What is Globalization?

A lot has taken place in the lives of human beings over the last century. Among these changes, and perhaps
the most important one, is the presence of ’globalization.’ The question of what it is, is probably an easy one
to answer but as it appeared, the term ’globalization’ has several competing meanings, sometimes
contradicting each other since it encompasses a multiple of processes involving one’s cultural, economic and
political systems, which directly affect the structures of the society. How is this so? Let’s talk about real-life
examples of globalization.
Some of you may not be a fan of Filipino teleseryes but did you know that Pinoy TV Series have become
popular not just in our country but among our ASEAN neighbors as well? The first release of the love story
entitled Pangako Sa’Yo was in 2000, which became a hit in countries like Malaysia and Singapore, and
made Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa a household name. In fact, Pangako Sa’Yo was adapted into a
show called, ‘The Promise’ in Cambodia which aired from 2013 to 2014. Later on, this TV series also
became popular in Africa and Latin America. In 2015, this show was revived with Daniel Padilla and
Kathryn Bernardo playing the leads and it also became a hit in Indonesia and Vietnam.
If you have been to Malaysia, you certainly have found an assortment of cuisines such as Chinese, Indian,
and Malay. This was a result of how the British reorganized the Malaysian society during the colonial period
— not much has been changed to the Malays’ way of life but the Brits have brought in laborers from China
to work in the rubber plantations and tin mines, and Indians to serve as the potential professionals who
belong in the middle class.
Go to Singapore and you will discover that the food is no different from Malaysia because of the fact that it
was once part of the British colony of Malay and the post-war independent Federation of Malaysia. It was
only in August 1965 that it separated from the Federation and became a nation-state.
Who wouldn’t know Starbucks? Even kids these days are so into their Frappuccino beverages and drink
ware including mugs and tumblers. A working adult does not only go to this famous coffee shop but tries out
any nearby café that serves “flat whites” (or simply an espresso drink akin to a latte, usually served in cafés
in Australia and New Zealand).
The use of Facebook and other social media are so famed that it has become an essential part of almost
everybody’s life — you have certainly posted a selfie (or a photo of your OOTD or your food at lunch),
greeted a friend on a special occasion, liked other people’s photos, described the movie you just watched, or
stayed in touch with people whom you have not seen or talked to in years.
These and many other examples lead us to appreciate the meaning and impact of globalization: the spread of
Filipino TV in other countries suggests how quickly popular culture has boomed all over Asia; the spread of
different cuisines in a specific country as a result of history; the influx of a special Frappuccino and latte as
part of an individual’s daily life; and the use of Facebook as a global social networking site that provides
immediate communication across continents.

What, then, is globalization and what does it stand for in our contemporary world?
Globalization has connotations pertaining to progress or development, and sometimes, integration.
Sociologists Martin Albrow and Elizabeth King (1990) define globalization as "all those processes by which
the people of the world are incorporated into a single world society." Anthony Giddens (1991), in The
Consequences of Modernity, writes: "Globalization can thus be defined as the intensification of worldwide
social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events
occurring many miles away and vice versa." For Roland Robertson (1992), Professor of Sociology at the
University of Aberdeen and an early writer in the field, globalization is “the compression of the world and
the intensification of the consciousness of the world as a whole." David Held and his co-writers describe
globalization as “the transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions—assessed
in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact—generating transcontinental or inter-regional flows
(Global Transformations, 1999). Paul James (2005) defines globalization as “the extension of social
relations through changing world-time. Lechner and Boli (2012) define globalization as more people across
large distances becoming connected in more and different ways. By the same token, the Suny Levin Institute
describes globalization as “a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and
governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by
information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on
economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.”
Alternatively, others refer to globalization as something related to regression, colonialism and
destabilization. Marin Khor (1990), director of the NGO Third World Network, once regarded globalization
as colonization. On the other hand, Swedish journalist Thomas Larsson (2001) states that globalization is
“the process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things moving closer” pertaining to “the
increasing ease with which somebody on one side of the world can interact, to mutual benefit, with
somebody on the other side of the world.”
The best scholarly definition of globalization is provided by Manfred Steger (2009) who describes
globalization as “a variety of accelerating economic, political, cultural, ideological and environmental
processes that are rapidly altering our experience of the world.” He described the process as “the expansion
and intensification of social relations and consciousness across worldtime and world-space.”

