Introduction to Globalization

What is Globalization?

Origin, History and causes of

Globalization

Dimensions of Globalization
Content and Pedagogy

Output: Session Guide for this topic

Globalization a Highly Contested Concept

1. Scholars are not in agreement as to who exactly coined the term and when it first appeared
(Theodore Levitt, economist, Harvard Business School, in an article “Globalization of Markets”)
2. Scholars are not in agreement as to how the term can be defined
3. Scholars are not in agreement as to the cause of globalization
4. Scholars are not in agreement as to the history and chronology of globalization
5. Scholars are not in agreement as to the impact of globalization (globophilia and the globophobia,
Homogeneity or heterogeneity)
6. Scholars and not in agreement as to the trajectory of globalization (done, moving forward, etc.
7. the scholars are not in agreement as to the concept itself (one dimension or multiple dimensions
, process, condition, age, a system, or a force)
(Manfred Steger)
Definitions of globalization

Dickens (geographer): Globalization is the umbrella term for the complex set of transformative
Process and outcomes that dialectically and rationally interact with places and people (Gopinath 2008).

Freidman (Columnist): globalization is the inexorable integration of markets, nation-states and technologies
to a degree never witnessed before. It is an International system (2008).

Giddens (sociologist): Globalization is the intensification of worldwide social relations that link distant
Localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring miles away and vice versa
(2008).

MCNamee(capitalist): It is an environment in which we live. We got one world. Get used to it.
Make the most of It. Debating globalization? It is like asking a fish to debate the merits of living in the
sea( 2008).

Robertson (sociologist): Globalization is a process by which we come to experience, or become aware of,
The world as a single place (2008).

Stiglitz (economist): Globalization is the removal of barriers to free trade and the closer integration of
National economies (2008).
Globalization Refers to expansion and intensification of Social Relations
and consciousness across world time and space (Steger, Battersby, Siracusa)

themes of globalization:

Intensification Networks and the expansion of social relations

1. International NGO’s (e.g. Redrecross/Red Crescent, Doctors w/o Borders, World Vision, Tzu
Chi foundation)
2. Multinational National Corporations (MNC) e.g. Call Centers (JP Morgan Chase, Accenture, etc)
3. Intergovernmental organizations and international organizations (ASEAN, APEC, EU, UN, WTO,
IMF, NATO, African Union (AU), etc.)
Acceleration of social exchange
4. Internet (Social media e.g. Facebook, instagram, twitter, skype, viber, whatsapp, gmail, etc)
5. Live television and cable TV (CNN, BBC, Fox News, Aljazeera, ABS CBN, GMA etc.)
6. Mobile phones and satellite phones
7. Cheap travel (Budget airlines: Starmark, NokAir, Tiger Airways, Cebu Pacific, etc)
George Ritzer (2011) uses metaphors to explain Globalization:

1. From “Solids”-people, things, information, and places “harden” over time with limited mobility to “liquids”-
Increase of ease of the movement of people, things, information, and places in the global age.

2. “Flows”- movement of people , things and information , and places due , in part, to the increasing
porosity of global barrier (melting of barriers)- sushi globalization, Chinatowns, Disneyland, china products
around the world, internet, blogs, online shopping, G cash, e-commerce, Wire to wireless, spread of democracy
And the end of communism.

3. Heavy and Light- e.g. encyclopedia to kindle, PC- laptop, -tablet, mobile phones, watches, steel, alloy,
Titanium, carbon fiber. Work becomes light due machines and computers, vinyl records to cassettes to Walkman,
Dvd. From DVD to downloads.
Mansbach (2013)

1. Skeptics- sees globalization as mere economic interdependence and it is neither unprecedented

Nor revolutionary. In fact it is reversible.

2. Hyper globalizers- also perceive globalization as basically economic interdependence but it

Revolutionary. There new actors like non state actors.

3. Transformationalist- sees globalization as unprecedented and multidimensional it causes profound

Change in politics and economics, culture, security, migration, human rights, and environment
The History of Globalization: is globalization a new phenomenon?’

