The Structures of Globalization This unit will introduce you to the various drivers of the globalization process, with specific focus on economics and_ politics Although it emphasizes that you experience globalization on an “everyday” level, you must also realize that there are big institutions that create large-scale changes. This unit will first trace the emergence of these institutions historically. It will then move on to explain how they affect the countries and people today. ‘The major learning outcomes of this unit are to: + analyze the various contemporary drivers of globalization; and = describe the emergence of global economic and political systems.What is Globalization? @ Learning Outcomes At the end of this lesson, you should be able to: 1. agree ona working definition of globalization for the course: 2. differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization; and 3. narrate a personal experience of globalization. A Story: Gio, Latif, and the Laksa When Gio was a second-year international affairs student in a university in Cebu City, he obtained funding to join the school team participating in an international Model UN competition in Sydney, Australia, At the height of the competition, Gio made | plenty of new friends and became particularly close to Latif from | the Malaysian team. The two first started talking when Latif asked | Gio where he was from. Upon discovering that the Gio was from the Philippines, Latif lit up and declared that he was a big fan of Filipino actors Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa. Gio was pleasantly surprised to learn that Latif had seen every episode of the ABS-CBN telenovela Pangako sa ‘Yo (“The Promise”). The show had aired on Malaysian TV a few years back, and its two stars had developed a madest following Ashamed that he did not know as much about Malaysia as Latif knew about the Philippines, Gio asked Latif what his country was like. Latif, he discovered, was from a Muslim university in Kuala Lumpur. Gio asked him what he liked best about living in “KL,” and Latif immediately mentioned the food. Latif explained that in Kuala Lumpur, one can find Chinese, Indian, and Malay cuisines. He told Gio that this assortment of foodways was the result ofWhat is Globelization? | 3 how the British reorganized Malaysian society during the colonial times. The British did little to change the way of life of the Malays who were the original residents, but brought in Chinese laborers to work in the rubber plantations and tin mines, and Indians to help manage the bureaucracy and serve as the initial professional core of a potential middle class. One of the ways that these ethnic groups were identified was through their foodways. According to Latif, Malaysia eventually became famous for these cuisines which can be found in the various “hawker centers” across the nation’s cities and towns. These food stands are located in outdoor food parks where locals and tourists taste the best of Malaysia, from nasi lemak to laksa. Gio interrupted Latif and asked, “What is laksa?” He felt more ashamed at his lack of knowledge. ‘Ahh....let me show you what it is and how itis prepared” replied Latif. The next day, Latif took Gio to a Malaysian restaurant a few blocks away from the university, Gio was surprised to discover that Malaysian food was readily available in Sydney. Having noticed this, Latif explained to his Filipino friend that, over the years, as. more and more Malaysian students maved to Sydney to study, Malaysian restaurants followed suit. Soon after, they were catering not only to these students, but to Australia-born “Sydneysiders” as well, whose culinary tastes were becoming more and more diverse. Gio finally had his fist taste of laksa—a rice noodle soup in a spicy coconut curry sauce. He found the flavors intense since, like most Filipinos, he was not used to spicy food. However, in deference to his friend, he persisted and eventually found himself enjoying the hot dish After the meal, Gio and Latif went to a nearby café and ordered “flat whites'—an espresso drink similar to latte, which is usually served in cafés in Australia and New Zealand. Both knew what flat whites were since there were Australian-inspired cafés in both Kuala Lumpur and Cebu.Laksa: a rich and spicy rice noodle soup The new friends promised to stay in touch after the competition, and added each other on Facebook and Instagram. Over the next two years, they exchanged e-mails and posts, congratulated each other for their achievements, and commented on and liked each other's photos. Latif sent his mother’s recipe to Gio and the latter began cooking Malaysian food in his home. A few years after graduation, Gio moved to Singapore, joining many other overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the city-state. The culture was new to him, but one thing was familiar: the food served in Singapore was no different from the Malaysian food he had discovered through Latif. He would later learn from Singaporean colleagues that the island country was once part of the British colony of Malay and the postwar independent Federation of Malaysia. Singapore, however, separated from the Federation in August 1965 and became a nation-state. Today, they may be two distinct countries in this part of the world, but Singapore and Malaysia still share the same cuisine, After he settled down in his apartment, Gio sought out and found a favorite laksa stall in Newton Hawker Center. He would spend his weekends there with with friends eating laksa and other dishes.What is Globalization? | 5 ‘Akane center in Singapore One Saturday, while Gio was checking his Facebook feed along the very busy Orchard Road—Singapore’s main commercial road—he noticed thet Latif had just posted something 5 minutes earlier. It was @ picture from Orchard Road. Surprised but also excited, Gio sent Latif a private message. Latif replied immediately saying that he too had moved to Singapore and was, at that moment, standing in front a department store just a few blocks away from where Gio was. The two friends met up, and after a long hug and quick questions as to what each was up to, they ducked into a café and renewed their international friendship. ..by ordering a pair of flat whites. Global Experiences 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.01 1he SUE Aue oe ree The Model UN activity that Gio and Latif participated in is an international competition about international politics. Gio met Latif (a Malaysian involved in the model UN) in Sydney, a global city that derives its wealth and influence from the global capital that flows through it. Sydney is also a metropolis of families of international immigrants or foreigners working in the industries that also sell their products abroad. After the two had gone back to their home countries, Gio and Latif kept in touch through Facebook, a global social networking site that provides instantaneous communication across countries and continents. They preserved their friendship online and then rekindled this face-to-face in Singapore, another hub for global commerce, with 40 percent of the population being classified as “foreign talents.” What other hints of globalization did you find in the story? Our discussion should begin with this intuitive sense that something is happening, and it is not