Grant Stoneman

Definitions of Globalization by Dr. Nayef R.F Al-Rodhan

The first article that I want to reflect on is Definitions of Globalization by Dr. Nayef R.F

Al-Rodhan. I believe this is an important article, not only do to the fact that it helps me

understand the concept of globalization, but I think its main goal is to show the reader that there

is no set definition of this complex term of globalization. Tied to this first idea, I think this article

is very important to the class. It starts the semester off right, in that it is the starting block to what

globalization is, then from this article on we break it down into different sub-groups, from global

inequalities and labor, to social justice and resistance to globalization. This article is like the tree

stump, and every week was a root to this stump to help us as students define what really

globalization is and if we can really define it.

The most striking aspect of this article were not the definitions themselves, but how

systematic everyone made globalization seem. I dont think I wouldve have said this the first

week of class, but from the amounts of information that I acquired throughout the semester, I

realized how foolish some of this definitions actually are. For an example, one of the definitions

given by the World Bank Group, Globalization the growing integration of economies and

societies around the world. This definition is so elementary compared to what globalization

actually is. The reason some of these are so foolish is due to the simplicity of each. Globalization

is so complex. I believe that there can never just be one definition. You can compare it to a

surgeon. A surgeon doesnt use the same surgical techniques as they did a hundred years ago.

Instead they stay up to date on ground breaking techniques to save as many patients as possible.

You can use this same concept with defining globalization. There will always be new data, and
new variables that will change the definition of globalization. It is foolish to think that you can

use a simple idea to define such an ever-changing concept.

Although I speak of how this article changed my views of globalization in the above

paragraph, I wanted to add some more aspects that changed. I was relatively clueless on this

topic when I signed up for this class. This article helped me open my eyes to stay woke as you

might say. Seeing all of these definitions now, shows me that you can stay so simple minded.

But instead you need to be open-minded and self-conscious of everything and everybody in

society.