1. Lecture #2 - McDomination and Cultural
Imperialism
•Reminders:
1. Don’t be late to Challenge Day! 8:40 AM by the gyms.
2. All you need to bring with you is an open mind and
willingness to listen to others.
3. Bring your textbook on block day (Thurs 2, 6 & Fri 1)
•Absent on Monday? Need to make up the map test?
4. Make up day is this Thursday at 8:30 AM
2. What is Imperialism?
Imperialism (def): the policy, practice, or advocacy of extending a
country’s power and influence through diplomacy or military force.
Six Major Causes:
1. Economic
2. Political
3. Military
4. Cultural
5. Religious
6. Social Darwinism
3. Causes of Imperialism
Economic
The Industrial Revolution (1860-1914)
•To sustain industrialization, a steady supply of raw materials such as
coal, iron, steel, timber, cotton, and oil are necessary.
•Early industrial leaders such as Great Britain, Belgium, and France
created or expanded an already-existing imperial system.
•A result of the Industrial Revolution was the mass production of goods.
Domestic economies could not absorb the increased supply of goods,
therefore, goods were shifted abroad to new markets (another reason for
colonies).
4. Causes of Imperialism
Political
A dominant country would impose its political values, structures, and
systems on subordinate countries.
Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries Britain, France and other European
nations expanded their political influence to much of the known world,
collecting colonies as sources of wealth.
Example: Soviet Union imposing communist governmental values and
institutions on Eastern European states from 1945-1989.
5. Causes of Imperialism
Military
The last century has seen an
unprecedented expansion of
American military power abroad.
All total, the US has over 730
military bases in over 50
countries outside of the US with
forces deployed in nearly 130
nations.
“War on Terror” has only
expanded American operations
abroad.
6. Causes of
Imperialism
Cultural
Cultural Imperialism (def): The use of
political and economic power to promote
and spread the values of a foreign culture
at the expense of a native culture.
“Olive Trees and the Lexus” metaphor
“Olive trees are important. They
represent everything that roots us,
anchors us, identifies us and locates us
in this world – whether it be belonging
to a family, a community, a tribe, a
nation, a religion or, most of all, a place
called home…
…It [the Lexus] represents an equally
fundamental, age-old human drive for
sustenance, improvement, prosperity
and modernization – as it is played out
in today’s globalization system. The
Lexus represents all the burgeoning
global markets, financial institutions
and computer technologies with which
we pursue higher living standards
today.”
- Thomas Friedman, The Lexus and the
Olive Tree
7. Cultural Imperialism or McDomination
The United States is accused of
spreading “American values”
throughout the world through:
“Branding” and pop culture
-music and film
-news media
-fast food
-fashion
-technology
• "Yemeni students were out
burning the American flag,
chanting 'kill the
Americans"' in early March,
notes Jack Valenti, CEO of
the Motion Picture
Association of America.
"As soon as the theaters
opened at 7 p.m., bingo,
they were all in there.“
8. McWorld vs. Jihad
Increasingly, ‘globalization’ is
becoming synonymous with
‘Americanization’ because of the
shared values between American
capitalism and global corporate
growth.
Americanization (def): the act of
becoming American in character;
assimilating to the customs and
institutions of the USA
62 of the world’s 100 largest
corporations are American
9. McWorld vs. Jihad
On an average day in 2007,
McDonalds served nearly 52 million
globally in over 100 countries.
KFC outlets in Beijing, China
increased by 100 stores per year over
past half decade. Now over 600
stores just in Beijing.
For most Chinese the first time they
ever tried coffee was with the arrival
of Starbucks (1999)
10. McWorld vs. Jihad
“Society as a whole is more and more splitting
up into two great hostile camps, into two great
classes directly facing each other:
Bourgeoisie (wealthy) and Proletariat (poor
workers)…” Karl Marx, 1848
•Today, the world is growing increasingly
polarized along Western/capitalist
(Bourgeoisie) and Eastern/Islamic
(Proletariat)
McWorld = materialist consumerism
Jihad = dogmatic traditionalism
11. Reactions to Cultural Imperialism
1. Conformity and absorption (member nations
or allies)
2. Resistance (Terrorist organizations or non-
conforming unions)
•typically anti-American or anti-Western
•grounded in anti-consumption and conservative
ideals
European Union
•Directive 89/552/EEC, 1989
•Mandates that at least 50% of broadcast TV be
devoted to programs of European origin
12. Causes of Imperialism
Religious
Spread of Islam by Arab armies from 7th-13th
centuries
Spread of Christianity by Spain, Portugal, Britain
and France to Africa and the Americas.
Social Darwinism
Used Charles Darwin’s theories of natural
selection. Hierarchy of human life and societies
justified imperialism. That more powerful nations
were obligated to promote their values to others.
