Introduction
It is moot question whether Western countries dominate the less developed nations in production and distribution of cultural products or if that domineering force has taken a beating in the changing face of the world. While proponents of cultural imperialism argue in favor of the Western hegemony, opponents have several examples hinting at the receding power of Western nations.
Succinctly, it is a conceptual divide among scholars that make it an interesting topic to explore and discuss. The paper describes both sides of the coin, i.e., the views of supporters as well as the opponents. Having analyzed both perceptions, the author concludes that the thesis of cultural imperialism is narrow in scope considering the changes in the time of the development of the model compared to now. The conclusion has been drawn based on the concepts of utility, scope, and precision of the theory as well as the personal interpretation of relevant opinions and examples. The paper presents a comprehensive account of significant details that is expected to enrich the understanding of the readers.
The Concept of Cultural Imperialism and Supporters' Perceptions
Cultural imperialism thesis or theory vindicates that Western countries lord over the media around the world. This dominance, in turn, creates a profound impact on the cultures of Third World nations and makes them adhere to Western views and perceptions. The domino effect of this ascendancy is the end of native cultures in those nations. The flow of information is considered myopic and imbalanced between North and South. The thesis implies that it is because of the one dimensional flow of the information.
Apparently, the concept of cultural imperialism is one among the most discussed and debated in the fields of international politics and globalization. While different authors have put forward differing definitions and ideologies, some common 'constructs' of cultural imperialism include society, modern world system, dominating centre of the system and values and structures. Society implies a community located in a specific geographical boundary. The modern world system implies capitalism. Dominating center refers to developed nations and western power and values and structures refer to the perceptions and values that emanate from the dominating center and impact the cultures of less developed nations
The literature of cultural imperialism also includes some other constructs as communication imperialism, ideological imperialism, media imperialism, cultural synchronization, and economic imperialism. The essence of different theories and ideologies is still the same, i.e., the cultural governance of Western countries over the developing world. At times, the term expands to engulf not only cultural dominance but also economic and technological hegemony by the industrialized nations.
The development of the theory of cultural imperialism in the late 1960s and 1970s directly poses the dominance of American media as a threat to cultural identities. Media or cultural imperialism has been argued as intensifying the globalization process, in fact the Westernization of the globe since last two decades. Scholars have opined that production and distribution processes have been homogenized. Western ideologies, science, social institutions, sexual symbols and beauty ideals rule the roost. The world seems to be obsessed with western food, eating habits, attire, pop idols, and even the western concept of human existence. People are obsessed with American designers as Calvin Klein, Polo, and DK. Their stores have inundated piazzas of France, Germany, Brazil and several Asian Nations.
McDonaldization thesis supports this argument to an extent. Ritzer posited that the society and cultures across the world are adapting the characteristics of fast food restaurant. With growing popularity of fast food chains, the theory seems quite convincing. Further, Western music and dressing has had a long lasting impact on the world. When Pop music took off in 1950, numbers of acts tried to sound as American as possible.The wave of Hollywood swept off British film industry as an independent entity. Pop music reached every nook and corner of the world so much so that stars in Ghana and Nigeria looked just an African versions of American celebrities.
Critique of the Thesis: Opponents' Hint at Reverse Imperialism
The thesis of cultural imperialism has come under scanner since 1990s. Scholars have posited that the current globalized environment is characterized by plurality of actors and media flows and it is no longer possible to sustain the domineering force of the Western countries. Several Asian and Latin American broadcasters are expanding their operations in program production and distribution. Media scholars including Michael Tracy and Geoffrey Reeves have made a strong case against the notion. Reeves has pointed out the emergence of many developing nations as India, Brazil, and Mexico, not only in preventing their native cultural elements but also spreading out those in the prosperous world. Confirming to this stance, Mark Harrison( 2004) emphasized that India and China represent the power of Asia and are a growing market in television program content. They have a great diasporas across the world that makes their position strong in the global industry.
Contrary to the views put forward by imperialist theorists, there are many critical arguments that question the validity and empirical utility of the concept. Ogan(1988) argued that the theory is purely descriptive and lacks explanatory power, and it needs to be advanced further. He also mentioned that the validity of the theory is put into question because cultural component is subjective and difficult to measure. Additionally, different backgrounds, religion, and ethnicity of individuals enable them to interpret messages differently; the thesis does not acknowledge it.
A comprehensive research in to how domestic audience responds to media influences of the West highlights that cultural imperialism does not exist. Liebes conducted a study to know the impact of 'Dallas'( a popular TV show) in Israel. Having studied four groups of viewers including Israeli Arabs, Moroccan Jewish immigrants, Kibbutz, and Russian immigrants, Liebes identified that interpretation of messages imparted by Dallas changes as per the viewers belongingness to a particular social or ethnic group. Another theorist, Ien Ang, has supported these findings.
