Concept of Cultural Imperialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Concept of Cultural Imperialism - Essay Example As connoted by Sarmela, â€Å"Cultural imperialism is the economic, technological and cultural hegemony of the industrialized nations, which determines the direction of both economic and social progress, defines cultural values, and standardizes the civilization and cultural environment throughout the world† (Sarmela 13). Hence, considering the instability and struggle of the various nations to understand and thereby react resourcefully towards the accreditations as well as criticisms made by foreign cultures, it can be affirmed that the aspect of cultural imperialism indeed plays a vital role. Contextually, it can also be regarded that forethought to the criticality of the concept (i.e. cultural imperialism), has been argued by various experts associated with different professional dimensions as a means to elaborate homogeny within humankind (Hawksley, â€Å"Conceptualising Imperialism in the 21st Century†). A philosophical explanation to the aspect also encourages the arguments on behalf of cultural imperialism, describing it as a fundamental aspect to energize human communication, harmony and socio-economic progress (Gilbert, â€Å"Cultural Imperialism Revisited: Counselling and Globalisation†). However, rather than being well thought-out in every industrialized nation, the concept of cultural imperialism has been mostly related with the philosophies considered by the United States of America in relation to its socio-economic progressive initiatives. ... itiative of ‘Americanization’, especially when relating to the socio-economic relationship between the US and the Middle Eastern Islamic countries. This particular concern can be critically analyzed with concern to the study conducted by Rauschenberger (1-35). According to Rauschenberger, many industrialized nations today have been inevitably influenced by the technological developments as well as the philosophical aspirations of America and other developed western countries, which are somewhat impulsively re-shaping the cultural rudiments of those developing nations. The examples include China, Saudi Arabia, France, Iran and Iraq among others. The rudiments of the alterations happening within the national contexts in effect of cultural imperialism, which is also referred as ‘Americanization’ can be identified with reference to the rapid progression of American retail chains, film industry as well as the channelization of societal paradigms in the internatio nal podium. It is worth mentioning in this regard that not all the nations have been convivial with such alterations, disregarding their ancient heritage and cultural rudiments for the sake of cultural imperialism (Rauschenberger, â€Å"It’s Only a Movie – Right? Deconstructing Cultural Imperialism Examining the Mechanisms Behind U.S. Domination of the Global Cultural Trade†). It is in this context that Islamic nations have often been disparaged in the international context as a major adversary of the US. Even a few of the terrorist attacks on America have been deliberated by the groups as fundamentally motivated by the â€Å"perceived American cultural imperialism† (Rauschenberger, â€Å"It’s Only a Movie – Right? Deconstructing Cultural Imperialism Examining the Mechanisms Behind U.S. Domination of the