GLOBALIZATION THEORIES

Prepared by: Ms. Melry Joy Cabahug

 A GLIMPSE OF THE IMPT. THEORIES OF
GLOBALIZATION

• Analyzing globalization culturally,

economically , and politically
• The theories see globalization as a process
that increases their homogeneity or
heterogeneity
Homogeneity

the increasing sameness in the world as cultural

inputs, economic factors, and political
orientations of societies expand to create
common practices, same economies, and similar
forms of government.
Homogeneity

Homogeneity in culture is often linked to cultural imperialism.

This means, a given culture influences other cultures. For,
example, the dominant religion in our country is Christianity,
which was brought to us by the Spaniards. Another example is
Americanization, which was defined by Kuisel (1993) as "the
import by non-Americans of products, images, technologies,
practices, and behavior that are closely associated with
America/Americans" (p. 96).
 Homogeneity
In terms of the economy, there is recognition of the spread of
neoliberalism, capitalism, and the market economy in the world
(Antonio, 2007).
Global economic crises are also products of homogeneity in economic
globalization. Stiglitz (2002), for instance, blamed the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) for its "one-size-fits all" approach which treats every
country in the world as the same. In the end, rich countries become
advantageous in the world economy at the expense of poor countries,
which leads to increased inequality among nations. The political realm
also suffers homogenization if one takes into account the emerging
similar models of governance in the world. Barber (1995) said that
"McWorld" is existing. It means only one political orientation is growing
in today's societies.
 Homogeneity
The global flow of media is often characterized as media imperialism. TV, music,
books, and movies are perceived as imposed on developing countries by the West
(Cowen, 2002). Media imperialism undermines the existence of alternative global
media originating from developing countries, such as the Al Jazeera (Bielsa, 2008) and
the Bollywood (Larkin, 2003), as well as the influence of the local and regional media.
The Internet can be seen as an arena for alternative media. Cultural imperialism
denies the agency of viewers, but people around the world often interpret the same
medium (eg, a movie) in significantly different ways. Global media are dominated by a
small number of large corporations. As McChesney (1999) put it, this is being "extended
from old media to new media" (P. 11), such as Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter, Google,
and Apple's iTunes. As a result, in the long run, the Internet could end up being less
diverse and competitive. Independent Media Center, associated with the alter-
globalization movement, helps to counter this trend. It disseminates information to
facilitate global participation of activists. Hacktivists extend activism to the lnternet
by hacking into computer programs to promote a particular cause (Juris, 2005).
 Homogeneity

Ritzer (2008) claimed that, in general, the contemporary world is

undergoing the process of McDonaldization. It is the process by which
Western societies are dominated by the principles of fast food restaurants.
McDonaldization involves the global spread of rational systems, such as
efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. Ritzer (2008) pointed
out that this process is "extended to other businesses, sectors, and
geographic areas" (p. 169). Grobalization, in contrast to glocalization, is a
process wherein nations, corporations, etc. impose themselves on
geographic areas in order to gain profits , power, and so on (Ryan,
2007). Ritzer (2007) also espoused the idea that globalization can also be
seen as a flow of "nothing" as opposed to "something, involving the
spread of non-places, non-things, non-people, and non-services.
Heterogeneity
Pertains to the creation or various cultural practices,
new economies, and political groups because of the
interaction of elements from different societies in the
world.
Heterogeneity refers to the differences because of
either lasting differences or of the hybrids or
combinations of cultures that can be produced
through the different transplanetary processes.
 Heterogeneity

Contrary to cultural imperialism, heterogeneity in culture is

associated with cultural hybridization. A more specific concept is
“glocalization” coined by Roland Robertson in 1992. To him, as
global forces interact with focal factors or a specific geographic
area, the "glocal" is being produced. Economic issues are not
exempted from heterogeneity. The commodification of cultures and
"glocal" markets are examples of differentiation happening in many
economies around the world. The same goes with political institutions.
Barber (1995) also provided the alternate of "McWorld"- the "Jihad." As
Ritzer (2008) mentioned, it refers to the political groups that are
engaged in an "intensification of nationalism and that leads to greater
political heterogeneity throughout the world" (p. 576).
 ___________
Although homogeneity and heterogeneity give us
idea about the effects of globalization, the
picture is not yet complete. The theories about
globalization will be clarified as we look closer
at each of them in the succeeding chapters.
___________
DYNAMICS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL CULTURE

• Global culture tend to move easily around the globe than

even before, especially thru non- material digital forms.

3 Perspectives on Global Cultural Flows

 Cultural differentialism
 Cultural hybridization
 Cultural convergence
 Cultural differentialism

• Cultures are essentially different and are only

superficially affected by global flows.
• The interaction of cultures is deemed to contain the
potential for “ catastrophic collision.”
• Samuel Huntington’s theory on the clash of civilizations
(1996)
“ After Cold War, political- economic differences were
overshadowed by new fault lines, which were primarily
cultural in nature.”
 Cultural hybridization

• Emphasizes the integration of local and global cultures.

