Publication Date

6-15-2022

Document Type

Working Paper

Advisor

Professor John Hall

Journal of Economic Literature Classification Codes

A13, B1, F54

Key Words

Antonio Gramsci, Hegemony, Latinx Culture, Popular Culture

Abstract

While the traditional colonial imperialism of France and Great Britain ended after World War Two, it can be argued that a new form of imperialism replaced it. What is known as “cultural imperialism” includes the art of inserting a covert idea into person's mind by use of popular culture. Herein, Antonio Gramsci’s ideas of cultural imperialism are contemplated. This paper explores the topic by focusing upon some of the effects that popular American music has had on Latin music and the changes in culturally acceptable trends that have followed. Then, American beauty standards and the Eurocentric beauty standards of Latin America will continue to inform this conversation. Lastly, it will consider the changes that familial structures undergo related to the hegemonic influences of American and the proclivities for cultural dominance. Also considered are disruptions to traditions that many first-generation Latin Americans face. The thrust of this paper is to analyze cultural imperialism as understood by Gramsci, and then to consider how to develop what he called “alternative cultures” that could remain independent of the hegemonic culture, in an effort to avoid erasing one's own culture.

Rights

© 2022 Maria Zavala

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Persistent Identifier

https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/38165

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