Lecture Notes - Globalization

1: Introduction to the Study of Globalization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2: The Global Economy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

3: Market Integration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

4: The Global Inter-State System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

5: Contemporary Global Governance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

6: Global Divides: The North and the South. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

7: Asian Regionalism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

8: Global Media Cultures. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

9: The Globalization of Religion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

10: The Global City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

11: Global Demography (Mandated Topic). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

12: Global Migration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

13: Sustainable Development . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

14: Global Food Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

15: Global Citizenship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Why study the contemporary world?

In this course, we basically aim to get some understanding of what is happening today
in the world- the contemporary world. By definition, contemporary means belonging to
or occurring in the present. “Contemporary world” points to the circumstances and
ideas of the present age or present times- a more or less definite period of time; the
”now” as distinguished from another time. It has been argued that the contemporary
world is distinguished by one major “catch-all” concept (a concept which is so new
and therefore has to be studied and understood)- globalization. In effect therefore, all
the occurrences in the contemporary world have come to be represented by
globalization. Studying globalization would mean understanding the contemporary
world.

WHY ONE SUBJECT JUST FOR THE STUDY OF THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD?
 RE-VISITING RELEVANT SOCIAL SCIENCES

A. INTERNATIONAL STUDIES

International Studies (IS) generally refers to the study of ‘the major political, economic, social, and
cultural issues that dominate the international scene. The term can be more specifically defined as ‘the
contemporary and historical understanding of global societies, cultures, languages and systems of
government and of the complex relationships between them that shape the world. International Studies
as a separate entity to International Relations emerged throughout the 20th century, as an increasingly
complex world began to be influenced by globalization, and a greater number of issues emerged not
only covering inter-country relations.
Multiculturalism - an intellectual method of understanding reality by studying one’s subject matter from
a wide range of point of views, including those premises, values, attitudes and beliefs used by other
cultures to explain their existence and organize their lives. Not one dominant point of view.
Globalization - perspective which acknowledges the worldwide process by which people, markets and
countries are being integrated in an unprecedented degree in a way that is enabling them to reach
around the world farther, faster, deeper and cheaper.

Social Sciences - Disciplines that deal with the individuals, groups and institutions that make up human
society and which attempt a systematic study of the various aspects of the social relationships of
humans. They are disciplines that study the various aspects of human behavior and the institutions that
mold it.

SCIENCE
Material Object of a particular science = that portion of reality that is being studied
Formal Object of a particular science = the focus that determines how the material object it to be seen; the
focus differentiates the different sciences from one another, though they may have the same material object

Geography
The study of the location and distribution of living things and of the earth features among which they
live
History
The systematic study of the memory of past experience of human kind as it has been preserved in
human records.
Sociology
The study of individuals, groups, and institutions that make up human society.
Anthropology
The scientific study of humanity and of human culture
Economics
The study of how society meets its needs for goods and services and how they are distributed.
Political Science
The systematic study of power relations involved in the dynamic interaction of people and their
governments
CURRENT AFFAIRS: A TRANSNATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

The Middle East and North Africa

- Region is characterized by a predominantly Muslim population.
- Important geographical location as crossroads of Asia; Turkey faced with political secularization issues;
Afghanistan still a zone of conflict.
- Iran/Iraq - fundamentalism vs. national self-interest (return to sharia and anti-Westernism)
- Tense US position in the Middle East - support for Israel; protection of pro-US and Pro-Western
monarchies; containment of Islamic leaderships; relations with Syria; peace process between Israel and
Palestinian Arabs; policy to increase its market for arms exports; preserve US access to oil in the region.

Sub-Saharan Africa
- Region is often called Black Africa
- Each state has regional groups bearing grievances against neighbors
- Over 800 languages spoken in the continent
- Persistent problems of human development (both external and internal factors)
- Unstable governments (authoritarian or 1-party states)
- Large foreign debts
- Conflicting international power blocs in Africa and African wars

Anglo-America
- Consists of two states- US and Canada; unfortified borders
- Strong national identity in both countries
- Canada as largest federalist, multicultural state; with degrees of instability
- US hegemonic position

Asia
- Largest of all the continents; Southwest Asia includes Sinai Peninsula, Middle East; South Asia includes
India, Pakistan area; Southeast Asia includes Thailand, Malaysia, etc.; East Asia includes China, Japan,
Korea; Central Asia includes Mongolia, Kazakhstan, etc.; North Asia includes Russian region
- China embodies inner war between capitalism and communism (threats of greater economic
interdependence)
- Questions of democracy in China
- Chinese foreign policy of regional hegemony or peaceful coexistence
- Taiwan conflict
- Conflict between North and South Korea
- India’s new politics; transition from centralized economy and elite, monolithic to decentralized,
regional-based coalition government
- Japan’s economic decline; US-Japan relations to avoid massive Japanese rearmament
- Development issues in Southeast Asia
- Transitional politics and democratization in Central Asia

