Question

Difficulty: MediumGlobalized Culture

“Article 1: Except for cases permitted by law, the entry, production, distribution, use, and repair of satellite receiving equipment... are prohibited...

Article 5: The Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance and the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting are responsible for utilizing their maximum potential and resources to present appropriate cultural programming to the public and to counter the cultural invasion of foreign networks.”

—Law Banning the Use of Satellite Receiving Equipment, Islamic Republic of Iran, 1995

The legislation described in the passage is best understood as a response to which of the following aspects of globalization in the late twentieth century?

  1. The rapid spread of consumer culture and media that governments feared would undermine traditional domestic valuesAnswer
  2. B
    The complete homogenization of global society into a uniform culture dominated by Western corporations
  3. C
    The re-establishment of mercantilist policies to protect domestic manufacturing from foreign competition
  4. D
    The collapse of regional trade networks due to superpower proxy conflicts

Answer

The rapid spread of consumer culture and media that governments feared would undermine traditional domestic values
The correct answer is correct because the Iranian law represents a state-level response and resistance to the global flow of information and media, specifically satellite TV, which was viewed as a threat to the nation's cultural and religious values.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the text of the 1995 Iranian law to identify the central issue and the actor's goal.
The Iranian government bans satellite receiving equipment to prevent a 'cultural invasion' of foreign television networks.
Understanding the source's content is the first step in contextualizing it within global history.
2
Connect the ban on satellite TV to the technological developments and cultural dynamics of the late twentieth century.
Satellite TV allowed the rapid transmission of Western consumer culture and media across national borders.
This links the specific historical event to the broader topic of cultural globalization.
3
Evaluate the options to find which dynamic of globalization is best represented by this state action.
The correct option is identified as the rapid spread of consumer culture that governments feared would threaten traditional values.
This shows how governments actively resisted Western cultural dominance rather than simply accepting total homogenization.

Key Concept

Globalized Culture

Hints

1
Consider the date of the law (1995) and what kind of technology was spreading during this period of globalization.
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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