Cultural imperialism

Name(s):

Dependence on cultural imperialism

Cultural domination

Conceptual imperialism

Denial of cultural self-determination

Nature

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.

Incidence

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.

Claim

The western way of life is encouraging thinking and policies which increase poverty and instability in the less prosperous parts of the world. Cultural imperialism, which formerly occurred in the sense of colonization and political domination, now it is less overt but nonetheless widespread via the mass media and the new information and communications technology. It occurs in international trade and in excessive and uncontrolled foreign investment overseas by powerful countries and transnational corporations. The economic invasion is attended by cultural invasion and with political influence. Consumerism is its main vehicle.

Broader

Imperialism

Disruptive foreign influence

Narrower

Adulteration of cultural heritage

Transnational cultural penetration

Cultural domination through language

Imbalance in trade of cultural products between countries