Interpretation of American Cultural Hegemony
美国文化霸权的阐释
Thesis statement: The United States is the only superpower in the world nowadays. Except for the military supremacy, the America dominates the world in many other areas. This thesis aims at interpreting the American Hegemony through the angle of culture by analyzing how different cultural elements work together to consolidate the leading position of the United States in the world arena.
Abstract: Cultural Hegemony refers to an action which a certain country, through the means of cultural expansion, spreads or imposes its values on the other countries so as to affect and change their values, behaviors, civilization patterns, and even the social system in the aim of taking control of them which cannot be achieved by military power. After the Cold War, the world structure has undergone dramatically changes. The United States became the only superpower around the world, and therefore its desire to take the position of the world leader intensified increasingly. Nowadays, under the economic globalization and political multi-polarisation, the military action is confined to a great extend among the great powers. Besides, the complete military intervention, economic oppression and political exploitation cannot achieve ideal results. Thus, the American government takes advantage of cultural hegemony through which it wants to take control of the other countries by expanding its culture.
Key words: the United States, cultural hegemony, “soft power”
Contents
Abstract
摘要
Introduction
Three Culture Origins of American Hegemony
Religious Origin: A Sense of Mission of Protestant Ethic
Expansionism Tradition
Ethnocentrism
The Forms of American Culture Hegemony
Mass Media the Camp of an Ideological War
Hollywood Movies a Pioneer of Culture Intrusion
American Fast Food Junk the Whole World
Internet a Super Highway of Culture Aggression in Information Age
the Establishment of American Cultural Hegemony Based on “Soft Power”
Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography