The images of the 19th century European missionaries washing out the mouths of children with soap for speaking in tribal languages are usually associated with the notion of cultural imperialism. Tomlinson (1991) sees this as an issue that was brought about by the adherents of cultural imperialism theory using particularly inadequate language of cultural imposition and domination that drew its imagery from the era of colonialism and imperialism. These adherents were adamant that cultural imperialism was the organized and conscious effort by Western, particularly the US communication conglomerates to preserve ideological and commercial superiority. They also claimed that the worldwide supremacy and proliferation of American consumer products …show more content…
“Cultural identity is not something that is easy to manipulate by acting on the mass media, nor does it seem to be much influenced by media culture. It survives and flourishes in many a form, and the general expansion of television, music and other media have added some widely (internationally) shared cultural elements without evidently diminishing the uniqueness of cultural experience in different nations, regional and localities of Europe” (McQuail, 2000, p. 237) Cultural imperialism thesis has also lead to many cultural protectionism policies, designed “to defend indigenous cultures against their corruption, pollution or destruction by foreign elements” (Morley,2006, p.36). Problems arise when trying to understand what is meant by foreign (and to who) and also when trying to examine and define the purity, originality and indigenousness of one’s culture that needs to be defended. Cultural imperialism tends to assume that the most countries from the global South had indigenous, pure and authentic cultures before the Western influence came along via transnational corporations. One could argue that this view tends to be a romanticized perspective of the Third World which disregards the complex relations between countries and their former colonial powers while also ignoring the fact that most cultures are hybrids. There is a problem with the inaccurate presumption that the phenomenon of cultural mixing is recent, when actually all cultures have, to certain extent, absorbed elements from another cultures through history. Therefore, the complexity of intercultural flows must be acknowledged, along with the ambivalence of their meaning when being brought into new
Cultural appropriation, as described in Sabeen Sandhu’s article “Instant Karma: The Commercialization of Asian Indian Culture,” is not new. Rather, it is the latest iteration in a long history of Western imperialism and exploitation of other cultures and societies. Using a primarily a symbolic interactionist lens, in her article Sandhu highlights two fundamental aspects of appropriation that differentiate the phenomenon from appreciation: the focus solely on one facet of a symbol and commercialization.
Being Greek and Irish from the United States, I have made the choice to take Greek folk dance and Irish step dance classes. I have made the choice to attend Greek school. Everyday when I wake up, I get to choose whether or not I want to connect with my culture. I get to feel sincerely tied to my culture while rejoicing in western comforts. Like Appiah, my personal experience has shaped the way I feel about globalization. I see and live in the beauty of a heterogenous society with homogenous communities. I do believe that we should intervene in other countries that infringe on basic human rights, even though they don’t believe they are doing anything wrong. I think that the isolation of homogenous places can be dangerous because without the influx of new thought there is potential for oppressiveness and extremism. I agree that one’s intuition about right and wrong is based more off the conditions in which they have grown up in, and that religion is the biggest factor in the differences between people of different cultures. Different views shape what is considered and delivered by the media as news, who is elected into power, and family values. There is room for change, however. For example we can look to the United States and examine the changing role of women in the 21st century. Women have left the kitchen and the laundry room in exchange
Hall, S. (1992) ‘The question of cultural identity’, in Hall, S., Held, D. and McGrew, T. (eds) Modernity and Its Futures, Cambridge, Polity/ The Open University.
“Art Museums and the Ritual of Citizenship” by Carol Duncan: A Response to Western Cultural Imperialism and the “Ritual” of Modernity in European/American Museums
Cultural globalization involves the “spread of culture beyond the region or state from which it originated.” (Davies 1). To understand what cultural globalization is, one must understand what falls under the category of culture, which includes religion, language,
What effect does colonialism and modernization have on an old and traditional culture? Throughout history the result of new cultures or traditions always created problems for old ones. Sadly, this results in the destruction of the old one. Barbara Kingsolver’s, The Poisonwood Bible, as well as Cormac McCarthy’s, All The Pretty Horses, deals with this issue through its plethora of themes and symbols. The underlying theme of The Poisonwood Bible throughout the novel is the idea that arrogance makes westerners indifferent to how third-world countries are affected by colonialism. The title of the book is, in itself, a demonstration of how the prominently western religion of Christianity and the western culture can cause destruction and pain when imposed upon the Congolese by American Baptists. Similarly, in All The Pretty Horses, western culture is causing the endangerment of cowboys. The idea of western arrogance gives way to secondary themes and symbols that all revolve around the effect Nathan and the United States have on the individuals inhabiting the Congo before and after its independence or the United States have on the individuals following the ways of a cowboy.
