1. Cultural
Imperialism
1898: "Ten Thousand Miles From Tip to Tip." This political
cartoon shows the extent of U.S. domination (symbolized by a
bald eagle stretching from Puerto Rico to the Philippines).

2. Definitions
• Imperialism is the policy of
extending the control or authority
over foreign countries as a
means of acquiring and/or
maintaining an empire.
• Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting the
culture or language of one nation in another.

3. The affects of cultural imperialism
= cultural misunderstandings
• When Coca Cola was first marketed in China in the
1920's, the name was translated phonetically ("kekou-ke-la) to mean "female horse stuffed with wax" or
"bite the wax tadpole" depending on the dialect. It
was quickly revised to sound more like "happiness in
the mouth."

4. • An American baby food jar with a smiling baby on
the label caused African villagers to be horrified.
They thought that "the jar must contain food not
made for babies, but made of babies."

5. Cultural misunderstandings
• Ford’s low cost truck the Fiera meant "ugly old
woman" in Spanish. It's Caliente in Mexico was found
to be slang for "streetwalker." The Pinto was
introduced in Brazil under the name of Corcel which
was discovered to be Portuguese slang for "a small
male appendage."
• Nike made a television ad promoting its shoes, with
people from different countries saying "Just do it" in
their native language. Too late they found out that a
Samburu African tribesman was really saying, "I
don't want these”

6. Larger Repercussions
• When President George Bush
went to Japan, he made explicit
and direct demands on Japanese
leaders. To the Japanese it is a
sign of ignorance or desperation
to lower oneself to make direct
demands.
• Some analysts believe it severely
damaged the negotiations and
confirmed to the Japanese that
Americans are barbarians

7. The Dark Side of Imperialism
• The dominant
culture often
imposes its
beliefs, using force
to back them up.
One race,
ethnicity, or group
is often
marginalized
based on its
• Imperial Side Affects:
identity.
Violence, Enslavement, War, Genocide

8. Destroying Culture
• Cultural influence
can be seen by the •
However, the
"receiving" culture
dominant culture’s
as either a threat to
attitude is often that
or an enrichment.
as a conquered
nation, the
conquered people
are inferior.
Edward Said has argued that in accumulating
territories and peoples, empires classify them, verify
them; but above all, they subordinate them.

9. Today will the Internet be another
source of cultural imperialism?
• 90% of traffic worldwide on
the Internet is in English
• Most information and
entertainment products are
produced by a few,
increasingly powerful
American companies
• American movies, television, and music are
popular throughout the world. Many argue
that these serve to indoctrinate populations
with American values while at the same
time destroying indigenous cultures

10. BUT…it can also be argued
that...
• The Internet
• The Internet
allows people
to continue to
participate in
their "local"
culture no
matter where in
the world they
are.
can be a tool
for the
preservation
and
celebration
of culture.