How "American" Is Globalization?

by William H. Marling

Overview

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."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780801883538
Publisher:	Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication date:	06/12/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	248
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

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.

Table of Contents

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

What People are Saying About This

Richard Pells

In a first-rate book about a topic of major importance, Marling challenges the conventional wisdom about how the world is becoming 'Americanized.' Extraordinarily impressive.

— Richard Pells, University of Texas

From the Publisher

In a first-rate book about a topic of major importance, Marling challenges the conventional wisdom about how the world is becoming 'Americanized.' Extraordinarily impressive.
—Richard Pells, University of Texas

Editorial Reviews

If you were engaged by Thomas Friedman's The Earth is Flat, you will enjoy How 'American' Is Globalization?
—Plain Dealer

Intriguing analysis of the influence of American technology and culture on foreign societies.
—Midwest Book Review

A provocatively offbeat and intermittently persuasive entry in the Americanization debate.
—Future Survey

From the Publisher

A provocatively offbeat and intermittently persuasive entry in the Americanization debate.

Future Survey

If you were engaged by Thomas Friedman's The Earth is Flat, you will enjoy How 'American' Is Globalization?

Plain Dealer

Intriguing analysis of the influence of American technology and culture on foreign societies.

Midwest Book Review