In the introduction to “The Pure Products Go Crazy,” James Clifford offers a poem by William Carlos Williams about a housekeeper of his named Elsie. This girl is of mixed blood, with a divided common ancestry, and no real collective roots to trace. Williams begins to make the observation that this is the direction that the world is moving in, as Clifford puts it—“an inevitable momentum.” Clifford believes in that, “in an interconnected world, one is always to varying degrees, ‘inauthentic.’” In making this statement, Clifford is perhaps only partially accurate. In the western hemisphere, where Williams was located, perhaps it can be said directly that the influence of modern society has attributed to the lack of general ancestry, as one culture after another has blended with the next. Perhaps it can be said as well that, as Clifford puts it, “there seem no distant places left on the planet where the presence of ‘modern’ products, media, and power cannot be felt” (Clifford, 14). The intention of this paper is to contend first that there is essentially such a thing as “pure” culture, and contrary to Clifford’s belief, that there are “pure” unblended cultures that remain (while not altogether untouched by foreign influence), natural within themselves. It will be argued as well that the influence of modern society does not necessarily lead to a loss of cultural soundness itself, but rather that a presence of certain cultural practices within the respective cultures has attributed to the lasting “purity” of certain cultures. In this case, we will be discussing the cultures that exist in Haiti and Bali.
Cultural imperialism is defined as “a culture of a large and powerful country, organization, etc. having a great influence on another less powerful country." When speaking about cultural imperialism, it is important to know the back story of it and how significant it is today. Cultural imperialism dates back to the 1960’s, and was later described a different way according to Herbert Schiller. Schiller was
In The First Resort of King, Richard Arndt argues cultural diplomacy has been a norm “for humans intent upon civilization” since the Bronze Age, when diplomacy has evolved in parallel with language to facilitate cooperation between large groups defined by customs, therefore, in its earliest form, diplomacy meant relations not between nation-state, but between cultures (1). However, over the course of history, the concept of cultural diplomacy changed. Today, cultural diplomacy is typically viewed as a foreign policy tool, utilized by governments in order to advance specific kinds of interests. This is true according to Yang and Liu, who define public diplomacy as a diplomatic activity organised and conducted by a state government and directed
The portrayal of different cultures is a vast spectrum, from cultural appropriation to multiculturalism. Using a culture for profits or misinterpreting a culture without knowing the significance of that culture is an easy way to end up culturally appropriating. This is simply distasteful and abuse of a different culture. We must check ourselves in order to not commit this act and to remain respectful of different cultures. On the other end of the spectrum, multiculturalism is the proper way of bringing cultures together and helps to unify
Globalization is becoming one of the most controversial topics in today’s world. We see people arguing over the loss of a nation’s cultural identity, the terror of westernization, and the reign of cultural imperialism. Through topics such as these we explore the possibilities or the existence of hybridization of cultures and values, and what some feel is the exploitation of their heritage. One important aspect that is not explored is that such influences can also be more than just a burden and an overstepping of bounds. These factors can create an educational environment as well as a reaffirmation of one’s own culture.
Colonial Mentality theory grounds this study in recognition of colonialism’s lingering impact. Colonial Mentality theory attempts to shift the dominant ways in which people perceive the world (Young, 2003). Young (2003) stated, “Colonialism claims the right of all people on this earth to the same material and cultural well-being” (p.2). Young (2003) asserted that colonialism “names a politics and a philosophy of activism” that challenges the pervasive inequality in the world. In a different way, it resumes anti-colonial struggles of the past. Historically, American powers, deemed the west, subjected many regions, the non-west, to colonial and imperial rule. American powers felt it was their duty to colonize and felt justified in doing so: Colonial
Said, Edward W. “Culture and Imperialism.” Norton Anthology of Theory and Criticism 2nd ed. Ed. Leitch, Vincent B. and William E. Cain, eds. New York: Norton, 2010. 651-655. Print.
Loss of group identity and individualism because globalization promotes a western ideal of individualism. This advocate a homogeneous set of values.
Media imperialism is a specific way of discussing cultural imperialism and in order to define media imperialism we must understand cultural imperialism. Essentially, it’s described as a theory based upon over-concentration of mass media, from larger nations as an important variable which affects smaller nations in negative way. These nations have lessened because of media control from Western countries. As media imperialism is a sub-category under the broader of heading of cultural imperialism the dependency raised due to the global media system, which results in what is known as media imperialism– which is a highly debated concept amongst sociologists. There are two known models of media imperialism, the 'Schiller one ' which is focused on the media dominance by the UK, France, and U.S. And the alternative model; which is the 'generic model ' initially developed in Europe stating the great influence of media expansion of media powers, and unlike Schiller It recognises the multidimensionality of media forms (Thussu, International Communication: A Reader, 2010)