The following essay examines two related themes in the Modern Age that have dramatically weaved their way through history and into the present day, nationalism and its aggressive ethnocentric stepchild, culturalimperialism.
1,305 words (approx. 5.2 pages), 2000 sources, 2000, $ 44.95
Abstract This essay examines the two related themes that have significantly contributed to the development of social, political, and cultural changes across the planet. The writer examines several historical examples related to these themes, and then relates nationalism and culturalimperialism to current events. In addition this essay comments on nationalistic tendencies during the Protestant Reformation and creation of the dynastic states, surrounding the French Revolution and the Revolutions of 1848, within the Far East, and in other settings; and cite nationalism in current events.
From the Paper "Plenty of arguments surround the role of the Protestant Reformation in the rise of modern individualism, democracy, and industrialism, but most historians agree that the Reformation deeply influenced the formation of modern nationalism, especially through the Thirty Years War and the subsequent Treaty of Westphalia. By that time, several of the modern nation-states were solidified, particularly Spain, France, and England. Here we see nationalism originating in states that were based on religious and dynastic ties."
Abstract This paper discusses how culturalimperialism is the voluntary absorption of one culture by another. In particular, it looks at the particular case of the absorption of American culture by Australia. It examines how the advent of technology has made the world more accessible to huge numbers of people and how this increased accessibility exposes countries to more of other countries' cultures and ideas. The paper argues that Australia should not take steps to try and limit the amount of American media and popular culture that is being imported and that rather than being detrimental to Australia, culturalimperialism is merely a bi product of globalization.
From the Paper "In Australia the issue of American dominance is a popular topic of debate. Terms like "Americanization" and "McDomination" are thrown around opinion columns and talked about in the media. People are referring to the influx of American popular culture that despite peaking in the 1960's, is still going on today. In "the early 1960s as much as 98 per cent of television drama was imported, while today 55 per cent of television drama is local content." (Sheil) The majority of this imported television was of American origin. However by no means does this say that America is losing its influence in popular culture because American music and movies still dominate Australian airways and movie theatres. Currently only thirteen of the fifty songs on the ARIA (Australia Record Industry Association) top 50 singles chart are Australian with the rest being imported, foreign music. "
Abstract This paper argues that Arabs living in the West are gradually being denied their rights to cultural self-expression and the concept of culturalimperialism is beginning to take over. While one cannot argue the halting of globalization as a means of halting the trend towards the suppression of Arab culture, one can argue that multi culturalism must become the norm. It explains that it is only within a framework of multiculturalism that globalization will not be a cultural threat to minority cultures and that these cultures will be allowed to survive without having to apologize for their values or some feeling that regression into extremism is the only available form of cultural and religious defense. Thus, it is not the Arab culture that must be redefined, but globalization's culturally imperialistic attitudes that must be reformulated.
From the Paper "In the early 1990s, Huntington predicted that the wars of the future would not be over ideological differences, but over cultural ones. Arguing that the stereotypes that cultures produce of each other, leading to significant misunderstandings and misinterpretations, culminating in a 'clash of civilizations,' Huntington's thesis initially appeared invalid to some. Many believed that globalization, which would be based on multiculturalism, eventually giving birth to a universal culture which, while co-existing alongside national ones, would provide a strong basis for the globalization of culturally relativist attitudes, would prevent such a clash. However, even in the midst of globalization and the increased outward appearance of nations attempting to forge closer relationships and acquire cultural understanding of one another, Huntington's thesis proved valid. Although many cannot trace the present East and West clash of civilizations much further back than September eleventh, the fact is that the antagonistic relationship between the Islamic and Western worlds, based on mutual stereotyping and mutual feelings of fear, distrust and even hatred, goes back to the birth of Islam and its immediate perception by Christianity and a false and dangerous new religion. Since that time, and over the centuries that followed, Islam and Western Christianity only made superficial attempts to objectively understand one another through a non-judgmental culturally relativist attitude. Instead, each created stereotypes, based on part truths or complete lies, of the other; treated those stereotypes as the reality and, death with the other from that perspective, allowing misunderstandings, misinterpretations and hatred to burst to the boiling point called September eleventh and the counterattack called the War on Terror. Therefore, while September eleventh is not the starting point for the eruption of the clash of civilizations we are ironically living in during the age of globalization, it is a significant turning point which brought the clash of civilizations into the open."
