In Cultural Imperialism, John Tomlinson deals with issues ranging from the ideological effects of imported cultural products, to the process of cultural homogenization, to the nature of cultural autonomy. He examines a number of related discourses: thedebate about "media imperialism" the discourse of national cultural identity; the critique of multinational capitalism and the critique of cultural modernity. His analysis reveals major problems in the way in which the idea of cultural, as distinct from economic or political, imperialism is formulated.

John Tomlinson completed a Ph.D. on critial theory at the University of Bradford in 1985. Since then he has taught social theory and cultural studies at Nottingham and Bristol Polytechnics. His published works are in the areas of critical and social theory. He is presently Principal Lecturer in Social and Cultural Theory at Nottingham Polytechnic.