Communication and the Globalisation of Culture: Beyond Tradition and Borders

摘要

Anyone working in media or cultural studies is keenly aware of the danger to local cultures posed by the globalizing juggernaut of transnational corporations. While acknowledging the prevalent fear of cultural erosion, in this book Shaheed Nick Mohammed claims that this is often predicated on analytically unsustainable assumptions of local or traditional cultures as pure or organic. He argues that cultural change and development has often been the result of domination of one kind or another, whether through direct imposition, indirect influence, control over structures of trade and exchange, or market saturation. Today, for him, cultural globalization is less the consequence of the evil machinations of multinationals, and more that of our increasing ability to question, challenge and, where desired, discard the shibboleths and hallowed values of traditional, parochial cultures.