Abstract This paper discusses whether U.S. dominance of multinational communications corporations amounts to American culturalimperialism. It examines the nature of globalization, the growing importance of computers and telecommunications and mass produced media.
From the Paper "The debate has even taken to the streets and turned violent especially at sensitive conferences such as those in Seattle and Milan. Large international groups such as the WTO IMF and G have turned to remote mountainous locations for their conferences eschewing the urban settings selected for previous events..."
Abstract This paper examines creolization, globalization, and culturalimperialism in Caribbean society. It explains that each country in the Caribbean has such diversity in its ethnic, religious, social, and national practices that it can be considered as a separate country and that people in the Caribbean cannot even agree on what it would mean to be patriotic. The paper notes that the basic problem is that, instead of thinking of culture, one has to consider the Caribbean in terms of numerous subcultures and that this means that there is no possibility for a united and integrated community, and no way that the Caribbean can relate as a whole to the global community. The paper also highlights the fact that whereas colonialism imposed division on the Caribbean, the exact opposite problem is imminent at the present time because of globalization. In conclusion, the paper shows that the Caribbean is made up of numerous subcultures that are actually small cultures which are relatively isolated from one another, and while there are similarities between those subcultures they are marked by too many differences to ever be brought together in unity. Whereas the process of creolization is effective for mixing the subcultures into a general form, globalization has the potential to completely destroy those subcultures.
From the Paper "Caribbean intellectuals are quite aware of the forces of globalization and of the need to situate their communities on the world scale. According to Gyssels (2001, p. 1), these intellectuals "have been working out ideals of trans-nationalism and multiculturalism, and have studied the dialectic connection between the colonies and the ex-colonies". Other attempt are being made in the Caribbean to protect, promote and preserve the elements of the cultural heritage such as the Carnival in Trinidad (Scher, 2002). Critical reflection on creolization is basic to the quest for identity because authentic cultures are in danger of being lost through the process of globalization and in great part because of the technological superiority of Western countries."
Abstract The paper presents a study on imperialism with a focus on France and her battle against English as an international language. The paper shows how France's battle against the use of English as the main language of the world is essentially a fight against globalization and the loss of French culture. The paper examines French cinema and its war against Hollywood.
From the Paper "On March 23rd, 2006, during a meeting in Brussels, Jacques Chirac, the President of the French Republic, followed by two of his ministers, went out of the room when Ernest-Antoine Seillieres, the boss of the European bosses and former boss of the MEDEF, started delivering a speech in English. However bizarre or ludicrous this attitude may seem to many, whether French or not, it indicates something important as far as language is concerned. It reveals the omnipresence of the English language: even though translation was available - for, in the European Union, all languages of the member-states are official - a Frenchman chose to express himself in a foreign tongue. Why didn't he stick to his native language?"
Abstract The objective of this paper is to further explore the concept of human rights. A particular focus will be placed on the question of whether or not the imposition of western human rights values on non-western traditions constitutes a form of imperialism. At the root of the issue, it seems is the issue of what should weigh more, human rights or state sovereignty. In the end, of course, there is no definitive answer to this question. What it can, and will, do, however, is look at the dynamics of human rights in the international arena and comment on whether western rhetoric on human rights is in the sphere of imperialism, or neo-imperialism.
Abstract This paper gives a detailed explanation about how the European imperialism started and how it exploited the resources and people of both Asia and Africa. The paper also emphasizes on the outcome or after-effects of imperialism in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
From the Paper "For four hundred years, the world has been quite aware of the European imperialism. Examples of European imperialism were found not only in Europe but also in other continents as a result of outward European expansion. The word Imperialism was basically invented during the mid-nineteen century when the age of autocracy was on the rise. Imperialism has led to multiple effects of globalization and multiculturalization in the modern day Europe."
Abstract The paper discusses three theories about the New Imperialism policies of Europe and the United States. The paper explains the causes of the New Imperialism policies, including economic reasons, emergence of nation states and nationalism, cultural and religious motives.
From the Paper "The phrase "New Imperialism" has historically been used to describe the various competing imperialist policies of Europe and the United States at the end of the Nineteenth and beginning of the Twentieth centuries. This new imperialism was different in a number of ways from the old practices, not the least of which was the fact that it was widely recognized and criticized in its own time. There has been much debate within the field concerning what the actual causes of the new imperialist era were."
