Globalization
Read the following from Lechner and Boli (Eds.), (2015). The Globalization Reader (5th ed.)
- Introduction to Part VIII
- Chapter 46: Cultural Imperialism
- Chapter 47: Mapping Global Media Flow and Contra-Flow
It is common to speak of the “Americanization” of countries influenced by the U.S. Nonetheless, the materials in Module 5 suggest otherwise. As we have seen from the module notes, the video, and the readings on global cultural flows and counter-flows, in recent years many countries that were inundated with exports from US popular culture have resisted Americanization by adopting marketing techniques learned from the Americans to produce and export their own cultural content, sometimes even back to the United States.
Please answer the following question:
- What evidence do you see of “Japanization,” “Africanization,” and similar constructs in your culture, that is, the borrowing and adaptation of cultural elements derived from other parts of the world? Your discussion can draw on your experience with any cultural forms – visual and performing arts, video games, comic books, concert music, television shows, even advertisements and fashion.
Solution Preview
Thanks to Hollywood and Hip-Hop music, the United States can still be regarded as the world’s leading cultural exporter. However, in recent years, the United States is borrowing and adapting to cultural elements derived from both Japan and Africa. Japanization of the American culture can be highlighted by the increasing following of the playbook “the Japanese art of decluttering” that is made in Japan. The writer, Marie Kondo, resides in Japan whereby she relies on an interpreter and it has been over four years since she published a book in the United States (Alt, 2018). While her fame in Japan has fallen off the radar, her popularity is still cherished by the Americans.
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