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Tomlinson - Cultural Imperialism: A Critical Introduction

Tomlinson, J. (1991). Cultural Imperialism: A Critical Introduction. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN: 978-0801842504 (London: Pinter Press, ISBN: 978-0861877515)

Although predating the internet age, this book is still a good introduction to the subject of cultural imperialism, as analytically differentiated from economic or political imperialism. Cultural imperialism is treated as one of many related discourses on national cultural identity, multinational capitalism, and the critique of cultural modernity. The author suggests that discourses critical of cultural imperialism are best understood as protests against the rise of global cultural modernity. Issues such as the ideological effect of the imported cultural products, the nature of cultural autonomy, and the process of cultural homogenisation are discussed. Drawing on empirical work on the impact of global cultural products and the ‘imperial texts’ they convey on the ‘lives and human relations’ of audiences, the author comes to the conclusion that such an impact has been seriously overstated in the polemics of critics of cultural imperialism like Schiller, Dorfman, and Mattelart.