UNDERSTANDING GLOBALIZATION Metaphors of Globalization
“Global Age” Solid and Liquid
– use of the internet to gain and share information around the world The epochs that preceded today’s - Mass media also allowed further globalization paved the way for people, connections of people, communities things, information and places to harden and countries all over the globe. (solid) over time
What is Globalization? Solidity
refers to barriers that prevent or make “It cannot be contained within a specific difficult the movement of things time frame, all people and all situations.” – could be natural or man-made (Al-Rhodan 2006) – have the tendency to ‘melt’ Ex. Landforms, oceans, Berlin wall, 9 dash Swedish Journalist Thomas Larsson (2001) line saw globalization as “the process of world shrinkage, of distances getting Liquidity shorter, things moving closer.” – the increasing ease of movement of people, things, information and places But some see it as occurring through and with regression, colonialism and Zygmunt Bauman’s (200) ideas: destabilization. 1. today’s liquid phenomena change Definitions could be classified as either: quickly and its aspects, spatial and temporal, are in continuous fluctuation. a. broad and inclusive 2. their movement is difficult to stop – b. narrow and exclusive videos uploaded 3. made political boundaries more In a comprehensive study of 114 permeable to the flow of people and definitions by the Geneva Center for things Security Policy in 2006, 67 of them refer to economic dimension. Flows Some academics claimed that defining • Flows are the movement of people, globalization is a useless task. things, places and information brought by the growing ‘porosity’ of global Defining globalization is shaped by the limitations (Ritzer 2015) perspective of the person who defines it; • As Landler (2008)put it: “In global globalization is many things to many financial system, national borders are different people. porous.” “Globalization is a ‘world of things’ that have different speeds, axes, points of Ex.: food, clothing, fashion, belief origin and termination and varied systems, information, immigrants relationships to institutional structures in recreating ethnic enclaves in host different regions, nations or societies.” countries. (Appadurai 1996) Globalization Theories 2. To paraphrase the sociologist Cesare These theories see globalization as a Poppi: globalization is the debate and process that increases either the debate is globalization homogeneity or heterogeneity.
3. Globalization is a reality. It is changing Homogeneity
as human society develops. – the increasing sameness in the world as cultural inputs, economic factors and “attitudes toward globalization depend, political orientations of societies expand among other things, on whether one to create common practices, same gains or loses from it” (Ritzer 2003) economies and similar forms of government
Ex.: cultural imperialism, spread of
neoliberalism, market economy *Joseph Stiglitz (2002) blamed the IMF for Dynamics of Local and Global its “one-sizefits-all” approach which Culture treats every country in the world as the same. Perspectives on Global Cultural Flows
*Benjamin Barber (1995)said that 1. Cultural Differentiation – emphasizes
“McWorld” is existing. It means only one the fact that cultures are essentially political orientation is growing in today’s different and are only superficially societies. affected by global flows.
Media Imperialism Samuel Huntington’s Clash of Civilizations
– global flow of media; undermines the – increasing interaction among different existence of alternative global media cultures (Islamic, Orthodox, Western, from developing countries like Al Jazeera Sinic) would lead to intense clashes and Bollywood – political conflict between Islamic and western civilizations McDonaldization - process by which Western societies are 2. Cultural Hybridization – emphasizes dominated by the principles of fastfood the integration of local and global restaurants. It involves the global spread cultures; Maharaja Mac (McDonald’s of rational systems, such as efficiency, chicken and veggie burger in India) calculability, predictability and control. 3.Cultural Convergence – stresses - Ritzer (2008) believed that this process is homogeneity introduced by extended to other businesses, sectors globalization. and geographic areas. Cultural Imperialism – when one Heterogeneity culture imposes itself on and tends - creation of various cultural to destroy parts of another practices , new economies, and culture. political groups because of the interaction of elements from Deterritorialization – means that it different societies in the world. is much more difficult to tie culture - It refers to either lasting to a specific geographic point of differences or of the hybrids or origin. combinations of cultures which can be produced through the GLOBALIZATION OF RELIGION different transplanetary processes. • Most religions today are not relegated to the countries where they began; they have spread and scattered on a global “Glocalization” – coined by Roland scale. Robertson (1992); as global forces interact with local factors or a specific • Information technologies, geographic area, the ‘glocal’ is being transportation means and the media are produced. deemed important means on which religionists rely on the dissemination of • The commodification of cultures and their religious ideas. glocal markets are examples of differentiation happening in many • Religion represents a challenge to economies around the world globalization’s hybridizing effects • Jihad – political groups that are because it seeks to assert its identity in engaged in an ‘intensification of the light of globalization. nationalism and that lead to greater political heterogeneity throughout the world’ • Globalization’s strict rationalism manifested in such phenomena as liberalism and secularism can be incompatible with the norms and the values of certain religions
