Final answer:
Cultural imperialism is the active promotion and imposition of one culture's values and practices over another, often leading to the diminishing of the latter's cultural identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The active promotion of one cultural system at the expense of another is called cultural imperialism. This term refers to the deliberate imposition of one's own cultural values on another culture. Cultural imperialism often manifests when powerful societies project their culture onto others, which can result in the overshadowing or destruction of the target culture's own traditions and values. An example of cultural imperialism could include the actions of international aid agencies that introduce foreign agricultural practices and plant species into areas where indigenous knowledge and crops would be more appropriate. Moreover, modern instances include corporate influences where global entities promote American products and cultural ideals, potentially leading to a loss of the unique cultural identity and heritage of different communities.
Understanding this concept is crucial for core nations working towards modernizing peripheral nations since there is a risk of overlooking the importance of preserving cultural identity, falling into hegemonistic assumptions about what constitutes modernization, and not preparing for the potential pitfalls that this process entails.