GLOBALIZATION &

CULTURAL IMPERIALISM
By
Hannah Faith P. Martinez
BSA-IV
 What is
GLOBALIZATION?
 Globalization can refer to many things, but generally it
refers to the increased exchange of ideas, values, and culture
across borders between disparate cultures and regions.
Anything can be conscious or unwitting agents of this change,
be it corporations, cultural trends, or actual people
themselves.
 Globalization and its effects on the world are still a hotly
contested issue. Some see globalization as a natural side effect of the
growth of global capitalism and a generally positive development. After
all, the exchange of beliefs and values across cultures has led to some of
the greatest discoveries and challenged the greatest minds in our
shared history. In addition, the integration of global economic markets
has spurred some of the greatest economic growth in human history.
This morning you woke up and put on a polo shirt that read 'made in
China' on the inside tag. You then went to your garage and got in a car
that had parts that were manufactured in all parts of the world. You
drove that car to the grocery store where you bought grapes that were
grown in Chile, sugar from Jamaica, and curry from India.You did all of
this because of globalization.
The following are common examples of globalization.
 Trade
The exchange of goods and services between nations. Trade is a feature of ancient
societies that has expanded due to improvements in transportation, political
stability and cooperation.
 Immigration
The ability to live, work or go to school in a place other than the place where you
happened to be born. Immigration is a pervasive feature of history that is nothing
new.
 Culture
Cultures have always influenced each other due to the spread of knowledge and
people. This process is accelerated in the modern age. Culture can exist at many
levels such as a nation, region, city, neighborhood, subculture or superculture. It is
also possible that a global culture will emerge. Culture by its nature does not
change quickly and can vary greatly even within one nation. As such, global culture
would likely complement national cultures as opposed to replacing them.
 What is
CULTURAL IMPERIALISM?
Cultural imperialism is the process and
practice of promoting one culture over
another. Often this occurs during colonization,
where one nation overpowers another country,
typically one that is economically disadvantaged
and/or militarily weaker. The dominant country
then forces its cultural beliefs and practices
onto the conquered nation.

Today, as a global economic and political power,

the United States is said to be intruding into the
cultures of other countries of the world.
It is reasonable to suggest that culture is easily effected and changed by
influence of a stronger, dominant and often ‘happening’ culture.
 Hollywood movies portray American culture which provides
equality, freedom and all positive aspects of life, making a way for soft
power to be used by America on third world countries. Since, educated
youth of Pakistan, especially, the upper and upper middle class prefer
westernization; Hollywood is dominating all sense of cultural identity.
Educated Youth are more prone to Hollywood movies than Bollywood
industry. Since, Hollywood gives them something out of the box and
presents their movies in such way that the target audience finds it hard
to believe that there is something against the cultural norms and the
virtues promoted by them.
Another example would be NIKE's cultural imperialism in China.
Where it sponsors Liu Xiang: China’s first track and field Olympic gold
medalist. He dons NIKE apparel, advertising them to Chinese public,
who would most likely follow in the footsteps of their sports icon and
buy some themselves. Since NIKE represents the core-values of
American sport, this representation of them also promotes American
culture over Chinese culture. It pushes the public to think that NIKE is
better than other sports brands -especially Chinese - as their favorite
sports idol is wearing them. As a result, NIKE takes precedence over
Chinese sports brands and influences the public into buying NIKE
products - thus being a classic example of cultural imperialism in the
modern world.
 With media
consumption progressing
so quickly across the
globe, it's inevitable that
vast cultures will become
more and more aware of
the lifestyles and
tendencies of various
countries. The more
powerful countries will be
the main subject matter
and the center of attention
for developing and less
powerful countries to
emulate.
 Cultural imperialism is a term about inequality which means that
Western countries are ahead of the race while Eastern countries try
and catch up by taking in as much information as possible about how
the Western countries are succeeding. This makes ancient cultures
susceptible to disappearing altogether with how quickly new cultures
are taking over.
THANK YOU