cultural globalization. what is culture? social construction the arts commoditized output of the...
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Cultural GlobalizationWhat is Culture?
Social construction The artsCommoditized output of the culture industries (Film, TV, Music)Expressions of everyday life
Religion Ethnicity Nationalism LanguageOther forms of Identity
Cultural Globalization
• Definition:• An economic phenomenon?• A social phenomenon?• A cultural phenomenon?
• The movement towards the expansion of economic and social ties between countries through the spread of corporate institutions and the capitalist philosophy that leads to the shrinking of the world in economic terms.
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
Cultural Globalization/Global Culture Markets
• Technologically driven• Economic liberalization driven: mergers and
acquisitions, deregulation, free trade barriers reduced concentration of ownership• Dominated by US, but Japanese, UK, and others are
present (see chart)
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
Cinema and Television
• US Dominates Film• Increasing growth of new film industries • Television: more recent, higher level of individual
capital investment• Public quality initially, now Satellite and Cable have
changed control to private.
Tourism• Issues: • Expanding Awareness • Cultural Survival
• Tourism as an economic generator
• 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%
Corporate Expansion
• Multi-national or trans-national corporations (MNCs or TNCs) – businesses with a headquarters in one country but with business operations in a number of others.
No matter where you go in the world, certain businesses will always have a presence.
Corporate Expansion
• Characteristics:• Expanding revenue• Lowering costs• Sourcing raw
materials• Controlling key
supplies• Control of processing• Global economies
of scale
Controlling supplies may be one reason for global expansion.
Corporate Domination• Key Issues:• Damage to the
environment?• Exploitation of
labour? • Monopoly power• Economic degradation• Non-renewable
resources• Damage to cultures
Shell and Nike’s activities have come under severe criticism in some quarters.
Other Issues:• Accountability
of Global businesses?• Increased gap between rich
and poor fuels potential terrorist reaction• Ethical responsibility of
business?• Efforts to remove trade
barriersThere are plenty of people who believe that globalisation is a negative development, protests at the G8 summits, pollution, poverty and concern over GM crops are just some of the issues.
Ethnic Conflict • In a globalizing world of standardization, people cling even
more fiercely to whatever local customs impart distinctiveness, in some cases pushing the primacy of these differences to the brink of conflict• Ethnicity is defined as a shared awareness of perceived
ancestral differences as a basis for reward, recognition or relationships• A commitment to ethnicity allows an escape from feelings
or irrelevance, powerlessness, alienation and impersonality• Ethnically-bases nationalism: has been singled out as major
contributors to international conflicts as well as a threat to societal integrity • State-based (civic) nationalism: seek cultural uniformity• Ethnic (cultural) nationalism: endorses cultural uniqueness,
to the detriment of social cohesion