Europe
- Western Europe includes UK, France, Ireland; Central Europe includes Netherlands, Belgium, Germany,
Italy, Luxembourg and Switzerland; Northern Europe includes Denmark Norway, Sweden, etc.; East-
Central Europe includes Austria, Liechtenstein, Poland, etc.; Southeast Europe includes Romania.
Greece, etc.
- Transition after the collapse of communism
- Continuous expansion of the EU and emerging problems of integration
- Transformation of Germany from expansionist to economic power and integration
- NATO collective defense

Eastern Europe
- East-Central Europe includes Hungary, Poland, etc.; Southeast Europe includes Serbia, Croatia, etc.;
- People are a mixture of Eastern Orthodox. Roman Catholic or Moslem
- Transitions to market economy
- Transition to democracy or some kind of pluralism
- Balkan wars and aftermath
- Internal problems in Russia including political corruption and economic stagnation
- Russian foreign policy of neo-imperialism or peaceful coexistence

Latin America
- Central America includes Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, etc.; Caribbean region includes Cuba,
Jamaica, Puerto Rico; Northern Andes region includes Columbia, Venezuela, Ecuador, etc.; Southern
cone includes Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and the separate region of Brazil
- Densely populated region with numerous states and dependencies
- Racial mixing between white Spaniards and Amerindians with large mestizo population; African
descent population
- Stage of neoliberalism and American economic policies
- Regional integration and free trade experiment
- US dominance in the region; immigration issues
- Democratization in the region
- Cuba as the last dictatorship; Cuban embargo

B. INTERNATIONAL GEOGRAPHY
Principle:
Specific factors help to define a region by its characteristics, including:
- its physical geography,
- its economic geography
- its human and cultural geography

Classification of world regions by common characteristics:

Western Europe. Judaic-Christian religious ethic, Greco-Roman traditions, industrial economies,

temperate-type climate, Latin and Germanic languages, members of the European Union.

Central and Eastern Europe. Primarily Slavic languages. Orthodox Christian religious ethic, formerly
communist/socialist economies, developing capitalist economies, recently obtained membership to the
EU.

Latin America. Primarily Roman Catholic religion, Latin-based languages, heritage of European
colonialism, Native American cultural influence.
Sub-Saharan Africa. Tropical or semitropical climate, multiple religious traditions, strong tribal identities
and ethnic group social organizations, agricultural.

Middle East. Islamic religious ethic, crossroads location with connecting waterways, Arabic language and
culture, arid climate, abundance of oil, birthplace of major religious systems, authoritarian governments.

South Asia and Southeast Asia. Monsoon climate conditions, Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic religious
traditions, floodplain agriculture, colonial experiences, transition to more industrial economies from
agricultural economies.

East Asia. Confucian/Taoist/Buddhist traditions and ethics, hierarchical social systems, character-based
alphabet, developing industrial economies based on trade priorities.

West Asia. Former republics of the USSR, Islamic religious ethic, authoritarian secular governments,
mineral resources including oil.

C. INTERNATIONAL HISTORY

C.1. The World before 20th Century

1. States, Nations, Nation-States, Nationalism

- Useful for analyzing world politics to distinguish between: (1) states- as sovereign and independent
units of political organization with permanent borders, stable population, and (2) nations- as groups of
people united by common bonds of geography, religion, language, race, customs and traditions and by
shared experiences and political aspirations

2. The Evolution of Nations

- Agricultural Revolution. - Civilization. - The Africans. - The Egyptians. - Negro Kingdoms of Africa. -
The Hindus of South Asia. - The Chinese. - The Hellenes, Persians and Macedonians. -The
Romans/Latins. - The Germans. - The Christians. - Arabs and Muslims. - The Turks. - The Mongols. - The
Slavs and Russians. - The Europeans.

3. The European Inter-State System

- Thirty Years War and Peace of Westphalia. The Thirty Years War (1618-48) - Portugal and Spain. -
Holland. - France. - England. – Russia.- Austria. - Germany.

C.2. The 20th Century

1. New Western Imperialism

- Liberalism. - Industrial Revolution. - Socialism. - New Imperialism.

