American cultural imperialism and Chinese resistance through performance

Abstract

The wide spread of American culture has recently triggered a controversial debate among scholars in the field of Humanities. The hegemonic phenomenon has affected societies from different corners of the globe, and it appears that even most conservative societies are not safe from such global homogenization. Accordingly, this thesis attempts to describe and analyze American cultural imperialism in light of the twenty-first century global changes and cultural configurations. From a postcolonial view, it examines the complex relationship within the American-Chinese couple. The theoretical part is devoted to study and define the key concepts and their relation with Uncle Sam's expansionist culture. It provides an overall picture of the classic history of the United States to underline the fact that culture has always been the basis of American hegemonic practices around the world. From its creation to the globalization era, passing through continental Americanization, the US has chiefly relied on culture to build up its modern empire. On the way, the thesis examines Chinese society to give evidences about cultural expansion and its impacts on both social structure and consumption. It synthesizes that culture has a great role in controlling societies and more importantly in gaining the US ideological and consuming markets. At last, the thesis investigates the reaction of the Chinese administration, with at its head the Communist Party, against American cultural incursion that plainly impacted Chinese identity and sovereignty. It goes through three important performances which show how China converted a cultural struggle against American imperialism into a prosperous cultural move.