Critically assess the claim that globalisation produces cultural homogeneity on a global scale. Do American/Western cultural forms destroy ‘local’ cultures? Is the mass media simply a conduit for western cultural products and meanings? What is a cultural hybridisation?

Globalisation has been blamed for many of societys ills. Yet there is little consensus on what globalisation is or whether there is an alternative to it. It is conceived of in economic, political and sociological terms and cultural globalisation is yet one more facet of a process which is both a fact and the future of modern society. This paper will examine the main theoretical approaches to cultural globalisation and investigate whether it is justifiable to speak of a global cultural homogeneity. It will also explore globalisation as an agency for the Americanisation or Westernisation of society and consider the arguments for cultural hybridisation….(short extract)