2. The View on Cultural Change from
Globalization Frameworks
Hyperglobalizers: homogenization of world
under American popular culture or Western
consumerism
Political Sceptics: thinness of global culture
relative to national cultures. Cultural
differences and conflicts along geopolitical
faultlines.
Transformationalists: intermingling of
cultures and peoples: hybrids and new forms
4. What is Culture?
Social construction, articulation ad reception of
meaning (Held, et al 1998)
The arts
Commodified output of the culture industries (Film,
TV, Music)
Spontaneous expressions of everyday life
Complex interactions between all of these
5. What is Culture?
Religion
Ethnicity
Nationalism
Language
Other forms of Identity
The importance of forms of Communication
6. Cultural Globalization-concepts
Cultural globalization: the transmission of culture
globally
Facilitated by the movement of people, objects,
signs and symbols.
Travel
Movement of books and cultural artifacts
Key: forms of communication and transportation
8. Cultural Globalization-Concepts
Is it all Coercion?
Proselytism
Evangelism
Empire
Better: “Modes of interaction”
Imposition
Emulation
Diffusion: hierarchical, contagious, relocation
9. Cultural Globalization-Concepts
Infrastructures and Institutionalization: regularized and
embedded change
Transportation and communication technologies
Social organization and systems: shipbuilding, mapmaking,
shipping companies, international satellite companies,
regulatory regimes, TV programming
Languages: educational systems, training of teachers
11. Cultural Globalization: Historical
Perspective
World Religions: Christianity, Islam,
Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism-
none is present everywhere
Some odd pockets
1 million Japanese Shintoists in Brazil
Goan Catholics on west coast of India
Religious/Political/Military Power
Christianity
Islam
No proselytizing: Confusionism/Hinduism
14. Cultural Globalization: Historical Perspective
By 3 C. bce: Buddhism and Hinduism had
their contemporary spread
700 ce: Islam in core regions
16th
/17th
C. :Christianity reaches global
presence (Books)
World religions have given religious and
political elites immense power and resources,
ability to mobilize armies, and “governance”
16. Empires
Role of cultural power in creating and maintaining
political empires
Difficult to enforce rule at a distance
Armies and governments are expensive
Indirect rule: Universal ruling class
Kinship, belief, religion
Political divisions become vertical between classes
Diffusion of culture provides cohesion
17. Roman Empire
Capacity to deploy political power.
Accomplished through innovations:
Logistical capabilities and civil engineering
Political community
Class solidarity
Shared cultural beliefs, rituals and aesthetics
Literacy was key among ruling class
Drama and poetry were used to build
allegiance
18. The British Empire
Most global of any formal empire: “the sun never
sets on the British Empire”
Imperial educational policy
English medium schools in India, etc.
Elites went to Oxford and Cambridge
Imperial communications infrastructure
Telegraph to India by 1870
19. Modern National Cultures
Nation: cross-class community, whose shared sense of
identity, solidarity and interest is rooted in an national
identity ad common historical experience (real,
imagined or interpreted) and whose central political
project is the possession of a distinctive state in a
bounded territory.
Nationalism: Psychological and cultural affiliation
creating a connection with the community of the
nation
Ethnic nationalism
Civic nationalism
National culture: complex bodies of real and imagined
practice, belief, ritual and attitude
20. Modern National Cultures
Non existent before 18th century: Treaty of
Westphalia
National cultures invented and developed over
time
Cultural preconditions:
Literacy
National histories, myths and rituals,
Importance of state powers of taxation and
conscription
21. National Cultures
Task undertaken by diverse institutions
Official language
National schooling system
Postal service and Communications structures (NBC, ABC
etc.) National press
Standing army
Suppression or eradication of competing identities and
peripheral nationalisms
Key factors
Memories/histories/myths
Role of land/landscapes/places:
Monuments
National Parks
sites of battle
22. Transnational Secular Ideologies
European modern culture is secular
Socialism and Marxism
Enlightenment ideologies:
Modern scientific worldview
liberal political discourse:
civil and political rights
Limited government
Self-determination
Capitalism
Globalism?
25. Cultural Globalization/Global Culture
Markets
Technologically driven
Economic liberalization driven: mergers and
acquisitions,deregulation, free trade barriers
reducedconcentration of ownership
Dominated by US, but Japanese, UK, and others
are present (see chart)
26. Global Media
Radio and the music industry
Political instrument: Voice of America, Radio
Venceremos
Instrument of Localism
Major source of communication in developing
countries for community/political/entertainment
Music is highly compatible with globalization:
no need for translation
Musical diaspora: religious, African, American
Modern forms are more mixed: Orquesta de
Luz, El Vez, World Music
27. Cinema and Television
US Dominates Film
Increasing growth of new film industries
Other industries: see chart
Television: more recent, higher level of individual
capital investment
Public quality initially, now Satellite and Cable
have changed control to private.
28. Tourism
Issues:
Expanding Awareness
Sex Tourism
Ecotourism and Rural Tourism: Contradictions?
Cultural Survival:
Who controls the production of culture?
Tourism as an economic generator
29. Tourism
1950: 25.3 million tourists/$2 Billion
1995: 561 million tourists/$380 Billion
International Tourists:
Country % of Tourists
Europe 53%,
Americas 17%
Asia (Japan, Taiwan, Korea) 17%
Africa 2.5%
Middle East 1.2%
South Asia .6%