American Culture in Europe : Interdisciplinary Perspectives

These essays examine the proliferation of American culture in Europe. Throughout the collection, the authors raise the issue of the degree to which Europe becomes Americanized. They examine in concrete detail the way this process operates with reference to specific research areas such as advertising, consumerism, science, law, and politics. Most of the essays suggest a great variation in the manner in which American cultural influences are appropriated within specific European countries. Such appropriation is conditioned by the local needs and perceptions as well as the way local elites employ Americanization in order to bolster their own context specific political agendas. This variation suggests that Americanization is a label frequently employed to describe the more multifaceted and complex process of globalization. This collection of essays will be of special interest to students and scholars involved with Cultural Studies, Sociology, and European Studies.