Learning Objectives
1. Differentiate the competing conceptions and theories of
globalization;
2. Formulate a working definition of globalization for the
course; and
3. Narrate a personal experience of globalization and its
impact on the society.
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
“After centuries of technological
progress and advances in
international cooperation, the world
is more connected than ever
because of globalization.”
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
What is
Globalization?
Globalization is a phenomenon used to describe the growing
interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and
populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and
services, technology, and flows of investment, people, and
information. [Link]
[Link]/microsites/globalization/what-is-globalization
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
What is Globalization?
Shalmali Guttal (2007) define globalization as the process of
interaction and integration among people, companies and
governments worldwide.
What can explain the existence of competing
definitions of globalization?
• Primarily, this can be attributed to the diversity of disciplines
• Globalization was first used in the academic circles in the decades of
1960s and 1970s.
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
Globalization according to
scholars
Globalization refers to all those processes by which the peoples of the world are
incorporated into a single world society, global society -Albrow
Intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such
a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and
vice versa. - Giddens
The compression of the time and space and annihilation of distance. - Harvey
A process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and
governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and
investment and aided by information technology. - Sunny Levine Institute
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
Globalization according to
scholars
A concept that refers both to the compression of the world and the intensification of
consciousness of the world as a whole -Robertson
Dominated by global economic activities like the neoliberal regime, the reduction of
tariffs, the creation of transnational corporations, and improvement of multilateral
trade organizations.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of Globalization
? existence of competing definitions of globalizations
Diversity Of disciplines
Scholars from different
POLITICAL
disciplines economist SCIENTIST
historians
s S
Examined globalization More interested in
using analytical tools and Look into changing patterns Focus more on the
determining impact of the forces of
of international trade and
methods provided by their whether commerce as well as the globalization, such as the
international non-
respective disciplines globalization is unequal distribution of
governmental organizations
wealth
(DISCIPLINES: economics, really a modern and international
organizations, on the state
history, sociology, phenomenon and vice versa
philosophy)
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Globalization according to Steger
A PROCESS
A CONDITION
AN IDEOLOGY
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
Globalization AS PROCESS
relates to changes in technology as well as in many aspects of human existence ranging from cultural,
economic and political systems that have brought a multi-dimensional set of social processes that
escalate deepening connections, worldwide interdependence and social exchanges among people
from all different parts of the world.
Point of interest in modernity began during the Period of Renaissance ,
Sociology followed by the enlightenment, then the French Revolution and lasted up
until the period of Industrialization in the late 1700s and throughout the 1800s.
Political economy 1500s and 1800s
And Marxist perspective “the conquest of the world market marks the birth of modern
capitalism”
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
Globalization AS PROCESS
WHEN DID globalization START?
Flynn and • 1571, the year Manila was founded as Spanish
Giraldez entrepot connecting Asia and the Americas
Baudel and • 1200s, the year Manila was founded as Spanish
Abu- entrepot connecting Asia and the Americas.
lughod
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
Globalization as a CONDITION
Globalization as a condition is about the creation of linkages between people located at different
corners of the planet characterized by cultural, economic, and political interconnections and global
flows, which make any kind of barrier (be it political or economic) insignificant.
The Contemporary World:
“That could have been me,” Dr. Vihn Ching (US-
Introduction to the Study
based medical doctorof and
Globalization
was once a
Vietnamese refugee) said in an interview at CNN
about the photograph of a lifeless body of a
Syrian boy found lying with face down in the
beach of Turkey in September 2015. This chilling
photo of the lifeless body of a Syrian boy, which
spread in various social media networks, is a fine
example of globalization as a process and
condition as it moved people to express from
across the world to express their concern over
the plight of the Syrian refugees and their
disappointment with the apathy shown by the
international community. Months after the photo
become viral, the United States and Russia
negotiated with the hostile Syrian groups for
temporary cessation of hostilities in order to save
The Contemporary World:
An Introduction
Globalization as an IDEOLOGY
Globalization is liberalization Free trad
about the global interaction and
of markets.
e
Protectionism
Protectionist policies place specific
restrictions on trade for the
international benefit of a domestic
economy.
The driving idea behind globalization is free-market capitalism — the more you let market forces
rule and the more you open your economy to free trade and competition, the more efficient your
economy will be. Thomas Friedman
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Globalization as an IDEOLOGY
Nobody is in charge of Globalization.
Robert Hormats, Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs, asserted that: “The great beauty of
globalization is that no one is in control.
Globalization is inevitable and irreversible.
Globalization benefits everyone in the long run.
Globalization requires a global war on terror.
Globalization furthers the spread of democracy.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Does it mean that all countries around the globe are
becoming the same?
• Globalization is not simply homogenization;
• Globalization enhances cultural identity.
• People are not mere objects of cultural influences, but subjects who can
reject or integrate culture.
• The sense of “togetherness” brought with globalization is not at all in conflict
with diversity. People become much more concerned about the uniqueness
and particularity of their own culture.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of Globalization
Globalization promotes interdependencies.
