Cultural Imperialism

The word imperialism refers to the politics of states to expand their empire and thus their sphere of power and influence. Cultural imperialism refers to the historical [Page 151]fact that in imperial expansion, cultural forces have always played a significant role. Illustrations are Christian missionary activities, the introduction of Western-style school systems, forms of colonial administration, modern conceptions of professionalism, and the use of European languages in overseas colonies. The essence of cultural imperialism is that in achieving the domination of one nation over other nations, cultural sources of power and influence are of key importance. Cultural imperialism has different names in academic literature. It has been called media imperialism, cultural colonialism, communication imperialism, cultural synchronization, and ideological imperialism.