Let’s discuss the details of Steger’s definition.

“Expansion” means both the creation of new social networks and the multiplication of existing connections
that cut across traditional political, economic, cultural and geographic boundaries. Note that these
connections occur at different levels — while social media creates new connections between people all over
the world, international organizations such as NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are networks that
connect a more specific group of people (like social workers and activists) from all corners of the world.
“Intensification” refers to the expansion, stretching, and acceleration of these networks. Hence, global
connections are not only growing but are also becoming more closely-knit where financial integration and
trading are made possible.
When Steger (2009) pointed out that globalization relates to the way people perceive time and space, he
meant that people begin to develop the feeling that the world is now becoming smaller and that distance has
shrunken from a million miles to a just “a click away.” One can simply send an e-mail or text message to a
friend who lives in another country and get a response instantaneously, which makes distance and time less
of a problem. With the kind of technology that exists at this time and age, people from all over the world
have a greater sense of what is happening in other places as Cable TV and internet have made possible the
exposure of news from different places.
In truth, globalization is a complex concept that cannot be defined within a set time frame. It is also not a
process that can be defined clearly without any biases or ambiguity. It cannot even be explained with
certainty and be applicable to all people and in all situations. Indeed, globalization may be difficult to assess
since it is a global process that embodies everything.
It is for this reason that some scholars do away with talking about globalization as one whole process.
Instead, they prefer to discuss the diverse and overlapping dimensions of globalization, which will be
discussed in great detail in the next lessons. This “multiple globalizations” was termed by anthropologist,
Arjun Appadurai (in Heyman & Campbell, 2009) as the 5 ‘scapes” namely: (1) ethnoscapes (the migration
of people across cultures and borders); (2) mediascpaes (the use of media that shapes the way we understand
our imagined world); (3) technoscapes (cultural interactions due to the promotion of technology); (4)
financescapes (the flux of capital across borders); and (5) ideoscapes (the global flow of ideology).
According to Appadurai, it is through these ‘scapes’ that one can better understand globalization using
various lenses that focus on a particular kind of globalization. This way, each expanding and intensifying
network and connection can be treated as a window to realizing the distinct phenomenon of globalization in
the contemporary world.
Given that there is no generally accepted definition for globalization, Steger (2013) describes it as a process,
a condition or an ideology.
Globalization as a process relates to changes in technology as well as in many aspects of human existence
ranging from cultural, economic and political systems that have brought a multi-dimensional set of social
processes that escalate deepening connections, worldwide interdependence and social exchanges among
people from all different parts of the world.
Globalization as a condition is about the creation of linkages between people located at different corners of
the planet characterized by cultural, economic, and political interconnections and global flows, which make
any kind of barrier (be it political or economic) insignificant. Remember how the international community
supported Yolanda typhoon victims? Social media posts and news reports have moved people from across
the world to express and send their concern over the plight of the victims where tons of material and
financial help were given to Filipinos. This is an example of globalization as a process and condition.

Globalization as an ideology explains that globalization exists in people’s minds because of a set of coherent
and complementary ideas and beliefs about the global order as defined by six (6) core claims:
1. Globalization is about the liberalization and global integration of markets

Ever-heard of Adam Smith’s “Invisible Hand”? This claim asserts that globalization is a result of the
integration of markets as part of the ‘free trade.’ As published in the Business Week article in the late
90s, “Globalization is about the triumph of markets over governments.” Proponents and opponents of
globalization agree that the driving force today is markets, inducing the role of government. The
same claim is made over and over again in Thomas Friedman’s best-selling book on globalization,
The Lexus and the Olive Tree, which provide the ‘official narrative of globalization’ in the US today.
As stated in his narrative following the ‘truth’ about globalization, “The driving idea behind
globalization is free-market capitalism — the more you let market forces rule and the more you open
your economy to free trade and competition, the more efficient your economy will be. Globalization
means the spread of free-market capitalism to virtually every country in the world.”

