On Cultural Globalization As Phenomenon, Process And Tendency

This dissertation presents a systematic exploration and exposition on the question of "what is cultural globalization", which involves several aspects that are related: the categorical stipulation of cultural globalization, the dialectical relation between phenomenon and essence of cultural globalization, the historical process of cultural globalization, the development mechanism and the tendency of cultural globalization. What follows is a brief overview of the contents.Grounded on a variety of views and opinions in the academic field, the dissertation defines the category of cultural globalization as follows: cultural globalization is both a phenomenon and a process of widespread and quick interaction between cultures of nations, states and areas throughout the world; it is at the same time a growing tendency toward the formation of a global culture on the basis of such phenomenon and process. Phenomenon, process and tendency are three related dimensions of cultural globalization, which as a whole form the skeleton of analysis in this dissertation. Cultural globalization manifests itself in cultural homogenization, cultural dissimilation, cultural mixture and unbalance of cultural development, all of which are basic patterns of existence for cultural globalization. The essence of cultural globalization determines the phenomenon, and the essence is not only dependent on but also influenced by the dominant productive mode in globalization. In the era of industrial civilization, the global expansion of modern culture embodies the essence of cultural globalization. Based on the appreciation of the essence of cultural globalization, the dissertation expounds the inherent relations between various phenomenons of cultural globalization. Cultural globalization hasn't been in existence since ancient times. Up till now, its has experienced three major phases: from the middle of the 14^th century to the end of the 18^th century, i.e. before the industrial revolution, is the stage of embryogeny; from the end of 18^th century to the end of the Second World War, the stage of formation; and from the 1960's to present, the stage of profound expansion. At each stage cultural globalization exhibits distinguishing features and takes on a variety of forms. The tendency of cultural globalization means neither the emergence of a sole global culture nor the rule of the mighty western culture. Practically, it means the trend of a global system of culture, an organic whole of cultural diversify, which is attributed to the development mechanism of contradictions between cultural globalization, economic globalization and political globalization, as well as that of those between cultural diversification and cultural integration. Such a global cultural system is an organic body of world cultures that are interconnected and interdependent. In the end, founded on an observation on static and dynamic relations between cultural globalization and national cultures, the author concludes that cultural globalization has presented national cultures with many new problems. It is of paramount importance to make a rational analysis of these new problems so as to understand and grasp, in the era of cultural globalization, the crux, principles, starting-points and turning points of national culture construction.