The Anatomy of Cultural Power: Elements and Implications for Global Politics

Until recently, the study of international politics was confined mostly to economic, military, and diplomatic aspects. In the aftermath of the Cold War and the advent of globalization, however, culture has been on the rise in the discipline. A new approach has come to appreciate the affect of culture on the nature and structure of power. It is the aim of this paper to identify and discuss the components of cultural power and their contributions to a nation's power from an international point of view. The thesis of this paper is that cultural power is different in character from economic power, military might, and diplomatic choice are factors, but are more symbolic and perceptible. At the same time, cultural power is also as influential as other aspects of power and can be a source of diffusion, absorption, and domination.