ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the roots of the cultural imperialism (CI) paradigm in order to gain a better understanding of its contentions concerning the role and effects of international TV. To identify and review the building blocks of the underlying rationale of CI. And the mindset of the CI proponents and use an interpretive approach for understanding how CI advocates have framed and linked historical events in order to generate their contentions regarding the effects of international TV. Three of these labels are central for our understanding of the emergence of the CI framework: colonialism, imperialism, and dependency. The first attempts to challenge the goals of modernization theory came from Latin America. Electronic media play a major role in perpetuating the dependency. In the post World War II era, the United States also emerged as a major producer of audio-visual products. The critical-cultural school of thought linked American economic prosperity and capitalism and US.
