Cultural imperialism, Americanisation and Cape Town hip-hop culture: a discussion piece

摘要

This discussion piece is a reflection on ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Cape Town between January and December 2007. It explores the question of whether hip-hop culture in South Africa constitutes Americanisation or cultural imperialism. This piece draws attention to the main theoretical frameworks dealing with the reception of global culture and highlights how an interrogation of the local conditions of Cape Town is fundamental in understanding how hip-hop culture is received and appropriated there.