Tags: new imperialism, hayes, hobson, lenin, ferry, bismarck, kipling
Abstract This paper discusses how there have been many uses and abuses in regard to the cultural and social concept called orientalism, a way of coming to terms with the Orient (including the Arab world) that is based on the Orient's place in European Western experience. It shows how the true objectives of the western cultures is to be in a position of imperialistic power so the wealth and resources of the target nation can be exploited. It looks at how today, the same system of culturalimperialism is being utilized by nations like the United States against the oil rich Arab nations and how the misinformation of western cultures like the United States have historically presented Islamic laws as a flawed belief structure because the laws were affiliated with what was then considered a false religion.
From the Paper "A good marketing campaign based on false advertisement would be similar to the Orientalism campaigns that have historically labeled whole nations as underachieving or simply heathens. Orientalism can be seen as an indicator that the western nations held something of an advantage over the third world nations. Today, the Arab world has also been associated with Orientalism. Western cultures have historically seen Islamic laws as a flawed belief structure because these laws were affiliated with what was then considered a false religion. Today's reasoning has been modernized in the sense that the Islamic laws are now considered flawed because there is an assumption by the western cultures that the Islamic laws reject human rights. There is one consistency in the west's beliefs from past and present -- Western reasoning is superior to eastern reasoning."
Tags: islam, arabs, cultural, imperialism, third, world
Abstract This paper explains that religion in Japan is an amalgamation of various historical influences that has evolved over the last approximate 2000 years. The paper states that the major religions are Shinto, Daoism, Buddhism and more recently Christianity. The author points out that the historical relationship between Japan's imperial symbol and the Shinto faith is causing an ongoing international disturbance in contemporary foreign relations between Japan and its war-time victims. The paper relates that Buddhism, which has been predominant in Japan's culture because of its very early association with Confucianism, was never complicated by any connection with the divinity of the Emperor; thus, for Japan's neighbors, Buddhism is largely viewed as a common cultural thread.
Table of Contents:
Overview
Shinto
Buddhism
From the Paper "Japan's Prime Minister, Junichiro Koizumi, has taken it upon himself to visit the Yasukuni Shinto Shrine in Japan on several occasions. Ostensibly, Koizumi's visits to the Yasukuni Shrine are to pay respects to Japan's war dead, which is a fairly innocuous act in itself but because of the religious, national, and historical combination of Shinto and the Japanese state, this act is viewed as disrespectful by Japan's war-time victims. Although Shinto had been associated with the state and the imperial throne since the 4th century A.D., in 1868 Shinto was made the official religion during the Meiji Restoration and in 1869 the Yasukuni Shrine was erected."
This paper looks at 19th, 20th and 21st century colonial nationalism policy through western imperialism, discussing class hierarchy, politics, economics and social stratification in the past and present.
4,950 words (approx. 19.8 pages), 20 sources, 2005, $ 196.95
Abstract This paper represents the history of western colonialism through the advent of British imperial policy during the occupation of India in the 19th century to the modern acquisition of Iraq by militaristic and class structured economics of American foreign policy, which one sees now in the Interim Iraqi Council. The writer discusses that the covert policy of attracting upper class members of the Indian and Iraqi governments to partake in a policy that serves the occupiers is essential, understanding how political and military control is subverted to the natives of these foreign lands.
From the Paper "The aim of this study on international nationalism makes a concerted focus on how western nations have used nationalism as a basis for imperialist policy in colonial nations. By actively analyzing the policy that makes such colonial nations possible, there will be a directive that will present the class based initiatives that subjugate these smaller, weaker nations. In creating a class hierarchy through the governmental and militaristic involvement of dominating western countries, such as Great Britain, America, and other European nations have partaken, there is a direct economic limitations that results in chaos and civil disorder."
Abstract This paper explores the potential effects of culturalimperialism through media influences that come from a western source. A focus is provided to news sources such as CNN and Fox Television News, as these industry leaders are foremost in their field.
Abstract This paper provides a critique of an article, "The Language of Yankee CulturalImperialism", on the implications of how Yankee-speech became recognized as the highest standard of American English.
From the Paper In "The Language of Yankee Cultural Imperialism" Frazer shows that the residue of original Puritan colonization pushed westward from Massachusetts Bay and beyond out of which developed what came to be recognized as Yankee culture ..."
