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Cultural globalization
PR 1450
Introduction to Globalization
Lecture 4
Cultural globalization
Chris Rumford
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?
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
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
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)
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
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In fact, many standards have been Globalization of rock music

adopted globally;
In a very interesting article, the Israeli sociologist Motti
 issuing passports to enable citizens Regev argues that Anglo-American pop/rock has
to travel given rise to what he calls a global ‘rock aesthetic’
 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’

Importantly, the ‘rock aesthetic’ is not experienced as

The ‘rock aesthetic’ has become dominant as a
cultural form because it can be easily combined with cultural imperialism but is domesticated by ‘authentic’
other musical styles local musical forms

It bestows a subversiveness or seriousness on what This means that when we hear rock music from other
could otherwise be rather slight and ephemeral
musical forms. 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? Listen to a debate on hip hop music on Laurie
Taylor’s Radio 4 programme ‘Thinking
Hip hop culture Allowed’. He poses the question: ‘is rapping in
emerged in New York Newcastle, Frankfurt or Tokyo the real thing’?
in the 1970s and has www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/thinkingallowed_20030115.shtml
since gone global,
spreading across
cultural and ethnic Has hip hop culture become global culture? Or
boundaries is it only authentic when it is by and about the
experience of African Americans?

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McDonaldization
The McDonaldization of Society
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
Read a short excerpt from Ritzer’s book
http://myweb.stedwards.edu/mikef/dimenz.htm
being organized along similar lines

Planet Mac The ‘slow movement’

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
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
Find out more at
The Slow Food movement began in 1986 when
McDonald’s opened a branch at the Spanish Steps in www.slowfood.com
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)

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Slow cities: Cittaslow

Cittaslow UK
Inspired by the Slow Food movement, in 1999 several
Italian towns pledged themselves to cutting noise and  Membership of Cittaslow
traffic, increasing green spaces and pedestrian zones, is open to towns with a
promoting local produce, protecting the environment, population under 50,000
and enhancing quality of life.
 Ludlow was the first
town in the UK to be
The Cittaslow movement is most developed in Italy
with 50 members. The network now includes towns in admitted to the network.
Germany, Portugal, Norway, Poland and England Aylsham in Norfolk was
(Ludlow, Diss, and Aylsham). the second, Diss joined
this year
“a slow city is more than just a fast city slowed down.  www.cittaslow.org.uk
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).

Globo-slow? Carl Honore, author of ‘In Praise In praise of slow

of Slow’ is an activist for the
The Slow movement is not about turning back ‘slow movement’
the clock, nor is it against globalization as such.
Visit his website
It is about asserting the possibility of a better www.inpraiseofslow.com
quality of life based on sustainability.
He says that the Italian slow
activists want to make February
“As the world becomes more globally 19th the annual Day of Slowness
connected, with international brands and values in Italy, starting in 2007
being marketed … the Cittaslow approach
involves living life at a human scale, respecting Do you think this will become an
international event?
and supporting the environment and local
traditions and preserving them for current and
future generations to enjoy” (website blurb)

In this lecture we have looked at several

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
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

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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)