Globalization of Culture and the Arts

This article examines the state of the field in the sociological literature on the globalization of culture and focuses on key empirical works in the globalization of the arts. The first part of the article presents the main trends in theorizing about the globalization of culture in its broadest terms, that is, the large-scale changes in worldviews that both facilitate and are made possible by globalization such as modernization, universalism, consumerism, and McDonaldization. The second part of the article examines empirical work on television, music, and the performing arts in light of theorizing about globalization and commodification, audience reception, localization and glocalization, the role of the state, imperialism, global cultural fields, and global norms. In terms of theory, the article explores the tension between globalization's homogenizing and diversifying tendencies. The review of the empirical literature includes research conducted in Cuba, Israel, Italy, Japan, Russia, Singapore, the USA, and Uzbekistan.