Cultural imperialism

One culture can dominate others by its commerce; by its superior products and technologies which create a demand; by its cultural achievements whether they are scientific, literary, artistic, intellectual or social; and negatively, by intimidation of size and nearness, and by forced political and military agreements. When cultural dominance is perpetuated without sensitivity to, and respect for, indigenous ways of life, it is imperialistic and expansionist, feeding on its own success. Where a population is susceptible it may experience cultural invasion from more than one source. For example, it may adopt as an additional language one that is foreign; it may follow consumer patterns from another model; and it may accept ideologies from still a third source. Populations may become culturally dependent on foreign importations, stifling their own development in literature, science, education, mass media, behaviour and language, and in economic growth.

Independent India still retains the foreign thinking of colonialism, which values that which comes from outside and produces such paradoxes as American-educated scientists versed in technologies aimed at reducing the role of human beings in production, although labour is India's greatest asset; or graduates of foreign business schools who know how to administer complicated corporations with billion-dollar assets - the sort of corporations which will put out of business the small labour-intensive and unsophisticated industries that India is officially committed to encouraging.