Common Themes (Manfred Steger):

1. Globalization involves the creation and of new and the multiplication of existing social
networks and activities that increasingly overcome traditional political economic cultural
and geographical boundaries.
2. Globalization is reflected in the expansion and stretching of social relations activities and
interdependence.
3. Globalization involves the intensification and acceleration of social exchanges and
activities.
4. Globalization processes also involve the subjective plane of human consciousness since
the creation, expansion, and intensification of social interconnectedness and
interdependence do not occur merely on an objective, material level.

Broad descriptions of globalization:

1. increasing global inter-connectedness

2. the expansions and intensification of social relations across world-time and world-space
3. the compression of time and space
4. distant proximities
5. a complex range of processes, driven by a mixture of political and economic influences
6. the swift and relatively unimpeded flow of capital, people, and ideas across national
borders

Globalization as ‘Globaloney’:

1. Pro-Globalization
2. Anti-Globalization
 Rejectionists
 Sceptics
 Modifiers

Globalization as Economic Process:

 Transnational corporations (TNCs) are businesses that have a global reach.

 Multinational corporations operate on a global scale, with satellite offices and branches in
numerous locations (ex. Jolibee, Nike, and Ford)
 Outsourcing can add to the economic development of a struggling country, bringing
much needed jobs.
 Some automobiles use parts from other countries, as in a car being assembled in the US
with the parts coming from Japan, Germany, or Korea.
 One shirt sold in the US could have been made from Chinese cotton by workers in the
Thailand. Then it could have been shipped on a French ship that had a Spanish crew.
Globalization as Political Process:

As Richard Langhorne (2001: 2) puts it ‘Globalization has happened because technological

advances have broken down many physical barriers to worldwide communication which used to
limit how much connected or cooperative activity of any kind could happen over long distances.’

‘borderless world’

 The transformation of liberalism is called an example of political ideology in the process

of globalization. Moreover, the emergence, development, and expansion of Non-
Governmental Organizations (NGOs) as an expression of political globalization; The role
of the national states is to refer to the role of climate change and so on.
 There are many and many international organizations in the present world. Most of these
were formed in the aftermath of World War II. Notable examples of this are the United
Nations Organization (UNO), the European Economic Community (EEC), the World
Bank, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Trade Organization
(WTO), etc.

Globalization as Cultural Process:

Does globalization make people more alike or more different? How does the dominant culture of
consumerism impact the natural environment?

‘Globalization lies at the heart of modern culture; cultural practices lie at the heart of
globalization.’

 ‘McWorld’ – a soulless consumer capitalism that is rapidly transforming the world's

diverse population into a blandly uniform market.
 Christian missionaries from Europe added to the globalization of Christianity.
 Satellite tv allows shows from one country to be broadcasted to many others, e.g. the
spread of kdrama, kpop.
 Barber (1996: 19) sees jihad as the ‘rabid response to colonialism and imperialism and
their economic children, capitalism and modernity.’
 In their view, globalization is both a material and a mental condition, constituted by
complex, often contradictory interactions of global, local, and individual aspects of social
life.

Arjun Appadurai identifies five conceptual dimensions that are constituted by global cultural
flows (scapes theory):

1. ethnoscapes (shifting populations made up of tourists, immigrants, refugees, and exiles),

2. technoscapes (development of technologies that facilitate the rise of TNCs),
3. finanscapes (flows of global capital),
 4. mediascapes (electronic capabilities to produce and disseminate information), and
5. ideoscapes (ideologies of states and social movements).

Globalization as Technological Process (added):

 The Internet is a major contributor to globalization, not only technologically but in other
areas as well, like in cultural exchanges of art.
 Global news networks contribute to the spread of knowledge, e.g. CNN.
 Smartphones connect people all over the world like. Around 60% of all people in the
world use smartphones.
 Greater international travel and tourism; greater immigration, including illegal
immigrations.

Advantages of Globalization (some):

1. Peaceful Relations between countries (trade relations)

2. Employment – has led to the generation of numerous employment oppurtunities
3. Education – numerous educational institutions around the globe and scholarships
4. Product Quality – has been enhanced to retain the costumers
5. Cheaper Price – fierce competition in the market
6. Communication – circulation of information, and the internet
7. Transportation – various modes of transportation available
8. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Increase - is the standard measure of the value added
created through the production of goods and services in a country during a certain period.

Disadvantages of Globalization (some):

1. Health Issues – has given rise to more health risks and presents new threats, e.g. COVID-
19 pandemic, HIV/AIDS
2. Loss of culture – large number of people moving in and out of a country, people tend to
follow the foreign culture more, forgetting their own roots
3. Uneven Wealth Distribution – the rich only gets richer, and the poor are getting poorer
4. Environment Degradation – industries using natural resources by means of mining,
drilling, and etc.
5. Conflicts – has given rise to terrorism and other forms of violence