Australian scholars have published a book that presents a detailed account of the growth of television industries in periphery nations as India, China, Brazil, Mexico, and Middle East. They prove that the thesis of cultural imperialism is not valid in all situations. As an example, Televisa and Brazilian Globo Network have obsessed the domestic audience, at a higher degree than English-speaking market. In this context, Straubhaar(2000) has aptly coined the term "cultural proximity" to connote that there is a new trend to prefer the programming that is in close proximity to own culture.
Opponents argue that the very theory of cultural imperialism is short-sighted that fails to acknowledge the multipolarity of cultural expressions, cultural dialogue, living experiences, and subjectivity. Furthermore, the theory stumbles in embracing the concepts of hybridity and cultural evolution. As such, it is not supposed to correctly and effectively explain today's world, whereby the flow of information and from North to South and West to East do not necessarily mark domination. The cart is getting put before the horse; popular Brazilian Telenovelas are a classic example of the reverse flow, i.e., the flow from South to the North. Many Brazilian sop operas have been popular during 1980s and early 1990s.
Additionally, scholars are against the perception that cultural imperialism is destroying the Third World Nations, one of the basic premises of the model. Think tanks as American Enterprise Institute, The Heritage Foundation, and The Hoover Institution have opined that US imperialism, rather, benefits the rest of the world in terms of flow of novel ideas and technological advancement .
The opponents of cultural imperialism have argued that the era of cultural pluralism has set in. They attack the thesis for not acknowledging the local resistance to West domination. Starubhaar (2000) avered that audiences in several nations resist the contents of Western products while enjoying nationally produced genres. In recent years, the force of counter-imperialism has witnessed a convincing stride in the case of South Korea as its domestic cultural industries have seen an expansion towards East and South Asian Nations. Nevertheless, the dominance gets a beating when it comes to US. America continues to dominate Korean cultural market through capital and cultural products.
Analysis
A careful analysis of available literature suggests that there is not much empirical support for cultural empiricism. However, this has resulted because many researchers have not followed a defined set of propositions while conducting the empirical tests. They have based their work on personal interpretations of cultural imperialism.
Answering to the critics opinions, Potter (1996) has argued that the thesis cannot be denigrated just because of the fact that it carries many definition, out of which some are contradictory. So many definitions, he said, have rather enriched the concept than restrained it. These differing perceptions can be attributed to the fact that the thesis has developed out of an ontological assumption that recognizes multiple realities and celebrates diversity
Likewise, the thesis cannot be belittled because of lack of precision. Littlejohn(1999) argued that it is a macro level concept that focuses on broader aspects than emphasizing micro elements. Schiller, in support of LittleJohn, also vindicated that most of the criticisms of the thesis have appeared because researchers have attempted to apply this macro concept to micro situations. The theory, broadly, explains the flow of information between countries and less specifically explains particular cultural aspects.
Nevertheless, the validity of a thesis or model depends on its scope, precision, testability, and utility. Apparently, the thesis has a broad scope in the sense that it is used in many discourses including politics, science, history, education, and international relations. However, the functional scope is not sufficient to accept or reject the notion.
With the advent of advance communication technologies, the flow of information has become multi-dimensional-opposed to the uni-dimensional notion purported by cultural imperialism. The theory was put forward in 1970s to explain the ongoing phenomenon that time. Researchers have appropriately stated the examples of India and Brazil that are out of the dominance of the Western power. The example of South Korea further pinpoints the changing world order and altering equations. Things have colossally changed now and it is required to revisit the notion to fetch a broader utility out of it.
Cultural imperialism is also not precise; it is loosely defined and constructs of the theory are treated as primitive terms. One -way flow of information is no longer acceptable. Propositions of the theory need to be ameliorated to suit to the changing world scenario. The low scope and precision are pointer to its low utility. A theory is useful if it aims to alter, control, and explain some phenomenon. The thesis is purely descriptive with no tinge of controlling the one way flow of the information. As such, it does not have much predictive or explanatory power that cripples the utility of this concept.
Conclusion
Cultural imperialism, the concept developed in 1970s, is a thesis that acknowledges the cultural hegemony of Western nations over less-developed nations. With time, global equations have changed and many nations including Brazil, Mexico, India, and China are expanding their operations. The authors have presented a case of South Korea that has, to an extent, shun the dominance of America and made its presence felt.
Nevertheless, the thesis cannot be considered redundant. The whiff of reverse imperialism is already there but American dominance is, to an extent, still pervading. However, the theoretical foundations of cultural imperialism have been rightly questioned on the basis of utility, scope, and precision. There are several examples to point that Third world nations have started embracing their native cultures and values. It is, thus, appropriate to state that the model of cultural imperialism does not carry absolute validity in all areas. Still, further research is required to ascertain the level of opposition against cultural imperialism and testify the validity with more precision.
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