affecting everyone in the same way. Gio’s story is a very privileged way of experiencing global flows, but for other people, the shrinking of the world may not be as exciting and edifying. For example, it is very common for young women in developing countries to be recruited in the internet as “mail-order brides” for foreign men living in other countries. After being promised a good life once married to a kind husband in a rich city, they end up becoming sexual and domestic servants in foreign lands. Some were even sold off by their “husbands” to gangs which run prostitute rings in these cities. Like Gio, they too have experienced the shrinking of the world, albeit negatively. Governments that decide to welcome the foreign investments on the belief that they provide jobs and capital for the country offer public lands as factory or industrial sites. In the process, poor people living in these lands, also called “urban poor communities,” are being evicted by the government. The irony is that these peopleWhat is Globalization? | 7 forcibly removed from their “slums” are also the labor force sought by foreign companies. They had to be kicked out of their homes, and then told that they could take an hour or two of bus travel from their relocated communities back to the “old home” for minimum-wage work. Because different people encounter globalization in a variety of ways, it is deemed useful to ask simple questions like: “Is globalization good or bad? Is it beneficial or detrimental?” The discussion begins with two premises. First, globalization is a complex phenomenon that occurs at multiple levels. Second, it is an uneven process that affects people differently. Globalization: A Working Definition 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8 | The Structures of Globalization id-space.”' Expansion refers to “both ks and the multiplication of aditional political, economic, 2 "These various connections world-time and across wor! the creation of new social networ existing connections that cut across tr cultural, and geographic boundaries.” ; ‘occur at different levels. Social media, for example, establish new global connections between people, ‘while international groups ganizations (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 ofan international network. of non-governmental or 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. It is not only in financial matters that you can find these Sunedtions In 2012, when the monsoon rains flooded much of ie Honda plant making some of the critical car parts ae mi cease | Production, ‘This had a strong negative effect la-USA which relied heavily on the parts being imported from Thailand, Not only was i 1 5 nly wi end ee as it unable to reach the sales targetsWhat 1s wiovaiizauiuns + do not occur merely at an objective, material level but they also involve the subjective plane of human consciousness.”* In other words, people begin to feel that the world has become a smaller place and distance has collapsed from thousands of miles to just a mouse-click away. One can now e-mail a friend in another country and get a reply instantaneously, and as a result, begins to perceive their distance as less consequential. Cable TV and the internet has also exposed one to news from across the globe, so now, he/she has this greater sense of what is happening in other places. Steger posits that his definition of globalization must be differentiated with an ideology he calls globalism. If globalization represents the many processes that allow for the expansion and intensification of global connections, globalism is a widespread belief among powerful people that the global integration of economic markets is beneficial for everyone, since it spreads freedom and democracy across the world.’ It is a common belief forwarded in media and policy circles. In the next lesson, you will realize why it is problematic. For now, what is crucial to note is that when activists and journalists criticize “globalization,” they are, more often than not, criticizing some manifestations of globalism. Often, these criticisms are warranted, Nevertheless, it is crucial to insist that “globalization” as a process refers to a larger phenomenon that cannot simply be reduced to the ways in which global markets have been integrated. Conclusion: Globalization from the Ground Up All this talk of large, intersecting processes may be confusing. Indeed, it may be hard to assess globalization or comment on it because it is so diffuse and almost fleeting. Some scholars have, therefore, found it simpler to avoid talking about globalization as 4 whole. Instead, they want to discuss “multiple globalizations,” instead of just one process.10 | The Structures of Globalization For anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, different kinds of globalization occur on multiple and intersecting dimensions of integration that he calls “scapes.” An “ethnoscape, for example, refers to the global movement of people, while a “mediascape” is about the flow of culture. A “technoscape” refers to the circulation of mechanical goods and software; a “financescape” denotes the global circulation of money; and an “ideoscape” is the realm where political ideas move around. Although they intersect, these various scapes have differing logics. They are thus distinct windows into the broader phenomenon of globalization. Appadurai’s argument is simple: there are multiple globalizations. Hence, even if one does not agree that globalization can be divided into the five “scapes,” it is hard to deny Appadurai’s central thrust of viewing globalization through various lenses. Depending on what is being globalized, a different dynamic (or dynamics) may emerge. So while it is important to ask “What is globalization?” it is likewise important to ask “What is/are being globalized?” Depending on what is being globalized, the vista and conclusions change, The structure of the lessons that follow will reflect this multidimensional understanding of globalization, Each of the lessons will focus ona particular kind of of them will be about different networks expanding and intensifying in the conte Treat each lesson not as an end in itself but as window to the broader phenomenon of globalization globalization. Every one and connections that are mporary world,eel a Learning Activity: ” How Globalized is Your Home? Go to your room and do an inventory of everything you have in your possession. You will find out that the most essential among the “things” in your room are footwear, clothes, computers (ifany), cell phones, television (if possible), and maybe a radio. If you are a student, you may also notice books, newspapers, news magazines, not to mention school supplies and equipment. Organize your inventory into two types: first, “things” that are made in the Philippines and second, those that are of foreign brands. List the countries of origin of your foreign-brand items. Do the same thing for the kitchen and the living room. These should include appliances. In class, compare your lists with those of your classmates to determine which countries make the most household and personal needs you and your families have. Make a similar list for Philippine-made stuff. In the process, discuss why certain products are made in the Philippines while others are produced abroad.