• Globalization is considered to be a creative process which gives
rise to hybrid entities that are not reducible to either the global
or the local.
• Key concepts: glocalization and scapes
• Glocalization- the interpenetration of the global and local
resulting in unique outcomes in different geographic areas
• Scapes- global flows involve people, technology, finance. Political
images, and media and the disjunctures between them, which
lead to the creation of cultural hybrids.
 Cultural convergence

• Stresses homogeneity introduced by globalization

• Culture are deemed to be radically altered by strong
flows, while cultural imperialism happens when one
culture imposes itself on and tends to destroy at least
parts of another culture.
• Deterritorialization ( John Tomlinson) – it is much more
difficult to tie culture to a specific geographic point of
origin.
THE GLOBALIZATION OF RELIGION
• Globalization has played a tremendous role in providing a
context for the current revival and the resurgence of
religion.
• Religion have spread and scattered on a global scale.
• Scholte( 2005) “ Accelerated globalization of recent
times has enabled co-religionists across the planet to
have greater direct contact with one another.”
• Global communications, global orgs., and global finance-
allowed ideas of the Muslims and the universal Christian
church to given concrete shape as never before
• Information technologies, transportation, and media- impt. means on
which religionists rely on the dissemination of their religious ideas.
• Globalization has allowed religion or faith to gain considerable
significance and importance as a non-territorial touchstone of
identity.
• As Turner( 2007) explained:
“Globalization transforms the generic “ religion” into a world-system of
competing and conflicting religions. This process of institutional
specialization has transformed local, diverse and fragmented cultural
practices into recognizable systems of religion. Globalization has,
therefore, had the paradoxical effect of making religions more self-
conscious of themselves as being “ world religions.”
• The conflicts among the world religions exhibit a solid proof
confirming the erosion and the failure of hybridization.
• Religions have distinct internal structures, their connections
to different cultures and their rituals and beliefs contradict.
• “ Scholte ( 2005) “ At the same time as being pursued thru
global channels, assertions of religious identity have, like
nationalist strivings, often also been partly a defensive
reaction to globalization”
• Religion is anti-rationalist: religion is anti-globalization
• Globalization is also associated with Westernization and
Americanization. The dominance of these two processes makes
religion-related cultures and identities take defensive measures to
protect themselves. Ex. ISIS
• Ehteshami (2007) pointed out, “ Globalization is not only seen as a
rival of Islamic ways, but also as an alien force divorced from
Muslim realities.”
• The challenges of globalization to religion link automatically to
the challenges of religion to globalization.
• Samuel Huntington’s clash of civilizations maintains that such
dehybridizing upshots spring also from the religious partitioning
and clashes.
GLOBALIZATION AND REGIONALIZATION

• These two processes reemerged during the 1980’s and heightened

after the end of the Cold War in 1990’s.
• The regionalization of the world system and economic activity
undermines the potential benefits coming out from a liberalized
global economy.
• Regionalization is a sort of counter-globalization.
• In a 2007 survey, the Financial Times revealed that majority of
Europeans consider that globalization brings negative effects to
their societies.
• The threats of an “ungoverned globalization” can be countered by what
Jacoby and Meunier called managed globalization ; refers to “all
attempts to make globalization more palatable to citizens.”
• As Held et al. (2005) claimed, ‘the new regionalism is not a barrier to
political globalization but, on the contrary, entirely compatible with it-
if not an indirect encouragement”
• Hurrell( 2007) “one (global) world/many (regional) worlds relationship”
• Regionalization developments in one part of the world have affected and
fueled regionalization everywhere else in a sort of contagion or domino
effect.
• Regionalization is intimately linked to globalization since it is part of it
and it builds on it.
The argument concerning the relationship between
regionalization and globalization is perfectly summarized
in this claim:

The age of economic globalization has also been the age of

regionalization, and much of the analysis of the new regionalism has
been devoted to the links between the two tendencies. Thus,
regionalism is seen as a critical part of the political economy of
globalization and the strategies that states ( and other actors) have
adopted in the face of globalization…The emergence of regionalism
needs to be understood within the global restructuring of power and
production. The many worlds are very closely intertwined with the
character and fate of one. The core driving force is global even if
the manifestation is regional. ( Hurell,2007)
• Globalization “goes back to when humans first put a boat into the
sea” (Sweeney, 2005)
• We can understand globalization as “the increased flows of goods ,
services ,capita ,people , and information across borders”
(Jacoby and Meunier , 2010)
• Defining region and regionalization is complicated.
• Region- is a group of countries in the same geographically
specified area.
• Regionalization- is the societal integration and the often
undirected process of social and economic interaction
• Regionalism- the formal process of intergovernmental
collaboration between two or more states
• Huntington ( 1996) believed that culture and identity
guide regionalization. Culture and identity are
civilizations.
• Economic motivations- the main motivation behind
contemporary regionalization.