PR 1450
Introduction to Globalization
Lecture 4
Cultural globalization
Chris Rumford
Cultural globalization
So far we have looked at political globalization
and economic globalization, and the ways each
has contributed to both the interconnectedness
of the world and our awareness that the world is
becoming a single place.
However, a case can be made for cultural
globalization being the most significant factor
leading to both the integration of the world and
our awareness that this is the case
Consider this simple
question.
What is the first day of
the year? “1st January”
I hear you chorus.
Alright then, now
consider a further
question.
How long has this
been the case?
In the Middle Ages the year began on
Christmas day in Germany, Spain, Portugal. In
Venice it was 1st March, in England 25th March,
in France it started on Easter Day (which
changed every year).
1st January was adopted as the start of the
legal year in England in 1752, and in other
countries at different times (see Sassoon, 2006:
xxv)
Standardization of time
Agreeing on a
common date for
the start of the year
was an important
step towards the
standardization of
time throughout the
world
As was the introduction of the Gregorian calendar in 1582
Adopted by Catholic countries in the
first instance, it’s influence spread
to the rest of Europe and the wider
world. England adopted the
Gregorian calendar in 1752.
It is now the standard calendar used
all over the world, and a key
element of ‘world culture’
The standardization of time is one
example of the way in which the
world has become more integrated
through globalization
In fact, many standards have been
adopted globally;



issuing passports to enable citizens
to travel
issuing postage stamps to allow mail
to be sent internationally
the establishment of a system for
categorizing blood types (A, O, AB)
All have increased the
interconnectedness of the world and
point to the existence of a ‘world
culture’
Globalization of rock music
In a very interesting article, the Israeli sociologist Motti
Regev argues that Anglo-American pop/rock has given
rise to what he calls a global ‘rock aesthetic’
The ‘rock aesthetic’ has become dominant as a
cultural form because it can be easily combined with
other musical styles
It bestows a subversiveness or seriousness on what
could otherwise be rather slight and ephemeral
musical forms.
Importantly, the ‘rock aesthetic’ is not experienced as
cultural imperialism but is domesticated by ‘authentic’
local musical forms
This means that when we hear rock music from other
countries it can appear both strange and familiar at the
same time
The ‘rock aesthetic’ does not lead to the
homogenization of world music: it is a good example
‘glocalization’, to use a term developed by Roland
Robertson
Rock music is global, but finds ‘local’ expression
Is German hip hop authentic?
Hip hop culture
emerged in New York
in the 1970s and has
since gone global,
spreading across
cultural and ethnic
boundaries
Listen to a debate on hip hop music on Laurie
Taylor’s Radio 4 programme ‘Thinking
Allowed’. He poses the question: ‘is rapping in
Newcastle, Frankfurt or Tokyo the real thing’?
www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/thinkingallowed_20030115.shtml
Has hip hop culture become global culture? Or
is it only authentic when it is by and about the
experience of African Americans?
McDonaldization
The idea of McDonaldization is associated with the
work of George Ritzer
This does not mean that the world is dominated by
McDonalds restaurants
It suggests that economic activity is becoming
standardized and homogenized and organized for
efficiency along the lines of fast food outlets
By the ‘McDonaldization of society’ Ritzer means that
other sectors, including hospitals and universities are
being organized along similar lines
The McDonaldization of Society
Read a short excerpt from Ritzer’s book
http://myweb.stedwards.edu/mikef/dimenz.htm
Planet Mac
A key element of the McDonaldization thesis is the
idea that fast food creates a high degree of
homogeneity in the world and drives out local
difference
To what extent is this true of McDonalds?
Read the article ‘Planet Mac’ from The Guardian
which shows how adaptable McDonalds can be to
local circumstances
www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,3604,469231,00.html
The ‘slow movement’
Fast food and the type of global culture it represents
has provoked an interesting reaction: the ‘slow
movement’
The ‘slow movement’ resists the cult of speed, of
which fast food is a manifestation, and has several
dimensions two of which are the Slow Food
movement, and Cittaslow, a global network of ‘slow’
cities
Interestingly, the ‘slow movement’ has been shaped by
an awareness of globalization: that we are
increasingly interconnected by technology which
values speed, disposability, and simultaneity
Slow food
The Slow Food movement began in 1986 when
McDonald’s opened a branch at the Spanish Steps in
Rome. Some locals were angered by this intrusion
and an Italian writer, Carlo Petrini, decided to
campaign for an alternative to the ‘fast life’
Slow Food values fresh, local seasonal produce;
sustainable farming; organic produce; leisurely dining;
‘eco-gastronomy’
The slow food motto is “Eat well and save the planet”
The Slow Food movement now has 78,000 members
in more than 50 countries (Honore, 2005: 53)
Find out more at
www.slowfood.com
Slow cities: Cittaslow
Inspired by the Slow Food movement, in 1999 several
Italian towns pledged themselves to cutting noise and
traffic, increasing green spaces and pedestrian zones,
promoting local produce, protecting the environment,
and enhancing quality of life.
The Cittaslow movement is most developed in Italy
with 50 members. The network now includes towns in
Germany, Portugal, Norway, Poland and England
(Ludlow, Diss, and Aylsham).
“a slow city is more than just a fast city slowed down.
The Slow Movement is about creating an environment
where people can resist the pressure to live by the
clock and do everything faster” (Honore, 2005: 76-7).
Cittaslow UK

Membership of Cittaslow
is open to towns with a
population under 50,000
 Ludlow was the first
town in the UK to be
admitted to the network.
Aylsham in Norfolk was
the second, Diss joined
this year
 www.cittaslow.org.uk
Globo-slow?
The Slow movement is not about turning back
the clock, nor is it against globalization as such.
It is about asserting the possibility of a better
quality of life based on sustainability.
“As the world becomes more globally
connected, with international brands and values
being marketed … the Cittaslow approach
involves living life at a human scale, respecting
and supporting the environment and local
traditions and preserving them for current and
future generations to enjoy” (website blurb)
Carl Honore, author of ‘In Praise
of Slow’ is an activist for the
‘slow movement’
Visit his website
www.inpraiseofslow.com
He says that the Italian slow
activists want to make February
19th the annual Day of Slowness
in Italy, starting in 2007
Do you think this will become an
international event?
In praise of slow
Concluding comments
What is interesting about the ‘slow movement’ is
that it is a response to globalization based on an
acute awareness of the world as a single place
Fast food and McDonaldization have created
one version of global interconnectedness, the
‘slow movement offers an alternative vision of a
networked world
In this lecture we have looked at several
dimensions of cultural globalization:
 Various forms of technical and scientific
standardization leading to a world culture
 The globalization of one cultural form – rock
music – and how this encourages expressions
of local difference
 The role of the fast food industry in promoting
the homogenization of the world
 And how the cult of speed has provoked a
reaction to (not a rejection of) globalization
resulting in new forms of interconnectedness
References

Honore, C. 2005: In Praise of Slow: How a Worldwide
Movement is Challenging the Cult of Speed (Orion
Books)
 Regev, M. 2003: ‘Rockization: diversity within similarity
in world popular music’ in Beck, Sznaider and Winter
(eds) Global America? The Cultural Consequences of
Globalization (Liverpool Univ Press)
 Ritzer, G. 1996: The McDonaldization of Society (Pine
Forge Press)
 Sassoon, D. 2006: The Culture of the Europeans:
From 1800 to the Present (Harper Collins)