Globalization and cultural Americanization are seen by many as linked processes, but there is much disagreement as to the nature and strength of both the links and the processes themselves. The 13 contributions presented by Beck (sociology, U. of Munich, Germany), Sznaider (sociology, Academic College of Tel-Aviv, Israel), and Winter (media theory and cultural studies, U. of Klagenfurt, Austria) are no exception, as they examine such topics as "McDonaldization" as an example of efficient rationalization; the relationship between culture, modernity, and immediacy; techno-migration in the world economy; the Oprah Winfrey Show as an example of suffering as a form of collective identity; and the influence of the "rock aesthetic" on world popular music. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Many contemporary issues cannot be readily or fully understood at the level of the nation state and the concept of globalization is used to develop understanding through the analysis of global (transnational) processes. This volume explores the phenomenon of Americanization, and its worldwide impact, and the cultural consequences of globalization.