Various countries have built economic partnerships to facilitate these movements over many
centuries through the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and
populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services, technology, and
flows of investment, people, and information.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of Globalization
Theoretical paradigms associated with
globalization
World Systems Paradigm Immanuel Wallerstein
The main characteristics of this theory are as follows:
• The world systems theory is established on a three-level hierarchy
consisting of core, periphery, and semi-periphery areas.
• The core countries dominate and exploit the peripheral countries
for labor and raw materials.
• The peripheral countries refers to regions that have been
forcibly subordinated to the core through colonialism or other
means.
• The semi-peripheral countries share characteristics of both core
and peripheral countries.
• This theory emphasizes the social structure of global inequality.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of Globalization
Theoretical paradigms associated with
globalization
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of Globalization
Global Capitalism Paradigm
Global capitalism is a qualitatively new stage in the evolution
of capitalism characterized by the rise of transnational capital,
a transnational capitalist class, and a transnational state.
Characteristics of Global Capitalism
• Production takes place on the global stage. (Companies can produce
goods in a variety of places around the world.)
• Labor can be sourced around the world. (companies expand their
production across borders, they do not make use of the labor available in their home
country. )
• Global system of governance.(Global capitalism requires a new system
of transnational governance.)
• Power relations are transnational
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
The Network Society School Of Thought
A major shift in the society called information society, whereby the circulation and
production of information is key in social and economic activity.
Technology and society are intertwined – Manuel Castells
The main characteristics of this theory are as follows:
• Information is a key economic resource in the information society;
• Consumers are key to the information society. Citizens in the information
society have started using information and technology more and more; and
• The economy in the information age has a specific infrastructure meant for the
circulation and distribution of information.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Space, time and globalization
According to Harvey, it is this compression of social time–space
David
through economic activity that is the driving force behind
Harvey globalization.
Global Culture Paradigm
• Theorists of the global culture emphasize the effects of globalization on one’s
culture such as communication, consumption, ethnicity, religion, tourism, and
the like.
• Increasing cultural diversity.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Global Culture Paradigm
• Theorists of the global culture emphasize the effects of globalization on one’s
culture such as communication, consumption, ethnicity, religion, tourism, and
the like.
• Increasing cultural diversity.
Disneyization
Bryman (2004) suggests that Disneyization is the society has been affected to
resemble in many aspects the Disney theme parks.
In his approach he focuses on the principles that guide the Disney parks which
then become adopted by society.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Theming: More and more areas of economic life are becoming
themed. Examples: Hollywood, themed eating establishments,
shopping malls.
Differentiation: “the general trend whereby the forms of consumption
associated with different institutional spheres becomes interlocked
with each other and increasingly difficult to distinguish” (Bryman,
n.d.).
Simply means that in the theme park industry, its main attraction is
not solely the theme park itself
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Merchandising: “promotion of goods in the form of or bearing
copyright images and logos, including such products made under
license”..
Emotional or Performative Labor: Bryman (20024) describes
employees are somehow being forced to behave in a specific set of
behavior. Disney theme park employees are required to obey the set
of behaviors:
Disadvantage: Disneyization is problematic because it changes the true
historical and geographical features of a destination, which makes it hard for
people to determine what part of their cultural vacation experience is real and what
is not.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Glocalization
Used to describe a product or service
that is developed and distributed
globally, but is also adjusted to
accommodate the user or consumer
in the local market.
Other examples
In the U.K., car producers must build vehicles
with the steering wheel on the right side instead
of the left.
Netflix needs to negotiate its contracts for
showing programs in each country.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Mcdonaldization George Ritzer
“[T]he process by which the principles of the fast-food restaurant
are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society
as well as the rest of world” (Ritzer 2015:1)
McDonaldization suggests that modern societies are in many
respects increasingly standardized, predictable, and uniform.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization Four Key Dimensions of McDonaldization
Efficiency - minimizing the time required to complete individual tasks.
Calculability emphasizes the quantitative aspects of the products sold — such as
their portion size or price — and services offered (how quickly someone can get the
product).
Predictability - the products and services will be more or less the same over time
and in all locations.
Control - McDonaldization is wielded by the management to ensure that workers appear and act
the same on a moment-to-moment and daily basis. It also refers to the use of robots and technology
to reduce or replace human employees wherever possible.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Transnationality and transnationalism
• Individuals, groups, institutions and states interact with each other in a new
global space, combining cultural and political characteristics of national
societies with emerging multinational and multi-level activities.
• Transnationalism refers to multiple links and interactions linking people and
institutions across the borders of nation-states.
The Contemporary World:
Introduction to the Study of
Globalization
Includes activities by entities such as corporations, states, international
Internationalization organizations, private organizations and even individuals with reference
to national boarders and national governments.
a process of the worldwide spread of culture, ideas, objects and
Universalization experiences.
If western modernity spreads and destroys local cultures, this variant of
Westernization universalization is known as Westernization.