Cultural Integration Flashcards
What is cultural integration?
Increasing incorporations of the different cultures found throughout the world- dominant world culture
What is mass consumer culture?
The normalisation and encouragement of mass consumption
What is globalisation?
Globalisation is the increasing connections between places and people across the planet, established through trade, politics and cultural exchanges, and helped by technology and transport.
What is diffusion?
The introduction of one culture to another (The popularity of football/soccer, the popularity of rap and rnb music)
What is adoption?
Elements of another culture being accepted and taken up into another (Christmas trees around the world originating from Germany)
What is adaptation?
Changing elements of the dominant culture to becoming a part of another culture (Australian-ised restaurants in Chinese restaurants, Mongolian throat singing band ‘The Hu’)
What are the factors affecting cultural integration?
Technology, global media companies, government policy and legislation, TNCs, cultural imperialism
How do global media networks affect cultural integration?
-Large company that operates in several countries whose main business focus is media. Initially, the media was controlled by a country (ABC)
-online media such as social media news, print news and television or radio
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Example of global media networks
News Corp-70% of media in Australia such as SkyNews, The Sun, The Times, Fox News
-Diffusion and adoption of American beliefs, politics and ideas into Australian society as the media isn’t strictly Australian
How does technological change affect cultural integration?
- Scientific knowledge to further human advancement
- Shrinking of time-space- connecting the world a lot easier
Example of technology
The internet has allowed for all cultures to be connected through social media and communication
-Goes hand in hand with TNCs as many large companies now have an easy outlet to advertise- Nike Just Do It campaign is online and reached across the world easily- clothes,media etc
How do TNCs affect cultural integration?
- Companies in multiple countries- global influence on what we buy and consume
- Are able to influence multiple cultures at a time through advertising-brand images and products
Example of TNCs
- McDonald’s
- Exists in every continent- diffuses and is adapted to suit the original culture- influencing our diets and what we eat
- turning away from traditional or cultural foods
How does government action affect cultural integration?
- They can further or enhance cultural integration
- nationalistic policies- preserve original culture and prevent the rate or occurrence of cultural integration
- liberalistic policies- encourage cultural integration through migration and removal of trade barriers
Example of government action
NK- no influence from outsider culture at all- no cultural integration occurs, no visitors, restrictions on what they wear and what they say and watch and eat
Kyrgyzstan- increased foreign investment- removed trade barriers with China and Turkey, allowing for cultural diffusion, adoption and adaption in their culture
How does cultural imperialism affect cultural integration?
- Dominance of one culture over another, linked to colonisation and economic development
- Created consumer culture- US
Examples of cultural imperialism
The US is the main dominant culture- dominates global television (Friends, Seinfeld etc), sports (Basketball), food we eat (Maccas and Subway)
What are homogenised landscapes?
Architecture and buildings across the world look the same, no difference between culture and don’t reflect their location (Manhattanisation)
Example of homogenised landscapes
Chain stores take over → small boutique stores close leaving empty buildings e.g. local grocer → Tesco (chain)
4/10 UK streets becoming clones- no individuality
What is economic dominance and dependence?
-When one country relies on another country for economic reasons- becoming reliant on the culture that has dominated them (job creation, car manufacturing)
Example of economic dependence
Fashion industry- relies on Paris and New York
What are threats to cultural diversity and sovereignty?
Decreases and smothers smaller, more historically significant cultures. These cultures can be incredibly sacred and long lasting, but are lost to homogenous culture
It is difficult to maintain cultural individuality due to TNCs, Internet, globalisation etc
-languages, art etc
Examples of threats
Languages are dying each year
35% of languages are losing speakers or becoming endangered
There are a variety of reasons why languages may die, such as it is seen to be economically and culturally beneficial to speak English, migrants aren’t teaching their children language to assimilate better,
Languages of global cities- English, Chinese, Spanish, French dominate
Homogenous culture and homogenous language
What is shrinking time/space?
Everyone is incredibly connected to events occurring across the world
Sharing ideas, news, trade, culture and information quicker than every before
People don’t experience the physical distance between cultures, causing them to be amalgamated into one another
