Lesson 1
globalization has a shifting nature. It is complex, multifaceted, and can be
Globalization
- As a process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things
moving closer, it pertains to the increasing ease with somebody on the
side of the world can interact, to mutual benefit with somebody on the
other side of the world (Thomas Larson, 2001)
- It is occurring through and with regression, colonialism, destabilization,
in themed-1990s (Martin Khor, the former president of the Third World
Network)
The definition can be classified
- Broad and inclusive
o “ globalization means the onset of the borderless world”
(Ohmae, 1992)
- Narrow and exclusive
o “the characteristic of the globalization trend include the
internationalizing of product, the new international division of
labor, new migratory movements from South to North, the new
competitive environment that accelerates these processes, and
the internationalizing of the state…making states into states into
agencies of globalizing world”
The definition of Globalization, the concept is complex and multifaceted as the
definitions deal with either economic, political, or social dimensions.
In a comprehensive stufy of 114 definitions by Geneva Center for Security and
Policy (GSCP) in 2006, 67 of them refer to economic dimension. These
definitions include political and social dimension as well.
A more recent definition
“ globalization is a transplanetary process or a set of processes involving
increasing liquidity and the growing multidirectional flows of people, objects,
places, and information as well as the structures they encounter and create that
are barriers to, or expedite, those flows…”
(Ritzer, 2015)
How can these definitions help us understand globalization?
1. The perspective of the person who defines globalization shapes its
definition
2. Globalization is the debate and the debate is
3. globalization.
4. Globalization is reality
Globalization is a concept that is not easy to define because in reality,
influenced by the people who define it.
Issues involving globalization have wide range –from individual to society, from
small communities to nations and state, and from the benefit we can gain from it
to the costs it could carry.
Metaphors of globalization
Solid
- The epochs that preceded today’s globalization paved way for people,
things, information, and places to harden over time. Consequently they
have limited mobility (Ritzer, 2015)
- Social relationship and objects remained where they were created
- Solidify also refers to barriers that prevent or make difficult the
movement of things. Solids can either be natural or manmade.
(examples: landforms ad bodies of water)
Liquid
- Are not fixed
- Liquidity, therefore refers to the increasing ease of movement of people,
things, information, and places in contemporary world.
- Liquidity phenomena change quickly and their aspect is spatial and
temporal, are in continuous fluctuation. This means that space and time
is crucial in globalization.
- Liquid phenomena is difficult to stop
- The forces (the liquid ones) made political boundaries more permeable
to the flow of people and things
- Liquidity and Solidity are in constant and interaction. Liquidity is the one
increasing and proliferating today. Therefore, the metaphor that could
best describe globalization is liquidity.
Flow
- Flows are movement of people, things, places, the information brought
by the growing “porosity” of global limitations.
- Eg. Foods being globalized; global financial crisis, virtual flowof legal
and illegal information, immigrants recreating ethnic enclaves in host
countries.
Lesson 2
Theories see globalization as a process that increases either homogeneity or
heterogeneity.
 Homogeneity
- Refers to the increasing sameness in the world as cultural inputs,
economic factors, and political orientations of societies expand to create
common practices, same economies and similar forms of government.
- Homogeneity in culture is often linked to cultural imperialism.
- “one-size-fits-all” approach
- McDonalization
 Heterogeneity
- Pertains to the creation of various cultural practices, new economies,
and political groups because of the interconnection of elements from
different societies in the world.
- Refers to the differences because of their either lasting differences or of
the hybrids or combinations of cultures that can be produced through
the different transplanetary processes.
- Heterogeneity in culture is associated with cultural hybridization.
Dynamics of Local and Global Culture
Three perspectives on global cultural flows:
 Cultural Differentialism
- Emphasizes the fact that cultures are essentially different and are only
superficially affected by global flows
- Interaction of cultures is deemed to contain potential for “catastrophic
collision” (exemplified by Samuel’s Huntington’s Theory on the clash of
civilizations proposed in 1996)
 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.
- A key concept is “glocalization” or the interpenetration of the global and
local resulting in unique outcomes in different geographic areas.
 Cultural Convergence
- Stresses homogeneity introduced by globalization
- Cultures 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
- Globalization has played a tremendous role in providing a context for
the current revival and resurgence of religion.
