CONTEMPORARY Introduction to

WORLD Globalization
•Changes over the last century
especially in our social relationships
and social structures has been felt
and overwhelming.
•Of these changes is globalization.
•The reality and omnipresence of
globalization makes us see ourselves
as part of what we refer to as the
“global age”.
DEFINING GLOBALIZATION
1. Thomas Larsson (2001), Swedish journalist – “the
process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter,
things moving closer”
2. Martin Khor, the former president of Third World
Network (TWN) in Malaysia (mid-1990s) – globalization is
colonization
3. Ohmae, 1992 – onset of the borderless world
4. Robert Cox (cited in RAWOO…2000, p.14) – the
characteristics of globalization trend include the
internationalizing of production, the new internal division of
labor, new migratory movements from South to North, the
new competitive environment that accelerate these
processes and the internationalizing of the state… making
states into agencies of the globalizing world.
…DEFINING GLOBALIZATION
5. Kumar, 2003 – the debate about what
can be done about globalization and what it
is are similar.
6. Ritzer, 2005 – a transplanetary process or
a set of processes involving increasing
liquidity and the growing multidirectional
flows of people, objects and information as
well the structures they encounter and create
that are barriers to, or expedite those flows.
TASK OF DEFINING GLOBALIZATION
The literature on the definitions of
globalization revealed that
definitions could be classified as
either:
1.Broad and Inclusive
2.Narrow and Exclusive
…TASK OF DEFINING GLOBALIZATION
Globalization is a multifaceted
phenomenon that encompasses a
multitude of processes which
involves the economy, political
systems, culture, environment and
social dimensions.
METAPHORS OF GLOBALIZATION
1. Solid and Liquid; Solid – social relationship
and objects remained where they were
created. Solidity refers to barriers that
prevent or make difficult the movement of
things. Liquid – liquids are not fixed. Liquidity
refers to increasing movement of people,
things, information and places in the
contemporary world.
2. Flows – movement of people, things, places,
information brought by growing porosity of
global limitations.
 GLOBALIZATION THEORIES
Theories see globalization as a process that
increases either homogeneity or heterogeneity.
1. Homogeneity – increasing sameness in the world
as cultural inputs, economic factors, and political
orientations of societies expand to create common
practice, same economies and similar forms of
government. Homogeneity in;
a. Culture – often linked to cultural imperialism (a
given culture influences the other)
b. Economy - recognition of the spread of
neoliberalism, capitalism and the market economy in
the world.
…GLOBALIZATION THEORIES
c. Political realm – suffers homogenization if one
takes into account the emerging similar models of
governance in the world.
d. Media – the global flow of media is often
characterized as media imperialism(over-
concentration of mass media from larger nations as
a significant variable in negatively affecting smaller
nations.)
…GLOBALIZATION THEORIES
• In general, the contemporary world is
undergoing the process of
Mcdonaldization.
Goerge Ritzer (2008) – the process
by which societies are dominated by the
principles of fast food restaurants.
…GLOBALIZATION THEORIES
Primary components of Mcdonaldization
1. Efficiency – optimum method from getting from
one point to another
2. Calculability – emphasis on the quantitative
aspects of products sold and services offered.
3. Predictability – assurance that products and
services will be the same over time and in all
locales.
4. Control – nonhuman technology comes to exert
control over human workers and customers.
…GLOBALIZATION THEORIES
1. Heterogeneity – pertains to the creation of
various cultural practices, new economies, and
political groups because of the interaction of
elements from different societies in the world.
Cultural hybridization
Roland Robertson (1992) – Glocalization (as global forces
interact with local factors or a specific geographic area, the
“glocal” is being produced.)
 DYNAMICS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL
CULTURE
Three perspectives on global culture
flows:
1. Differentiation
2. Hybridization
3. Convergence
 …DYNAMICS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL
CULTURE
1. Cultural Differentialism
• Emphasizes that cultures are
essentially different and are only
superficially affected by global
flows.
• The interaction of cultures is
deemed to contain the potential
catastrophic collisions.
 …DYNAMICS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL
CULTURE
1. Cultural Hybridization
• Emphasizes the integration of local
and global culture.
• 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.
…DYNAMICS OF LOCAL AND GLOBAL
CULTURE
1. 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.
GLOBALIZATION OF RELIGION
• Religions have crossed many
boundaries, having been spread
by immigrants, refugees, and
aggressors. Ultimately, cultural
differences have changed
religious beliefs and traditions
within religious practices.
…Globalization of religion
Applying to religion, one of the most important
identities of human society, globalization may have
implied on faith in the following three possible
impacts:
1. First, religion is being eroded because of
secularization process.
2. Second, religion is being strengthened because of
resistance to globalization.
3. Third, religion is declining but it has developed
new identities of hybridity.
…Globalization of religion

Secularization theory – as
society advances in modernity,
religion retreats and becomes
increasingly hollow.
…Globalization of religion
Current state of Religion in the Globalizing World
1. Resurgence of Religion in the Global Society
- Modernization has secularizing forces, even more
so in some places than in others. But, on the other
hand, it also has generated counter secularization
movements. Modernization has caused the loss of
power among religious institutions. Yet, in the level
of individual lives, religious beliefs and practices
have continued to persist.
…Globalization of religion
Current state of Religion in the
Globalizing World
2. The Explosion of New Religion
- The explosion of new religions and New
Religious Movements (NRM) are another
prominent religious phenomenon in the
globalized world.
…Globalization of religion
Current state of Religion in the
Globalizing World
3. The Rise of Religious Environmentalism
- New roles of religion in the global
society can be seen particularly in the
involvement of religious individuals,
institutions and groups in environmental
problems and ecological issues.
…Globalization of religion
Current state of Religion in the Globalizing
World
4. Formal Religion is in Decline
- The increasing modernization has resulted in
the increasing indicators of secularization both
in the level of personal religiosity and, more
dramatically, in the level of religious
institutions such as church attendance, church-
directed behavior and church personnel
recruitment
…Globalization of religion
Current state of Religion in the
Globalizing World
5. The Emergence of Religious
Fundamentalism
- it is worth noting that current global
secular world witnesses the resurgence of
conservative-tradionalist religious
movements. These movements have been
often labeled as “fundamentalism”.