2. World Wars and the Cold War

- World WAR I. - United States. - The Japanese. - World War II. - End of empires. - The Cold War. - Post
Cold War international system.

C. 3 21st Century Global Connections and Interactions

1. Nation-States in Practice Today: Issues and Evaluation

 1. Nation-States- more myth than reality- actually there is prevailing lack of fit between nations
and states in the world system - this is significant source of international and domestic tension.
2. 5 basic patterns:
- One nation-one state – One state-multiple nations – One nation-multiple states – One nation-
no state
- Multiple nation-multiple states –
-
2.States and World Issues
- Population Issues and their impact: - Economic development and world trade: - Changing political
power structures: - Other Issues:

D. INTERNATIONAL SOCIOLOGY / ANTHROPOLOGY

What distinguished man from other animals is that man is the only animal that completely relies on
learned behavioral patterns to survive.

Culture
- Culture is a term used to define the total way of life of a group of people. It includes: (a) ideas and
beliefs, (b) norms, actions and behaviors and (c) material things including tools and techniques.
- Culture is preserved by the group, is taught to and learned by the young and provides a pattern of
relationships for the group as well as a way for them to use the natural environment.
- Culture has varied elements as depicted in the following diagram:

- Cultural diffusion.- Culture and language. - Selectivity. - Integration. Cultures are integrated in a
wholesome

E. INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS

- Economics deals with the use of scarce resources to obtain the maximum satisfaction of society’s
wants
- Three main types of economic system are: (a) traditional economy in which production methods,
exchange of goods and distribution of income are sanctioned by custom (e.g., caste, heredity); (b)
command economy in which the government exercises absolute control over means of production,
distribution and consumption; (c) market economy in which the government does not exercise much
control over production, distribution and allocation of goods. –

The Global Economy

- The global economy consists of all interactions among people, businesses, governments and other
institutions that cross international borders, whether in the form of goods, services, transfer of funds or
migratory movements.
- Trade. - Money and exchange rates. Budget and trade deficits. - Mobility of resources. Labor and
capital mobility - Trade liberalization and regional trade blocks.

INTERNATIONAL POLITICS

Systems of Government

1. Politics, State and Government

- Politics is social relations of power; a political act is one performed in power perspective (who gets
what, when, how). It is any persistent pattern of human relationships that involves to a significant
extent control, influence, authority or power. Necessity of politics stems from collective (social)
character of human life.

- Typologies of governments seen according to:

- Systems of rule in the World
- Comparative Politics in regional perspective: - Political setting - Patterns of Rule - Problems and
Prospects

International Relations

1. International Relations

- International politics (IP) means political interactions between sovereign states. It involves bilateral
actions between two or more states.
- Foreign policy relates to state A's objectives and actions toward state B. In other words, it involves a
unilateral action by state A toward state B.
- High Politics vs. Low Politics
- Power relations in IR are determined by the number of system poles defined by how many power
actors there are. Thus, it is possible to identify: (1) patterns of rule of the game for a type of polar
system and (2) propensity of a system to stability or war (e.g., a unipolar world will be peaceful?)

2. International Orientations: Nationalism vs. Transnationalism

3. International Structures: Nation-States vs. International Organizations
4. International Conduct: National Power and diplomacy vs. International
5. International Peace: National Security vs. International Security
6. International Economy: National Economic Competition vs. International Economic Cooperation
TOPIC 1- INTRODUCTION / STUDY OF GLOBALIZATION / DEFINING GLOBALIZATION

• Our task in this course is to come up with a more precise knowledge of what is happening
in the world today- i.e., about globalization
• This is to say, acquire a scientific understanding of globalization (systematic and
explanatory (causal)
• An informed knowledge will not be mere opinion.
• We spent considerable time in looking at the concept of globalization
• Key to understanding: Globalization may be defined more precisely (according to its
genus ad species) by not defining it by describing its manifestations.

