Marling How "American" Is Globalization?

Erscheinungsjahr 2006
ISBN: 978-0-8018-8933-2
Verlag: Johns Hopkins University Press
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 0 Seiten, Format (B × H): 140 mm x 216 mm

William Marling's provocative work analyzes—in specific terms—the impacts of American technology and culture on foreign societies. Marling answers his own question—how "American" is globalization?—with two seemingly contradictory answers: "less than you think" and "more than you know." Deconstructing the myth of global Americanization, he argues that despite the typically American belief that the United States dominates foreign countries, the practical effects of "Americanization" amount to less than one might suppose.

Critics point to the uneven popularity of McDonalds as a prime example of globalization and supposed American hegemony in the world. But Marling shows, in a series of case studies, that local cultures are intrinsically resilient and that local languages, eating habits, land use, education systems, and other social patterns determine the extent to which American culture is imported and adapted to native needs. He argues that globalization can actually accentuate local cultures, which often put their own imprint on what they import—from translating films and television into hundreds of languages to changing the menu at a McDonalds to include the Japanese favorite Chicken Tastuta.

Marling also examines the unexpected ways in which American technology travels abroad: the technological transferability of the ATM, the practice of franchising, and "shop-floor" American innovations like shipping containers, bar codes, and computers. These technologies convey American attitudes about work, leisure, convenience, credit, and travel, but as Marling shows, they take root overseas in ways that are anything but "American."

Autoren/Hrsg.

Marling, William H.

Fachgebiete

• Wirtschaftswissenschaften Volkswirtschaftslehre Internationale Wirtschaft Entwicklungsökonomie & Emerging Markets
• Sozialwissenschaften Soziologie | Soziale Arbeit Soziologie Allgemein
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Technikgeschichte

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Preface
1. "Less Than We Think"
What Are We Talking about When We Talk about Globalization?
Is English Conquering the World?
The Ubiquitous American Film
American Television and the Rise of Local Programming
The McDonald's Brouhaha
What about the Internet?
Do American Companies Dominate the World Economy?
Seeing Ourselves Everywhere
2. The Resistance of the Local
Language
Communicative Distance
Food
Gender
Education
Work
Land
Tribalism
Corruption
Smuggling and Counterfeiting
Taxes
The Resistance of the Local
3. "More Than We Know"
ATMs
The Money Market
Flexible Manufacturing
Franchising
Airfreight
Containerized Freight
Bar Codes
Computing
Logistics
Conclusion
Notes
Essay on Sources
Index

Über Autor(innen)

Marling, William H.
William H. Marling is a professor of English and world literature at Case Western Reserve University. He once worked as a financial journalist for Fortune and Money magazines and has taught at universities in Japan, France, Austria, and Spain.