shania Twain, Leonard Cohen, and Neil Young, also play a role in shaping how the country is understood both internally and abroad. Canada’s official recognition as a multicultural nation further highlights the importance placed on diversity as a defining characteristic.
Taken together, these developments point toward a broader reconsideration of culture as a foundation for future progress. Rather than being treated as a secondary concern, culture is increasingly seen as essential to building more equitable, sustainable, and humane societies.