Topic 1 Readings
Steger, Approaches to the Study of Globalization
Steger, Ideologies of Globalization
Scholte, Defining Globalization
DEFINING GLOBALIZATION

1. By looking at the approaches to globalization (i.e., Steger ) – we see that globalization is both a
“process” and a “context”

• Approach – a systematic way of understanding or defining something

Guess Hypothesis Approach Theory to explain something
• Globalization is a CONDITION and a PROCESS (they are 2 faces of the same coin)

Set of actions to get results = PROCESS

Results realized from actions = CONDITION

• Approaches:
1. Globalony
 Rejectionist – no such thing as globalization. These scholars believe that the
term “globalization” is an example of a vague word employed in academic
discourses. Just like the term “nationalism”, “globalization” is a complex and
ambiguous phenomenon, thus both are hard concepts to define (Calhoun, 1993).
 Skeptics – limited nature of globalization. This group stresses the limited nature
of current globalizing processes. According to Hirst and Thompson (2009), our
international economy is not really a global phenomenon, since it only centered
on Europe, Eastern Asia, and North America. They also emphasized that most of
the economic activities are still national in terms of origin and scope.
 Modifiers – globalization is nothing new; same exploitations. They entail that
“globalization” has often been applied in a historically inaccurate manner. Gilpin
(2000) argues that our international economy in the late 1990s was even less
incorporated before the outbreak of World War I. According to the neo-Marxist
proponents of World-System Theory (Wallerstein, 1979; Frank, 1998), the
modern capitalist economy today has been global five centuries ago. Thus
globalization can be drawn back to the political and cultural relations that
developed the ancient empires of Persia (Iran), China, and Rome.
2. Economic process – increasing linkages in economic processes and institutions.
The evolution of global markets and international corporations led to global economic
interdependence among nation-states. The development of international economic
institutions such as the European Union, the North American Free Trade Association, and
other regional trading blocs are some of the examples (Keohane & Nye, 2000). This only
shows that economic globalization increases the linkage of national economies through
trade, financial flows, and foreign direct investment (FDI) by multinational or trans-
national corporations (MNCs/TNCs) (Gilpin, 2000).
 The emergence and evolution of the post-World War I global economy was attributed to
the establishment of the 1944 Bretton Woods Conference (Schaeffer, 2005). Its
operation for almost thirty years contributed to the formation of the “golden age of
controlled capitalism” (Luttwak, 1999).
The collapse of the Bretton Woods System in the early 1970s was followed by
the intensification of neo-liberalist ideas in the 1980s coupled with the collapse from
1989 to 1991 of the command-type economies in Eastern Europe. Aside from the issue
on free trade, the advent of a transnational financial system made possible the
deregulation of interest rates, the removal of credit controls, and the privatization of
government-owned banks and other financial institutions.

3. Political process – changing nature of nation states and governance. Political

globalization includes the discussion and analysis of political processes and institutions.
Thus two questions are asked: (1) what are the political grounds for the immense flows
of capital, money, and technology across territorial boundaries?; (2) do these flows
create a serious test to the power of the nation-state? These dilemmas imply that
economic globalization might lead to the reduced control of national governments over
restrictive policies and economic regulations.
According to Ohmae (1990, 1995, 2005), the rise of a “borderless world” was the
consequence of the irresistible forces of capitalism. Thus, the nation-state has already
lost its function as a significant entity in the global economy vis-à-vis the decline of
territory as a meaningful framework for understanding political and social change.
Regional economies will be linked together and operate based on free-market principles.
In terms of global governance, political globalization might enable the
emergence of democratic ideals promoting a “global civil society” that promote human
rights in the international level (Brysk, 2002).
4. Cultural process – modification of the global way of life. Two focal questions are
raised by scholars of cultural globalization. First, does globalization intensify cultural
homogeneity, or does it lead to more diversity and heterogeneity? Second, what could
be the impact of the culture of consumerism on our natural environment? According
to Tomlinson (1999), cultural globalization signifies a growing linkage of intricate
cultural interconnections and interdependencies that define our modern social life. These
can be made possible through the emergence of powerful global media corporations
that develop new communication technologies which promote the Anglo-American value
system. This global dissemination of American values (Americanization), consumer
goods, and lifestyles promote the objectives of American “cultural imperialism” which is
also termed by Ritzer (1993) as “McDonaldization” which describes the ideals of the fast-
food business that dominate the American society and the rest of the globe.
According to Barber (1996), a type of cultural imperialism that was assembled in
the 1950s and 1960s promoted an American culture of popular consumerism which he
termed as “McWorld”. This was driven by expansionist commercial interests which was
evident in its choice of music, video, theater, books, and theme parks which create
 exports that center around common logos, advertising slogans, stars, songs, brand
names, jingles, trademarks, and the like.

