Module 1

What is Globalization

Objectives:

1. Agree on a working definition of globalization;

2. differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization; and
3. Narrate a personal experience of globalization.

Introduction:

Gio and Latif’s story is fictional but very plausible since it is, in fact, based on
the real-life experience of one of the authors. It was through such friendships that
one was able to appreciate the meaning and impact of globalization. We begin
our definition of globalization with this narrative to illustrate how concrete the
phenomenon is. The story shows how globalization operates at multiple,
intersecting levels. The spread of Filipino TV into Malaysia suggests how fast this
popular culture has proliferated and criss-crossed all over Asia.

Most accounts view globalization as primarily an economic process. When a

newspaper reports that nationalists are resisting “globalization,” it usually refers
to the integration of the national markets to a wider global market signified by the
increased free trade. When activists refer to the “anti-globalization” movement of
the 1990s, they mean resisting the trade deals among countries facilitated and
promoted by global organizations like the World Trade Organization.

Globalization scholars do not necessarily disagree with people who criticize

unfair international trade deals or global economic organizations. In fact, many
are sympathetic to the critique of economic globalization. Academics differ from
journalists and political activists, however, because they see globalization in
much broader terms. They view the process through various lenses that consider
multiple theories and perspectives. Academics call this an interdisciplinary
approach, and it is this approach used by the general education (GE) courses
that you will be taking alongside this one.
The best scholarly description of globalization is provided by Manfred Steger
who described the process as the expansion and intensification of social
relations and consciousness across world-time and across world-space.
Expansion refers to “both the creation of new social networks and the
multiplication of existing connections that cut across traditional political,
economic, cultural, and geographic boundaries.” These various connections
occur at different levels. Social media, for example, establish new global
connections between people, while international groups of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) are networks that connect a more specific group---social
workers and activists-- from different corners of the globe. In the story, Gio was
able to join a Model UN competition because his university was part of an
international network.

Intensification refers to the expansion, stretching, and acceleration of

these networks? Not only are global connections multiplying, but they are also
becoming more closely-knit and expanding their reach. For example, there has
always been a strong financial market connecting London and New York. With
the advent of electronic trading, however, the volume of that trade increases
exponentially, since traders can now trade more at higher speeds. The
connection is thus accelerating. Apart from this acceleration, however, as the
world becomes more financially integrated, the intensified trading network
between London and New York may expand and stretch to cover more and more
cities. After China committed itself to the global economy in the 1980s, for
example, Shanghai steadily returned to its old role as a major trading post.

Activity:
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0AS65cI0pJA