Cocacolonization (alternatively coca-colonization) refers to the globalization of American culture (also referred to as Americanization) pushed through popular American products such as the soft-drink brand Coca-Cola.[1] The term is a portmanteau of the name of the multinational soft-drink maker and "colonization".[2]
The term was first documented in 1949 in Australia[3] and in France, where the French Communist Party strongly opposed the further expansion of Coca-Cola.[4] In 1948, the French finance ministry stood against "Coke" on the grounds that its operation would bring no capital to help with French recovery, and was likely to drain profits back to the parent company in the United States.[4] The French Communist Party also warned that the Coke distribution-system would double as an espionage network.[4]
In World War II (1939-1945) and the Cold War (1947-1991), many outside of the United States associated Coca-Cola with American culture. Seeing ties to the culture of the United States, some Europeans rejected perceived attempts to cocacolonize[5] their countries, objecting to what they saw as an invasion of their nationalistic identities.[6] Europeans saw Coca-Cola not just as a carbonated refreshment, but as bottled America.[6] By the end of the Cold War, American ideals were spread across the world by Coke and in certain cases, used to combat Communism.[1]
Cocacolonization as a historical concept gained visibility in the Americanization debate in Europe with the 1994 publication of Reinhold Wagnleitner's book Coca-Colonization and the Cold War: The Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria After the Second World War.[2] Wagnleitner used "Coca-Colonization" to embody the premise of his book: the United States of America attempted cultural imperialism by expanding American ideals through the spread of consumer goods such as Coca-Cola and Levi jeans, and through cultural symbols like rock and roll and Marlon Brando's black leather jacket, as well as through the promotion of democracy in Europe.[2]
The expression "coca-colonization" also appears in medical literature to describe the lifestyle changes and the associated increase of incidence of characteristic chronic diseases, e.g. type 2 diabetes.[7][8][9]
History
The concept of Cocacolonization began at the beginning of World War II.[1] Over time, some countries resisted the American soft drink while others openly accepted it. To all, it represented America and its culture and at a majority of major historical events during the 20th century, Coke was in attendance.[6]
World War II
When war broke out and American troops were sent overseas, the Coca-Cola company vowed that any American in uniform should be able to get a Coke for five cents wherever they were.[10] As a result, the company built bottling stations in the Pacific and on the Western front. Nazis recognized Coke to be a "Jewish-American" drink. In response, the regime only allowed Coke in the country if it displayed a swastika on the bottle, which it did.[1]
Significance
Health factors
Medical experts use the term cocacolonization in their medical journals representing the spread of unhealthy American foods overseas.[9]
A significant shift in nutrition has occurred. Developed nations export processed foods that are high in trans fats and refined sugar to developing nations, causing a change from previous methods of survival such as hunting and gathering.[9]
Cocacolonization has been linked to the spike in Type 2 diabetes, obesity, and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases because of the connection between economic situation and low costs of high fat, high sugar foods.[9]
Due to an increase in tourism in their area, the Mayan tribe in the Yucatán Peninsula experienced a decline in health because they were introduced to unhealthy American foods. They became increasingly dependent on the foods.
See also
- Cultural globalization
- Cultural imperialism
- Disneyfication
- McDonaldization
- McWorld
- Walmarting
Further reading
- O’Dell, Tom. Culture Unbound: Americanization and Everyday Life in Sweden (Lund: Nordic Academic Press, 1997).
- Pells, Richard. Not like Us: How Europeans Have Loved, Hated and Transformed American Culture since World War II (1997) online
- Pendergrast, Mark (2013). For God, Country, and Coca-Cola: The Definitive History of the Great American Soft Drink and the Company that Makes it. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-02917-4.
References
- Mark Pendergrast. A Brief History of Coca-Colonization The New York Times, 1993^
- Reinhold Wagnleitner. Coca-Colonization and the Cold War: The Cultural Mission of the United States in Austria After the Second World War The University of North Carolina Press, 1994^
- {{oed | coca-colonization}}^