• Since globalization is associated with
Westernization and Americanization, the power exerted by the two, especially on 3. Epoch the less developed countries, makes – Goran Therborn’s (2000) 6 great religion-related cultures and identities epochs of globalization Therborn is a take defensive measures to protect global social scientist, of Swedish roots. themselves. Ex. ISIS Professor Emeritus of Sociology at the University of Cambridge, UK GLOBALIZATION AND REGIONALIZATION 1. Globalization of religion – 4 th -7 th • The processes of globalization and centuries 2. European colonial conquests regionalization re-emerged during the – late 15th century 1980s and heightened after the end of 3. Intra-European wars – late 18th -early the Cold War in the 1990s. 19th centuries 4. Heyday of European imperialism – mid- Region- group of countries in the same 19th century to 1918 geographically specified area 5. Post World War II period 6. Post Cold war period Regionalization - societal integration and the often 4. Events undirected process of social and - specific events can be treated as the economic interaction start of globalization - in one part of the world encourages Gibbons (1998) – Roman conquests regionalization elsewhere. Rosenthal (2007) – voyages of discovery - is intimately linked to globalization since (15th century) it is part of it and it builds on it. Recent years, technological advancement - transatlantic telephone Huntington believes that culture and cable (1956), identity guide regionalization. the 1st transatlantic television broadcasts Ex. EU, Mercusor, NAFTA, ASEAN (1962), • But economic motivations are founding of the modern internet (1988) arguably the main motivation behind 5. Broader, more recent changes – 20th contemporary regionalization. century • By entering in regional organizations, a. Emergence of USA as the global Asian states may regain some control power (post WW II) over flows of capital and enhance their b. Emergence of multinational bargaining power against TNCs. corporations • TNCs act as a driving force toward c. Demise of the Soviet Union (1991) and regionalism end of cold war *Many global processes (immigration, Origins and History of Globalization tourism, media, diplomacy and MNCs) spread throughout the planet. 1. Nayan Chanda (2007)
- the founder and editor-in-chief of GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHY
YaleGlobal Online, an online magazine that publishes articles about Demographic transition globalization – a singular historical period during which mortality and fertility rates decline from - believed that commerce, religion, high to low levels in a country or region. politics and warfare are the ‘urges’ of • The transition started in mid or late people toward a better life. These are 1700s in Europe, death rates and fertility connected to 4 aspects of globalization began to decline. and they can be traced all throughout • 20th century – mortality decline in history- trade, missionary work, Africa and Asia except Japan. adventures and conquest: hardwired • UN projected that population growth will be shifted toward Africa; by 2150, the 2. Cycles region’s share to world pop will be almost – globalization is a long-term cyclical 20% process and thus, finding its origin will be a daunting task. It suggests adherence GLOBAL MIGRATION to the idea that other global ages have -Movements of people around the world appeared; may disappear or reappear. can be seen through the categories of migrants -‘vagabonds’ and ‘tourists’ Refugees Environmental Degradation -vagabonds forced to flee their home countries due to safety concerns -environmentalists argue that Asylum seekers environmental issues should be given – refugees who seek to remain in the priority over economic issues. Neoliberals country to which they flee Labor see the efforts of environmentalists as migration is driven by ‘push’ (political serious impediments to trade. Not all persecution, economic depression, war, countries are involved in saving the earth famine) and ‘pull’ (favorable over development. immigration policy, employment opportunities, cultural similarity) factors. -difficult to find alternatives to fossil fuels; the use of ethanol led to other problems- rise in the price of corn and less efficient THE GLOBAL ECONOMY Global Food Security Poverty line/threshold - 275 pesos a day (Philippines) - means delivering sufficient food to the entire world population; sustainability of Extreme/absolute poverty society such as population growth, – severe deprivation of basic needs like climate change, water scarcity and food, water, sanitation facilities, health, agriculture. shelter, education and information; less - the demand for food will be 60% than $1.25/day (UN) greater than it is today and the challenge of food security requires the • UN (2015) reported that 836 million world to feed 9 billion people by 2050. people still live in extreme poverty but that is down from 1.9 billion Why? The • The challenges to food security can be greatest contributor is economic traced to the protection of the globalization environment.
