Cultural Globalization - Essay Example

Globalization and American Culture It can be said that American culture has been globalized. Today, a Big Mac is as ubiquitous in Birmingham as itis in Beijing. Yes, you can supersize your fries in Montana, Montreal or even Moscow as the Cold War has melted and American cultural supremacy has made in-roads around the globe. In fact, one can reasonably argue that the phenomenon that we call globalization is in fact Americanization, the worldwide spread of American values, norms and systems of belief (economic, social and political). If it true that American culture has not been globalized, what explains the Americanization of the world? From a historical standpoint, what made this possible and is this a positive thing for the rest of the world? Why for many people is American culture still a problem? Seeking to address these questions and many more with respect to perceptions of American cultural hegemony and the world today, this essay will provide an in-depth exploration of American culture and the globalization phenomenon today. According to Kelly and Prokhovnik, “although the globalization of culture seems in some ways obvious in our daily lives, it is not an entirely straightforward matter. Culture is a complicated and pervasive phenomenon, taking many forms.” (48) Addressing charges of cultural imperialism and the role of the United States in cultivating a mass market “world culture”, the following will begin with a concise overview the charges leveled against the United States as an economic and cultural hegemon. Following this, we will explore glocalization and the cultural hybridity created when different cultures interact, and persuasively argue that globalization has in fact been a positive force in inter-cultural relations. Neoliberalism and the World Chapter Three of A Globalizing World describes the phenomenon of globalization as “the process by which markets and production in different countries are becoming increasingly interdependent due to the dynamics of trade in goods and services and flows of capital and technology” (85). Accordingly globalization, as it exists today, rests largely on the shoulders of neoliberal economics and the global entrenchment of capitalism as the dominant economic system across the world. This is an important and often neglected component of American cultural imperialism: the internationalization of the US economic system. Neoliberalism, the belief in laissez-faire economics, was best articulated by Margaret Thatcher in the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan in the United States in the 1980s. US President Ronald Regan famously remarked “government was not the solution but the problem” (Hobsbawm 94). Neoliberals put all of their faith in the distributive capabilities of the invisible hand of the free market, and believe that business was inherently good and that government bad. The government was longer interested in the provision of welfare but existed to stimulate the capitalist economic market. The United States under Ronald Reagan was thus described as the “greatest of the neo-liberal regimes” (Hobsbawm 94). Accordingly, The essence of neo-liberalism, its pure form, is a more or less thoroughgoing adherence, in rhetoric if not in practice, to the virtues of a market economy, and, by extension, a market-oriented society. While some neo-liberals appear to assume that one can construct any kind of ‘society’ on any kind of economy, the position taken here is that the economy, the state and civil society are, in fact, inextricably interrelated (Coburn 136). According to globalists then, the worldwide spread of America’s dog-eat-dog economy is as important to understanding globalization as its cultural characteristics. We now to important critiques of the globalization phenomenon. A Critique of Globalization What are the criticisms of globalization and how do proponents of globalization respond to these critiques? Critics of globalization argue that this phenomenon is thinly disguised neo-imperialism and actually represents an insidious attempt to spread Westernization and Western concepts of capitalism, exploitation and greed across the globe. Pessimistic globalists argue that globalization breeds growing inequalities and level charges of cultural imperialism against the United States. World systems theorists argue that globalization does nothing more than entrench the dominant economic position of the developed countries of the West while perpetuating an unequal global distribution of wealth thus ensuring the continued subservient status of the developing countries of the world within the current global economic system. Pessimistic globalists argue that global economic institutions such the World Bank (WB) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) impoverish the masses for the benefits of the few. These organizations are routinely criticized as being anti-democratic, exploitative in nature and often as agents of Western imperialism (Workbook 4; 27). Members of the anti-globalization movement represent a backlash against the dominant economic ideologies of our time including capitalism and neoliberalism as the economic order of the day. Proponents of globalization argue for that many criticisms of globalization are unfounded. Accordingly, they point to the fact that there is a wholesale lack of evidence for many of the claims put forth by anti-globalization activists and argues that capitalism and the spread of Western culture has benefited people all around the world, including those in the so-called Third World. These critics however fail to understand the process of glocalization, the process through which global items become a hybrid of both the global and the local. How does glocalization occur in our global world? (Workbook 4, 22-30; Friedman 3-22) Globalization, Glocalization and the Blending of Cultures McDonalds, arguably the most well-known fast-food chain in the world responds to the local needs of its customers when it advertises its products in Chinese in China or offers the native French Canadian dish poutine (literally fries, cheese and gravy) to customers in the province of Québec. Interestingly, this item cannot be bought elsewhere in Canada but is found exclusively on McDonalds menus in the French speaking province of Québec. Baywatch is reportedly the most watched show in the world and according to the Guinness Book of World Records, Baywatch was watched by 1.1 billion people in 148 countries. The translation of Baywatch into 44 different languages represents glocalization at its best (Guinness Book of World Records 2009). Finally, the world-wide delivery of Michael Jackson albums and global concert dates while he was still alive represent the glocalization if on an international music superstar with a local touch. These three examples are glocalization as its best and the blending of the local with the global to create a new and increasingly potent hybrid force (Harvey 44-62). Concluding Remarks American cultural imperialism is evidenced in the social, political and economic realms and represents American global domination in a variety of spheres. Kelly and Prokhovnik persuasively argue that there is considerable evidence to support the notion that the globalization of culture is not the emergence and growth of a global culture, but a spreading in the English language of US or Western cultural goods and practices. Recognition of this has been translated into polices banning satellite dishes in Iran; and the imposition of tariffs or quotas on imported music, film or television, for example in France. (63) Addressing charges of cultural imperialism and the role of the United States in cultivating global cultural hegemony, this analysis has taken a critical approach to American culture on a global scale. What is it that makes the American culture so wrong yet so appealing? Rampant consumerism, the spread of a global economic system which serves to enrich the few and impoverish the many are perceived in represented Americanization and the globalization phenomenon in the 21st century. Despite numerous detractors on all corners of the globe, globalization remains an important force in modern society and it is here to stay. Glocalization, a hybrid state in which the global becomes localized, is an important phenomenon which can be used by supporters of the globalization movement to show that in fact American cultural imperialism is far from being the heart of the globalization movement. As this essay has shown, American cultural commodities such as McDonalds, Michael Jackson and Baywatch have proven their resilience in the global hybrid world and represent glocalization at its best. Word Count: 1,472 words works cited Coburn, D. “Income inequality, social cohesion and the health status of populations: the role of neo-liberalism”, Social Science & Medicine, 51.1 (2000):135-146. Friedman, T. The World is Flat. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, New York, 2005. Harvey, D. A Brief History of Neoliberalism. London: Oxford University Press., 2007. Hed, D. (ed.) A Globalizing World?: Workbook 4. London: Routledge, 2004. Hobsbawm, E. Age of Extremes: The Short History of the Twentieth Century: 1914-1991. London: Abacus, 1994. Kelly, B. and Prokhovnik, R. Economic Globalization? in Hed, D. (ed.) A Globalizing World? Culture, Economics, Politics. London: Routledge, 2004. Read More