Cultural imperialism is the practice of promoting, distinguishing, separating, or artificially injecting the culture of one society into another. It is usually the case that the former belongs to a large, economically or militarily powerful nation and the latter belongs to a smaller, less important one. Cultural imperialism can take the form of an active, formal policy or a general attitude.

The term is usually used in a pejorative sense, usually in conjunction with a call to reject foreign influence. The Greek culture built homes, theatres and public baths in places that its adherents conquered (such as ancient Judea, where the Greek cultural imperialism sparked a popular revolt), with the effect that the populations became immersed in that culture. The spread of the koine Greek language was another large factor in this immersion.

As European colonisation of the Americas gained pace, European nations including Spain, Portugal, France, England and the Netherlands all raced to claim territory in hopes of generating increased economic wealth for themselves. In these new colonies, the European conquerors imposed their language and culture.

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