Economic Globalization 1. Destruction of natural habitat-
- refers to the increasing deforestation interdependence of world economies as 2. Industrial fishing- destruction of marine a result of the growing scale of cross- life and ecosystem border trade of commodities and 3. Decline in the availability of freshwater services, flow of international capital, 4. Decline in water supply- and wide and rapid spread of desertification; the destruction of water technologies. It reflects the continuing ecosystem may lead to the creation of expansion and mutual integration of climate refugees, people who are market frontiers, and is an irreversible forced to migrate due to lack of access trend for the economic development in to water or due to flooding the whole world at the turn of the 5. Pollution- greenhouse gases (trap millennium (UN) sunlight and heat in the earth’s atmosphere) cause global warming Protectionism - a policy of systematic government • New Vision for Agriculture (2009) – intervention in foreign trade with the public-private partnerships to help objective of encouraging domestic farmers; $10 billion reached farmers producers and discriminating against foreign competitors; comes in the form of • Economic and trade globalization is tariffs and quotas. the result of companies trying to outmaneuver their competitors. Trade Liberalization/Free Trade Consumers search for the cheapest - removal or reduction of restrictions or place to buy products, companies barriers on the free exchange of goods search for the cheapest place to make between nations those products. Fair Trade – the concern for the social, economic Sweatshop - workplace in which and environmental well-being of workers are employed at low wages and marginalized small producers under unhealthy or oppressive conditions. Sustainable development - the development of our world today by using the earth’s resources for the future • Outsourcing of jobs is seen by the antis World’ was associated with the rich, as exploitation and oppression, a form of industrialized countries. economic colonialism that puts profits before people. • A new classification, North-South, was Few call for protectionist policies, some created as Second world countries countries have no minimum wage laws; joined either the First or the Third. no regulations for safe working conditions or protection of the Global North – US, Canada, Western environment. Europe, developed parts of Asia Global South – Caribbean, Latin Microcredit - the lending of small America, South America and parts of amounts of money at low interest to new Asia businesses in the developing world. (Muhammad Yunus of Bangladesh – Global city - used by Sassen to describe Nobel Peace Prize) New York, London and Tokyo as economic centers that exert control over Global Income Inequality Types: the world’s political economy. Not only are there inequalities between these 1. Wealth Inequality – speaks about cities, there also exists inequalities within distribution of assets Wealth refers to each city. the net worth of a country; all the assets of a nation less the liabilities. THEORIES OF GLOBAL STRATIFICATION
2. Income inequality – new earnings 1. Modernization theory – frames global
are being distributed, it values the stratification as a function of flow of goods and services, not a technological and cultural differences stock of assets. between nations.
Income – new earnings that are Contributory events – Columbian
constantly being added to the pile of Exchange and Industrial Revolution a country’s wealth. • This theory argues that the tension Economic Big Bang between tradition and technological – by Branko Milanovic; Industrial change is the biggest barrier to growth. Revolution caused the economic differences among nations But today, it is Walt Rostow’s 4 Stages of Modernization caused by economic globalization, access to technology (skill-based a. Traditional stage- societies that are technological change) and structured around small, local international trade. communities with production done in family settings; feudal Europe “The triumph of globalization and market b. Take-off stage – people begin to use capitalism has improved living standards their talents to produce more; creates for billions while concentrating billions new markets for trade among the few” – Richard Freeman, c. Drive to technological maturity – 2011 characterized by population growth, reductions in absolute poverty levels, GLOBAL SOUTH more diverse job opportunities; push for social change like education and more The First, Second and Third World terms democratic political systems date back to the Cold War, when d. High Mass Consumption – production Western policymakers began talking becomes more about want than needs about the world as 3 distinct political and economic blocs Criticisms - Just a new name for the idea that capitalism is the only way for a First World- Western capitalist countries country to develop Second World- Soviet Union and its allies - It sweeps a lot of historical factors Third World- everyone else After the cold under the rug when it explains American war and European progress (slavery and environmental concerns) ‘Third world’ came to be associated with impoverished states, while the ‘First - Victim-blaming, putting the fault on the poor countries’ cultural values and traditions 3. Dependency theory – colonialism caused economic inequality among nations; condition in which the development of the nation -states of the South contributed to a decline in their independence and to an increase in economic development of the countries of the North; liberal trade causes greater poverty
Peripheral nations – countries that
are less developed and receive an unequal distribution of the world’s wealth Core countries – more industrialized who receive the majority of the world’s wealth
Structuralist approach – diversify
exports and accelerate industrialization through import substitution; high tariff walls would reduce dependence on foreign manufacturers