Cultural Globalization: Challenges and Responses

Abstract

In an attempt to lay the groundwork for future analyses of the subject in Korea, the paper explores, drawing on the literature review, key issues in the controversy surrounding cultural globalization, namely, conceptualization of cultural globalizxation, cultural homogenization vs. diversification theses, the ascendancy of the cultural industry and commercial culture, issues in measuring cultural globalization, and government policy toward cultural globalization. Cultural globalization is a complex and multidimensional concept, and its definition should be approached as such. Cultural imperialism and Media imperialism represent cultural homogenization theories while such newer approaches as reception theory and hybridization advocate diversification thesis. There have been few attempts to measure cultural globalization. The existing scale is less than adequate, but improvements can be made with existing data. Cultural globalization is bringing about sweeping changes in the basic fabric of contemporary society. In government, cultural policy takes on new and expansive roles in order to cope with the pressures of cultural globalization. These range from developing cultural industries, building information infrastructure, to upgrading educational institutions to international standards.