Globalization and American Popular Culture, Second Edition
Lane Crothers


Now in a fully revised and updated edition, this concise and insightful book explores the ways American popular products such as movies, music, television programs, fast food, sports, and even clothing styles have molded and continue to influence modern globalization. Lane Crothers offers a thoughtful examination of both the appeal of American products worldwide and the fear and rejection they induce in many people and nations around the world. The author defines what we mean by "popular culture," how popular culture is distinguished from the generic concept of "culture," and what constitutes "American" popular culture. Tracing how U.S. movies, music, and TV became dominant in world popular culture, Crothers also considers the ways in which non-visual products like fast-food franchises, sports, and fashion have become ubiquitous. He also presents a fascinating set of case studies that highlight the varied roles American products play in a range of different nations and communities. Concluding with a projection of the future impact of American popular culture, this book makes a powerful argument for its central role in shaping global politics and economic development.

Special Features:

-Fully updated and revised, including a new chapter on non-media aspects of American popular culture, including fast food, beverages, clothing, and sports

-Shows how movies, music, and television programs both influence and portray popular American political and social values

-Links a strong theoretical foundation to concise but rich case studies of the impact of American popular culture in a wide range of nations and communities

-Challenges the inevitability of globalization by emphasizing its contested, evolutionary nature

-Traces how public fears of cultural corruption, imperialism, and homogenization associated with the spread and use of American popular culture are manifested in trade agreements, national laws, and individual attitudes and behaviors around the world

-Explores the hybrid nature of culture and uses the concept of hybridity to offer a nuanced account of the historical and potential impact of American popular culture in world affairs

-Written in a jargon-free and vigorous style that will engage and challenge students

-Ideal for courses on globalization, international political economy, popular culture, and media studies