9.8 Globalized Culture

Culture spreads through globalization

After 1900, improved transportation, communication, and media technology spread cultural practices worldwide. American culture (fast food, movies, music, fashion) became especially influential, a process often called cultural imperialism or Americanization. Global consumerism grew as brands, media, and consumer goods reached distant markets, creating shared tastes across regions.

Local cultures respond

Not everyone embraced globalized culture uniformly. Some societies blended global and local elements, creating hybrid/syncretic cultures (e.g., fusion cuisine, Bollywood). Others resisted, promoting cultural preservation or religious fundamentalism to protect traditional values against perceived Western influence, sometimes leading to tension or conflict.

Global culture and identity

Mass media, tourism, and the internet accelerated cultural exchange, spreading sports (soccer, the Olympics), music genres, and fashion globally. This created debates about cultural homogenization versus diversity, as some feared loss of unique traditions while others saw new opportunities for cultural expression and identity within a connected world.

Key terms

Cultural imperialism

The spread of a dominant culture's (often American) values, media, and products worldwide, sometimes overshadowing local traditions.

Syncretic/hybrid culture

A blend of global and local cultural elements, such as fusion cuisine or Bollywood cinema.

Religious fundamentalism

Strict adherence to traditional religious beliefs, often as resistance to globalization and secularization.

Cultural homogenization

The process by which local cultures become more similar due to global media, consumerism, and exchange.

Global consumerism

The worldwide spread of shared consumer goods, brands, and tastes driven by media and trade.

Try an AP-style question

The global spread of American pop culture is sometimes called…

1. cultural imperialism
2. decolonization
3. cultural isolation
4. nationalism