Cultural Imperialism as a Product of Communication Processes - Annotated Bibliography Example

 1) Mamadou, Gaye, (Spring 1998) ‘Western influences and activities in Africa’, Journal of Third World Studies. This article is based on the premise that whatever participation that African countries could afford in the global affairs, all of them had resulted in the benefit of other nations only, and were never to the benefit of any African country. It is observed in this article that all the donations that came to Africa from outside, “came with strings that made it virtually impossible for recipients to use the resources for domestic development”. The Africans are still dependent “on the European languages for access to the global economy.” It is also pointed out that European culture has a vast base of admirers in Africa. Thus the continent is described in this article as a victim of imperialism, in general including cultural imperialism. Colonialism, which basically was a form of political communication among different societies has been identified in this article as the major facilitating factor in the growth of cultural imperialism. This article can help this study by providing the backdrop of political (colonial) communication from which cultural imperialism has evolved. 2) White, L.A., Spring/Summer 2001, ‘Reconsidering cultural imperialism theory’, No.6, Transnational Broadcasting Studies Archives, Retrieved from http://www.tbsjournal.com/Archives/Spring01/white.html This article considers cultural imperialism as a product of communication processes including developmental, political and economic communication. This article has briefly traced the development of cultural imperialism which could provide more clarity about the theoretical premise for this study. It also has drawn attention to the “multiplicity of forms taken by power relations among various cultures”. This article has also listed the various constricts of cultural imperialism and explains how media imperialism has become synonymous with cultural imperialism. The article also has suggested that the cultural component of media imperialism is difficult to measure. 3) Othman, M.D., (1990) International communication: An emerging interest in the role of culture, Journal Komunikasi, Hal. 83-90, Retrieved from http://pkukmweb.ukm.my/~jkom/journal/pdf_files/1990/6(9).pdf This article argues that “international communication and the dissemination of cultural forms” are “two inseparable elements.” The article has observed that with the development of modern technologies of communication, the transfer of cultural elements from one culture to another has become a very speedy process. It has also revealed the less discussed fact that cultural imperialism has been launched by the powerful communities of the world using the tool of communication so that the ground for economic dominance is easily prepared. It is also pointed out that modern communication technologies have made it difficult for the authorities of every nation, to control the flow of information and the process of communication. The article has concluded that mass communication is the “most overwhelming vehicle for the dominant cultures of the developed world to exert their powers on the weaker cultures of the developing nations.” 4) Schiller, H. J. (1973) Communication and Cultural Domination. White Plains, NY: International Arts and Sciences Press. This article, has as its key concept, the process of cultural domination, the factors that constitute it, and the mechanisms of its operation and extension. National communication policies are discussed in detail in this article. Also, the possibility of resisting cultural imperialism is explored. The article declares that “a cultural-communications struggle” is going on in the world and also discusses governmental control of international communication flow. This article will be helpful in understanding and establishing a direct link between communication and cultural imperialism. 5) Jan, M., (2009) Globalization of media: key issues and dimensions, European Journal of Scientific Research, Vol.29, No.1, pp.66-75. This article describes the emergence of globalization and says that cultural-linguistic markets are emerging as a result of developed countries like US, exporting their cultural markets abroad. The article also discusses the global media systems which are dominated by media conglomerates owned by developed countries. The discussion in this article is relevant because it throws light into the global movement of cultural information and messages. The author has argued that cultural imperialism is being replaced by media imperialism. At the same time, this article reminds its readers that “global media market place is more a function of economic than cultural factors.” The article also summarizes all the major theoretical models which are used to analyze cultural globalization. 6) Barnet, G.A. and Sung, E., Culture and structure of international communication, www.internationalcommunicationsjournal.com, Vol.11, No.2, Retrieved from http://www.internationalcommunicationsjournal.com/issues/volume-11-no-2/culture-and-the-structure-of-international-communication-.asp This article discusses the relationship between “national culture and the structure of international information flow”. The focus is on internet and international telecommunications. This article proves that the individuality of the culture of a nation can be retained only if the nation has achieved a central position in the world in internet communication and telecommunication infrastructure. Thus this article suggests that it is not the economic aspect which plays a key role in determining the cultural domination of a nation by a more economically powerful nation. The author also suggests that the network of world nations via communication has centered around North America and Western Europe. I have chosen the sources by trying to find out articles that discuss both communication and cultural imperialism and find a logical connection between these two processes. Though the article, ‘Western influences and activities in Africa’, by Gaye Mamadou is a general article about imperialism, it directly links the colonial political communication process initiated by the European countries to the growth of cultural imperialism. Particularly, the role the language (which is the very medium of communication) plays as a vehicle of hegemony is discussed in detail in this article. The article, ‘Reconsidering cultural imperialism theory’ written by Livingston A. White has been chosen by me because it gives a brief summary of the theoretical premise in which I have to develop my essay. I was trying to find out a critical essay on cultural imperialism when I stumbled on this article over internet. The role of mass media communication in the development of cultural imperialism was one aspect which I wanted to explore in detail and hence I located the article, ‘International communication: An emerging interest in the role of culture’, written by M.D.Othman. This was necessary because media imperialism is becoming almost synonymous with cultural imperialism. The article, ‘Communication and Cultural Domination’ was chosen by me after seeing this article quoted in many books written on the same topic. I believe that such an extensively quoted article written by a renowned theoretician like Schiller will be helpful for me to give proper theoretical anchorage to my study. I had found out the article, ‘Globalization of media: key issues and dimensions’, by searching for information that explains why cultural imperialism has become synonymous with media imperialism. The author, has put to test, the argument that “global popular culture remains centered in the west and it always speaks English” and has come out with convincing arguments regarding the process of international communication which brings about this phenomenon ( Jan, 2009, pp.66-75). The article, ‘Culture and structure of international communication,’ written by Barnet and Sung was chosen because it delves deep into the structure of international communication and the factors that control it. Read More