Cultural imperialism

Cultural imperialism (also cultural colonialism) comprises the cultural dimensions of imperialism. The word "imperialism" describes practices in which a country engages culture (language, tradition, and ritual, politics, economics) to create and maintain unequal social and economic relationships among social groups. Cultural imperialism often uses wealth, media power and violence to implement the system of cultural hegemony that legitimizes imperialism. Cultural imperialism may take various forms, such as an attitude, a formal policy, or military action—insofar as each of these reinforces the empire's cultural hegemony. Research on the topic occurs in scholarly disciplines, and is especially prevalent in communication and media studies, education, foreign policy, history, international relations, linguistics, literature, post-colonialism, science, sociology, social theory, environmentalism, and sports. Although the Oxford English Dictionary has a 1921 reference to the "cultural imperialism of the Russians", John Tomlinson, in his book on the subject, writes that the term emerged in the 1960s and has been a focus of research since at least the 1970s. Terms such as "media imperialism", "structural imperialism", "cultural dependency and domination", "cultural synchronization", "electronic colonialism", "ideological imperialism", and "economic imperialism" have all been used to describe the same basic notion of cultural imperialism. The term refers largely to the exercise of power in a cultural relationship in which the principles, ideas, practices, and values of a powerful, invading society are imposed upon indigenous cultures in the occupied areas. The process is often used to describe examples of when the compulsory practices of the cultural traditions of the imperial social group are implemented upon a conquered social group. The process is also present when powerful nations are able to flood the information and media space with their ideas, limiting countries and communities ability to compete and expose people to locally created content.

About this result

This page is automatically generated and may contain information that is not correct, complete, up-to-date, or relevant to your search query. The same applies to every other page on this website. Please make sure to verify the information with EPFL's official sources.

Related concepts (48)

Related courses (10)

Related lectures (24)

HUM-409: Thinking the nature I

Le cours examine de manière ouverte les constructions de la Nature par diverses sciences et cultures. Il met l'accent sur la pluralité des modes d'apparition de la Nature et sur les rôles qui lui sont

HUM-379: Anthropology of the urban

Cet enseignement aborde les approches conceptuelles de l'anthropologie de l'urbain, les méthodes et les expériences de terrain. Il vise à développer dans une perspective historique et comparative des

HUM-419: Myths of the ancient Mediterranean Sea I

Le cours explore les mythes et les textes fondateurs des cultures antiques (Monde biblique, Grèce, Rome, Egypte). Explorant leurs significations, leurs réceptions, il s'agit de dérouler une histoire d

Social Remittances: Cultural Diffusion

Explores social remittances, migrant culture, integration, technology impact, and transnational communities.

Post-seismic Reconstruction in Urban Nepal

Explores post-seismic reconstruction efforts in urban Nepal, emphasizing community-driven action plans and earthquake-resistant housing solutions.

The End of the World: Narratives and Interpretations

Explores narratives and interpretations of the end of the world, from religious eschatologies to modern scenarios, including nuclear threats and ecological disasters.

Cultural imperialism

Postcolonialism

Postcolonialism is the critical academic study of the cultural, political and economic legacy of colonialism and imperialism, focusing on the impact of human control and exploitation of colonized people and their lands. The field started to emerge in the 1960s, as scholars from previously colonized countries began publishing on the lingering effects of colonialism, developing a critical theory analysis of the history, culture, literature, and discourse of (usually European) imperial power. As an epistemology (i.

Colonialism

Colonialism is a practice by which a country controls people or areas, often by establishing colonies, generally for strategic and economic advancement. There is no clear definition of colonialism; definitions may vary depending on the use and context. Colonialism is etymologically rooted in the Latin word "Colonus", which was used to describe tenant farmers in the Roman Empire. The coloni sharecroppers started as tenants of landlords, but the system evolved so they were permanently indebted to the landowner and were trapped in servitude.