In other words, globalist Friedman strives to create the impression that globalization does represent
primarily an economic phenomenon. Adjacent to the concepts of liberalization and integration, the
liberation of markets from state control is a good thing. As Joan Spiro (US Undersecretary of the
State for Economic, Business, and Agricultural Affairs in the Clinton Administration) put it, “One
role [of government] is to get out of the way — to remove barriers to the free flow of goods, services
and capital” (in Steger, 2009).

2. Globalization is inevitable and irreversible.

Manuel Villar, the former Philippines Speaker of the House of Representatives, insisted that, “We
cannot simply wish away the process of globalization. It is a reality of a modern world. The process
is irreversible.” Former President Clinton on his speech on US Foreign Policy told the audience that:
“Today we must embrace the inexorable logic of globalization – that everything from the strength of
our economy to the safety of our cities, to the health of our people, depends on events not only
within our borders, but half way a world away.” Frederick W. Smith, Chairman and CEO of FedEx
 Corporation proclaimed that, “Globalization is inexorable and it is accelerating… Globalization is
happening, it’s going to happen. It does not matter whether you like it or not, it’s happening, it’s
going to happen” (in Steger, 2009).

3. Nobody is in-charge of Globalization.

The third claim is founded on the classical liberal concept of the ‘self-regulating market.’ The
connection between ‘globalization-market’ and the adjoining idea of ’leaderlessness’ is plain and
simple. As Steger (2009) puts it, “if the undisturbed workings of the market indeed preordain a
certain course of history, then globalization does not reflect the arbitrary agenda of a particular social
class or group. In other words, globalists are not ‘in charge’ in the sense of imposing their own
political agenda on people. Rather, they merely carry out the unalterable imperatives of a
transcendental force much larger than narrow partisan interests.

Robert Hormats, Vice Chairman of Goldman Sachs, asserted that: “The great beauty of globalization
is that no one is in control. The great beauty of globalization is that it is not controlled by any
individual, any government, any institution.” In fact, the meetings, the groups, the foundations, that
all work on spreading neoliberal principles and new world order principles have been deeply rooted
in ancient history.

4. Globalization benefits everyone (in the long run)

The characteristics of globalization are found to have led to expansion of wealth and prosperity in the
world. For those who have embraced globalization, opportunities for growth and progress have
opened up. With free trade and free markets, societies may be lifted out of poverty while individual
nations work hand in hand with their respective regions and the entire global trading community to
build a world that trades in freedom and therefore grow in success (in Steger, 2009).

5. Globalization furthers the spread of democracy in the world.

There exists a similarity between the terms freedom, free markets, free trade and democracy. Francis
Fukuyama asserts that there is a correlation between a country’s economic development and
successful democracy (which actually resulted from globalization). This democracy leads to the
creation of civil societies with a powerful middle class that will facilitate democracy (in Steger,
2009).

6. Globalization requires a global war on terror.

This last claim combines the idea of economic globalization with openly militaristic and nationalistic
ideas associated with the American-led global War on Terror. Before the September 11 attack, the
economic globalization was dominated mainly by Western Europe, US and Japan. These core states
were challenged by Al Qaeda’s Bin Laden during the 9-11 attack. Globalists believe that an
aggressive, militaristic US foreign policy will protect the gains of globalization. (in Steger, 2009).

Again, globalization is not so easy to define. The flourishing literature about globalization has
resulted in several approaches or theories that provide diverse ways of interpreting the said social
phenomenon. While there exists many contradicting assumptions about it, it is best to discuss the
major theories to give us a clear view of globalization.