As argued by Robertson (1995) global cultural flows also take place in local
contexts which result to “glocalization”. This refers to an intricate collaboration of the
global and local cultures characterized by cultural borrowing. These interactions lead to
a complex mixture of both cultures often referred to as “hybridization” or “creolization”
which signifies processes of cultural mixing that are replicated in music, film, fashion,
language, and other types of social expression.
Appadurai (1996) classifies five dimensions or “landscapes” that are instituted
by global cultural flows: (a) ethnoscapes (shifting populations due to influx of tourists,
immigrants, refugees, and exiles); (b) technoscapes (improvement of technologies that
assists the rise of MNCs); (c) finanscapes (movement of all forms of global capital); (d)
mediascapes (electronic know-hows that produce and spread information), and (e)
ideoscapes (principles advanced by states and social movements).

• Approaches are both Descriptive and Normative

Normative or the ”ought to be” leads to ideology

2. By looking at globalization as ideology (i.e., Steger) – we see that globalization comprises a set of
“ideas” that sought to control actions in society

What is ideology ? – a world view that forwards:

(a) a certain ideal world,
(b) a judgment of the present world
(c) a program of action to change the present world and achieve the ideal world
Usually identified as the “ISMS” (i.e., liberalism, socialism, communism, etc)

As an ideology, globalization can be seen as a “project” being espoused or forwarded by certain entities.

Globalization:
Condition – a future social condition = globality
Process - set of social actions = globalization
Ideology – ideal consciousness = globalism

Six core claims of globalization as an ideology:

1. Claim 1: globalization is about the liberalization or global integration of markets

2. Claim 2: globalization as inevitable and irreversible
3. Claim 3: nobody is in charge of globalization
4. Claim 4: globalization benefits everyone (… in the long run)
 5. Claim 5: globalization furthers the spread of democracy in the world
6. Claim 6: globalization requires a global war on terror

NOTE: Such 6 claims are espoused by the so-called NEO-LIBERALISM.

How do we define globalization? (Scholte)

1. Usage:
• 1300s globe, globus noun - sphere or globe
• 1600-1700s global adjective - “entire world”
• 1940-1950s globalize verb – make one world
• 1960-1970s globalism noun – a movement to “make one world”
• 1980-1990s globalization a process
• 1990-2000s globality a condition

2. Globalization is not (redundancies):

• Internationalization – intensified cross border relations, intensified exchange, beyond
international
• Liberalization – process of removing restrictions to create a borderless world economy
• Universalization – process of spreading objects ad experiences leading to oneness or
homogenization or “everywhereness”
• Westernization, Modernization, Americanization – spread of social structures of Western
modernity (e,g., capitalism, industrialism, rationalism, urbanism)

3. Elements of the definition of globalization

• SPACE – the “where of social life – globality (the planet)
Globality – defined as:
Transplanetary – “across the planet” meaning, the whole planet is involved
Supraterritoriality – “beyond or above territories” meaning, non-geographical
Global is no longer “the world” nor “international” but “transnational”
TRANS – meaning: BEYOND, THROUGH AND ACROSS national borders
All these describe a RE-SPACING = NEW CONNECTIVITY

Parallel Spaces Cyber Space

Physical Space
 • Methodological implication – a new way of research and understanding – No longer
TERRITORIALIST in character
- a new way of looking at globality’s character and scale =
TRANSPLANETARY CONNECTIVITY = RE-CONNECTING
Activities are multifaceted manifestations of
globality
Manifestations  Communication: e-world
 Transpanetary movement: global travel
But they do not define what gobalization is
 Transworld organizations:commercial, govt.,
civic, faith-based
 Production: global factories, global sources
 Consumption: global tastes
 Money: global money. ATM, e-purse
 Finance: global transactions
 Military: global weapons
 Ecology: greenhouse effect
 Health: pandemic
 Law: international court
 Social relations and consciousness: think global,
language, work[;ace, icons, fashion, rituals, etc.
• Non-sequiturs – “does not follow” “IS NOT”
 Globalism – that there is no more territorial space
 Reification – that globalization is material reality; whereas it is an abstract concept
 Global local binaries - that the local and the global are opposed groups
 Cultural homogenization – that there is no more cultural diversity
 Universality – that all is the same everywhere
 Political neutrality – that is apolitical or non-ideological

A WORKING DEFINITION OF GLOBALIZATION:

Globalization is a manner of social relation involving the process, condition and idea of the re-spacing
and re-connecting of human existence in the contemporary world.
• manner of social relation – always involves man in society
• process – a set of actions towards set results
• condition – a product or result of action
• idea – imagination and consciousness that directs actions
• re-shaping – new space: supraterritoriality (beyond) and transplanetary (across and through)
• re-connecting – new linkages: multifaceted manifestations of globality
• human existence – manner and act of being as well as potentialities of man = Economic +
Political + Cultural
• contemporary world – the “now, the present” = Historical