cultural globalisation

cultural globalisation definition

• Process by which people across the world participate in the same homogenised global culture

Space-time compression

• The idea that in a globalised world, time and space are no longer significant barriers to communications and interaction

• Associated w cultural globalisation - meaning that for the first time, human interaction could take place outside the restrictions of both space and time

• Time/space compression alters people's experience of the world in a variety of way

• It means that the speed of life is increasing as events, transactions and travel happen more quickly

Deterritorialization

• The process through which social spaces can no longer be wholly mapped in terms of territorial places, territorial distance and territorial borders

• Globalisation has led to the rise of deterritorialization through which the constraints traditionally imposed by geography and distance have been substantially overcome

• This process has occurred through improvements in technologies of communication and transport

Homogenisation

• The tendency for all parts or elements (in this case countries) to become similar or identical

• Cultural diversity is weakened or destroyed in a world in which we all watch the same TV programmes, buy the same commodities, eat the same food, support the same sports stars etc

Cultural imperialism

• The displacement of an indigenous culture by the imposition of foreign beliefs, values and attitudes, usually associated w/ consolidation or legitimising economic and/or political domination

• Cultural globalisation amounts to a form of cultural imperialism, emphasising that cultural flows are between unequal partners and are used as a means through which powerful states exert domination over weaker states

• Some portray global globalisation as 'westernisation' or 'americanisation'

Commodity fetishism

• The process whereby commodities are invested with symbolic and social significance, allowing them to exert sway over human beings

• Consumerism has become one of the key targets of modern anti-corporate criticism

Americanisation

• Either or both the politico-economic dominance of the USA, or the spread of American cultural values and practices to other parts of the world

• The americanisation model of cultural globalisation reflects the disproportionate extent to which the goods and images that dominate modern commerce and the media derive from the USA, meaning that the world is being taken over not just by consumer capitalism but by a very particular US model of consumer capitalism

is the state still relevant in cultural globalisation

YES - state still relevant

• Cultural globalisation doesn’t always create a “monoculture”; it can expand choice and cultural diversity.

• Individuals select from a global array of cultural products, e.g.:

  • Netflix streams films and series from around the world, not just American content.

  • South Korea’s Parasite (2020) became the first foreign-language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars.

• The state continues to shape cultural identity, through:

  • Education systems

  • National media

  • Public broadcasting

  • Festivals, heritage promotion, and official languages

• States provide political and social organisation, reinforcing a shared sense of belonging even in a globally connected culture.

NO - state is irrelevant

• Globalisation can flatten cultural differences, creating a more uniform global culture.

• Unique cultural traits are eroded as societies adopt common global norms.

• Local traditions and identities are often replaced or overshadowed by dominant global trends.

• American multinational brands dominate global culture:

  • Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Coca-Cola.

  • Example: Subway became the world’s largest restaurant chain in 2020 (≈43,000 outlets).

• Even tourism is influenced by globalised culture: e.g., Bicester Shopping Village is the second most popular attraction for Chinese tourists in the UK after Buckingham Palace.

• Shows that corporations and global consumer culture increasingly shape cultural experience, often more than the state.