Globalization is new phenomenon but the contact of diverse individuals are not new (Steger 2013)

1. It began when prehistoric tribes settled and were able to outmuscle wandering tribes (trade due to
food surplus- McGregor)
2. The Ancient or premodern period saw technological advances that allowed trade and communication
to flourish (Silk Road, Phoenicians, growing shipbuilding and navigation, Rise of the Roman empire)
3. Age of exploration and colonization
4. The modern period saw the Industrial Revolution provide massive advances (electricity, combustion
Engine, telegraph)
5. Advancement of technology (internet, satellite, mobile phones etc.).
Ritzer (2011) explains the origin and history of globalization using metaphors

1. Hardwired- it is in the instincts of men to develop and flourish that is why they have to move.
Missionary work, commerce and trade, adventure and conquest).

2. Cycles- there were global ages in the past and what appears now is a new globalization. This is related to
Rise and fall of civilizations

3. Waves or epochs (fourth to the seventh century- the spread of Christianity and Islam), late fifteenth
Century European colonial conquest, the late eighteenth and the early nineteenth century- the European
Wars, European imperialism of the mid nineteenth century, Post world war two, post cold war.

4. Events- rise of the roman empire, spread of Christianity and Islam, travels of the Vikings, trade in
The middle ages, Ghenghis khan into eastern Europe, Marco polo to china, the discovery of America,
European colonialism, and the two world wars.
McGregor (2011) says that the causes and origin of globalization are:

1. Profit
2. Competition
3. Economies of scale
4. Developments in technology
5. Geography
6. Media and cultural changes
Economic dimension of Globalization (Steger 2013)

1. The global economic order emerged after World War II, when the Bretton Woods
Conference laid the foundations for the IMF, World Bank, GATT and WTO (free trade)
2. In the 1980s neoliberalism liberalized financial transactions
3. Transnational corporations rival nation-states in economic power, and have had a profound
effect on the structure and function of the global economy (LEDS and MEDS)
4. The Washington Consensus was drafted to reform indebted developing countries,
but it has thus far rarely helped countries develop(global loans).
5. Liberalization and global market integration
6. Irreversible and inevitable
7. Nobody is in-charge
8. It benefits everyone in the long run.
Political Dimension of Globalization (Steger 2013)

1. ‘The political dimension of globalization’ looks at political arrangements beyond the nation-
state.
2. The modern nation-state came into being after the Protestant Reformation (treaty of
Westphalia), characterized by centralized government and self-determination.
3. The rise of organizations such as the United Nations has threatened the nation-state,
according to globalization sceptics. However, national governments still hold significant powers.
4. There has been a rise in the number of supra-territorial institutions, operating
from the local level all the way to the global level.
5. Globalization further spreads democracy.
The Cultural Dimension of Globalization (Steger 2013)

1. Explores the intensification and expansion of cultural flows across the globe
2. Critics of cultural globalization claim that the world is being homogenized or ‘Americanized’.
3. advocates say that globalization reinvigorates niche cultures instead of eliminating them
4. The existence of the global imaginary is linked to the rise of global media networks.
These networks are owned by a small group of transnational corporations,
which can affect journalistic integrity.
5. Several different hypotheses exist about the effects of language globalization.
Some say that it leads to protection of native tongues.
On the other hand, some foresee the rise of a ‘Globish’ language.
Ecological Dimension of Globalization (Steger 2013)

1. Deals with he effects of global alliances on ecological issues

2. There is an inexorable link between all humanity and the planet Earth
3. The Industrial Revolution has caused many ecological problems, including,
resource and food shortages, overpopulation, reduced biodiversity, pollution,
and climate change. All these problems are global — the result of aggregated human action —
and require a coordinated response.
4. However, there are still debates about the seriousness of ecological issues,
and, whilst progress has been made, few multilateral measures have been implemented.
This phase of globalization has been severely damaging to the environment, and action is
needed now.
Ideological dimension of Globalization (Steger 2013)

1. Market globalism- belief in free trade, neoliberal ideas and the promise of consumerism
2. Justice globalism- envisages a global civil society with fairer relationships
and environmental safeguards
3. Religious globalism- strive for a global religious community with superiority
over secular structures
References

Gopinath, C. (2008). Globalization A Multidimensional System. London: Sage.

Mansbach, Richard and Edward Rhodes (2013). Introducing Globalization. London: Sage

McGregor, Harriet (2011). Globalization (Global Issues). New York: Rosen Publishing Group Inc.

Ritzer, George (2011). Globalization The Essentials. United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell.

Steger, Manfred, Paul Battersby and Joseph Siracusa. The Sage Handbook of Globalization.
Vol. 1.

Steger, Manfred (2013). Globalization: A Very Short Introduction. Third Edition. Oxford University
Press.