“ Accelerated globalization in recent times has enabled co-religionists
across the planet to have greater direct contact with one another. Global
communications, global organizations, global finance , and the like have
allowed ideas of Muslims and the universal Christian church to be given
concrete shape as never before” (Scholte, 2005)
- Media plays an important role in the dissemination of religious ideas
- Globalization has allowed religion or faith to gain considerable
significance and importance
- Globalization transforms the generic “religion” into a world system of
competing and conflicting religions. This process of institutional
specialization has transformed local, diverse and fragmented cultural
practices into recognizable systems of religion. Globalization has
therefore, has the paradoxical effect of making religions more self-
conscious of themselves as being “world religions” (Turner, 2007)
- Religion seeks to assert identity in the light of globalization
- It has been difficult for religion to cope with the values that accompany
globalization like liberalism, consumerism and rationalism
What now are the challenges of religion?
 Globalization and Regionalization
- Reemerged during the 1980s and heightened after the end of the Cold
War in the 1990s
“ the age of economic globalization has also been the age of
regionalization, and much of the analysis of the new regionalism has
been devoted to the link between the two tendencies. Thus, regionalism
is seen as critical part of the political economy of globalization and the
strategies that states (and other actors) have adopted in the face of
globalization..The emergence of regionalism needs to be understood
within the global restructuring of power and production. The many
words are very closely intertwined with the character and fate of the
 one. The core driving force is global even the manifestation is regional. o European conquests (late fifteenth century)
(Hurell, 2007) o Intra-European wars (late 18th to early 19th C)
 Region and Regionalization o Heydey of European Imperialism (mid 19th C to 1918)
o Post-World War II Period
Region o Post-Cold WarPeriod
- A group of countries in the same geographically specified area *the difference of this view from “cycles” is that it does not
(Mansfield and Miller, 1999) treat epochs as returning
Regionalization
- Societal integration and often undirected process of social and Events
economic interaction.( Hurell, 2007) - Specific events are considered as part of the fourth view in explaining
Regionalism the origin of globalization.
- The formal process of intergovernmental collaboration between tow or Several points which can be treated as the start of
more states (Ravenhill, 2008) globalization
- Hurlington (1996) believed that culture and identity guide regionalization  Gibon (1998) argued that Roman conquests centuries
- Economic motivations are arguably the main motivation behind before Christ were its origin.
contemporary regionalization.  In the issue of the Economist ( 2006, January 12) – the
- Non state actors such as TNCs / transnational corporation act as a rampage of armies of Genghis Khan into the Eastern
driving force toward regionalism. Europe in the 13th C
 Rosenthal (2007) gave premium to the voyages of
Origins and History of Globalization discovery – Christopher Columbus’ discovery of America in
(perspectives regarding the origin of Globalization 1942, Vasco de Gama in Cape of Good Hope in 1498 and
Ferdinand Magellan’s completed circumnavigation of the
Hardwired globe in 1522.
- It is because of our basic need to make lives better that made  Recent years could also be regarded as the beginnings of
globalization possible (Chanda, 2007) globalization with reference to specific technological
- One can trace the beginning of globalization from our ancestors in advances in transportation and communications
Africa who walked out from the said continent in the late Ice Age.  1956 – First transatlantic telephone cable
- Commerce, religion, politics and warfare are the urges of people toward  1962 – First transatlantic television
better life. These are respectively connected to the four aspects of broadcasts
globalization and they can be traced all throughout history : trade,  1988 – founding of the modern internet
missionary work, adventures and conquest.  2001 – terrorists attacks on the Twin Towers
Cycle in New York
Broader, More Recent Changes
- For some globalization is a long-term cyclical process and thus, finding o happened in the last half of the Twentieth Century. Scholars
its origin will be a daunting task. pointed three notable changes as the origin of Globalization :
- Subscribing to this view will suggest adherence to the idea that other  The emergence of United States as the global power
global ages have appeared (post-WWII)
- There is also the notion to suspect that this point of globalization will  The emergence of multinational corporations (MNCs)
soon appear and reappear.  The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold
Epochs War

6 great epochs of globalization (Ritzer , 2015):

o Globalization of religion ( fourth to seveth centuries)