Module 1

Topic 1: The Task of Defining Globalization

The Contemporary World (Coworld)

Why Contemporary World?

• We are living in different

circumstances and ideas of the
present age in a colloquial “in
modern times like these”.
• We need to look at the situation
which considers the past and
future; our cultural- way of life and
at the same time understanding
the world of having diversity.
• Since our world is diverse, we practice what
anthropologist called as “Cultural Relativism” ; this
is to understand diverse culture and the uniqueness
of one’s culture without prejudice and biases.
• Economic and technological advances are
characteristics of the contemporary world and there
are fundamental aspects of it.
Different debates about Globalization
There are different issues about globalization that most
people would debate about like the issue of global
governance. This aspect of globalization resonance with the
stability of government of each state. Other issues are
equitable development among nations and countries
around the world and how humans will survive in the future
which is crucial in maintaining sustainability of world’s
resources like food security and energy resources.
Defining Globalization

• One of the most important challenges facing the world in the 21st
century is globalization; to look at the concept of “Globalization” it is
generally defined as the increasing interconnectedness of people and
places through converging economic, political and cultural activities.

Attributes of Globalization:
• Global communication systems that link all regions and most people on
the planet instantaneously;
• Transportation systems capable of moving goods quickly by air, sea and
land;
• Transnational business strategies that have created global corporations
more powerful than many sovereign nations;
• New and more flexible forms of capital accumulation and international
financial institutions that make 24-hour trading possible;
• Global agreements that promote free trade;
• Market economies and private enterprises that have replaced state-
controlled economies and services;
• An abundance of planetary goods and services that have arisen to
fulfill consumer demand – real and imagined;
• Economic disparities between rich and poor regions and countries that
drive people to migrate, both legally and illegally, in search of a better
life;
• An army of international workers, managers, and executives who give
this powerful economic force a human dimension