Globalization in Historical Perspective

The Many Faces of Globalization 18 November 2010

The components of Globalization

Changing concepts of space and time Increasing cultural interactions Growing interconnections and

interdependencies Problems common to all worlds inhabitants Powerful networks of transnational actors and organizations.
All of the above is synchronized.

Space and Time

Cultures and societies are being squeezed

together: the world is one place. How? Increasingly faster communication and transport.

Increasing cultural flows

What is culture?

Repertoire of learned ideas, values, knowledge, aesthetic preferences, rules and customs shared by a particular group of social actors.

Is there a global culture?

Interconnections and Interdependencies

Technology revolution The Digital Era

Faster communications and travelling time

Interconnections at world level include states,

companies, localities, social movements, interest groups and individuals Network society: increase in transnational exchanges, relations and affiliations is driven by knowledge networks and not by society.

Transnational Actors and Organizations

Transnational corporations (TNCs) International Governmental Organizations (IGOs) International Non-Governmental Organizations

(NGOs) Global Social Movements (GSMs) Diasporas, Stateless People Migrants, tourists, consultants, artists, academics, economic elites, diplomats, drug dealers, etc

Common Problems
Global terrorism/ Global Crime

Environment
Migration and Human Rights Others?

Defining Globalization
All those processes by which the peoples of

the world are incorporated into one single society (Albrow 1990) Intensification of world-wide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local events are shaped by events occurring miles away and vice versa (Giddens 1990)

Defining Globalization
time-space compression, produced by new

developments in transport, communication and information technologies, which have deeply transformed the political, economic and social relations connecting distant geographic areas and different social spaces. Is this new?

Globality
Consciousness or awareness that the world

is one single space. 4 major aspects of globality:

The global self or the world citizen: solve the worlds problems because we identify with all humanity Growth of multicultural awareness Empowerment of self-aware social actors Broadening of identities

 Globalization and Globality are results of a

long evolutionary process, in which societies all over the world came to relate to one another. Idea of Universal Humanity has its roots in a cultural, social and political movement called European Enlightenment.

Proto-Globalization 1
Ancient civilizations (Middle East, China, Rome) had unified vast

areas. Middle Ages: mosaic of small kingdoms and fiefdoms unified by Christianity.

Cultural universalism of shared beliefs and rituals; Latin as common language (inter-state communication, as well in church and education) Political mediation by the spiritual leader. Military solidarity in face of the other, in this case the rise and expansion of Islamic states (caliphates)

Proto Globalization 2
15th up to 17th centuries: Europe managed to take

the lead, when up until the 16th century they were behind in many ways. European powers triggered what historians call Modernity.

Influencing the production and trade of several commodities in distant countries, Spreading their institutions all over the world (including religious ones) Overwhelming different cultures with their military power and organization of economic production.

Globalisation
Socio- and geopolitical process
(g)localization, time-space compression de-territorialization,

Globalization
Network society

(web, interconnections)
internationalisation, universalisation.

Globalisation
Economic process neo-liberalism, market integration,
financial deregulation, rent-seeking, cheap-labour exploitation, commodification, consumerism

Globalisation
Ideology, discourse, grand narrative
westernisation, americanisation, McDonaldization