Summary Globalization I
Summary Globalization I
Literature lecture 1: Chapter 1: globalization, a very short introduction
Globalization: a contested concept
Globalization captures the increasingly interconnected nature of social life on our planet mediated by
the ICT revolution and the global integration of markets. Globalization is a complex and uneven
dynamic linking the local (and the national and regional) to the global – as well as the west to the east
and the north to the south.
We should not approach globalization as a disconnected phenomenon floating above local and
national contexts. Lionel Messi and Jennifer Lopez have in common that they are both the products
and catalyst of global processes that make more sense when considered as a global-local nexus we call
glocalization.
The term ‘globalization’ has been used to describe a process, a condition, a system, a force, and an
age. There are three related terms; globality, which signifies a social condition, global imaginary, to
refer to people’s growing consciousness of thickening globality and globalization, that transforms our
present social condition of conventional nationality into one of globality. The national or the local are
changing their character and social functions as a result of our movement towards globality.
Globalization is about shifting forms of human contact.
Four distinct qualities or characteristics lie at the core of the phenomenon Globalization. First,
globalization involves the creation of new and the multiplication of existing social networks and
activities that increasingly overcome traditional political, economic, cultural, and geographical
boundaries. The second quality of globalization is reflected in the expansion and the of social relations,
activities, and interdependencies. Third, globalization involves the intensification and acceleration of
social exchanges and activities. Fourth, globalization processes do not occur merely on an objective,
material level but they also involve the subjective plane of human consciousness.
Definition globalization: globalization refers to the expansion and intensification of social relations
and consciousness across world-time and world-space. This means globalization is about growing
worldwide interconnectivity.
1
,Summary Globalization I
Lecture 1: General introduction
The globalization scholar and the elephant
Blind men are touching the elephant. They do not see the elephant as a whole, but they can only feel
parts of it. Together they can feel the whole elephant. In order to understand the whole elephant, and
in this case globalization you need to understand the different parts of ‘the elephant’, such as politics,
culture, environment, economics, religion and ideology.
Wicked problems
Revolve around so-called wicked problems:
• Unstructured problems that show constant change
• Broad variety of stakeholders
• Stakeholders think differently about:
o The definition and relevance of the problem
o The desirability of various responses to the problem
o The actors or conditions that are to be blamed
Global forces and local responses
Global forces and local responses are two sides of the same coin, but tensions arise because they often
contradict.
à International tourism comes in though with the locals.
Globalization 1 and 2 – lectures
Globalization 1:
• How does the tension between global forces and local responses affect human security
(‘freedom from want and fear’)?
Globalization 2:
• How do we deal with the tension between global forces and local responses through human
development?
Globalization 1 and 2 – work groups
Choose an organization active in one of three themes
• Social inequality – for example a civil society organization providing shelter to homeless people
in Amsterdam or trying to bring about gender equality in the labor market in Brazil.
• Migration and refugees – for example a government institution working on refugee reception in
Germany, or a company facilitating Filipino labor migration to Japan.
• International development – for example a US-based NGO working on democratization in Kenya,
or an international finance institution fostering economic development in Cambodia.
Globalization 1 and 2 – work groups
Globalization 1: after you have chosen the organization, the focus will be on the issue area and national
context in which the organization is active.
à research paper on the issue area within the national context
Globalization 2: the focus will shift from the issue area in the national context to the organization and
its activities
à research paper on the activities of the organization you have chosen.
2
,Summary Globalization I
Work groups globalization 1
• WG 1: make teams, get to know each other, choose an issue area in a national context and an
organization
à preparation: consider theme / issue area / organization
• WG 2: delineate the focus for the research paper and discuss how to look for academic
literature and other sources
à preparation: write an outline of the research paper
• WG 3: work towards the final product
à preparation: write a draft version of the research paper
Assessment – final exam (75%)
• 30 multiple choice questions (75%)
• 2 open end questions (25%)
• Lectures and readings
Assessment – research paper (25%)
• Research paper of 2000 words (+/- 10% and excluding references and appendices)
• Introduction: topical focus (issue area/national context/organization) and relevance
• Body of the paper: description of the issue area within the national context
• Conclusion: a concise warp-up re-articulating the main points
• See assessment form in course manual
Globalization – a new buzzword, since the 1980’s.
Telecommunication, freight by air or sea, companies all over the world.
Globalization – time-space compression
The term by David Harvey, he argues that time and space become compressed. In the early days it was
way harder to travel, they traveled by horse a couple of kilometers a day, but nowadays we travel
hundreds of thousands of kilometers per day by plane. Nowadays there is also no differences between
knowing some events that happen on the other side of the world.
Globalization – a contested concept
• How new is globalization?
o ‘hyperglobalism’ vs. ‘skepticism’ vs ‘transformationalism’ (David Held)
• Is globalization good or bad?
o Globalization is ‘neither good nor bad’ but has the ‘potential to do enormous good’
(Joseph Stiglitz)
• Is globalization Westernization/Americanization?
o No, despite its strong roots in the expansion of European capitalism (17th-19th century)
and the emergence of American hegemony (20th century)
• Is globalization homogenization/universalization?
o No, strong tendencies towards cultural homogenization but also strong
countertendencies
Globalization – towards a definition
1. Globality = social condition characterized by tight global economic, political, cultural, and
environmental interconnections and flows that make most of the currently existing border and
boundaries irrelevant
2. Global imaginary = people’s growing consciousness of thickening globality
3. Globalization = a spatial concept signifying a set of social processes that transform our present
social condition of conventional nationality into one of globality.
3
, Summary Globalization I
Globalization – towards a definition
• A short definition: ‘globalization refers to the expansion and intensification of social relations
and consciousness across world-time and world-space’
• A very short definition: ‘globalization is about growing worldwide interconnectivity’
Globalization – a contested concept
‘Early bestsellers… left their readers with the simplistic impression of globalization as an unstoppable
juggernaut, spreading the logic of capitalism and Western values by eradicating local traditions and
national cultures.’
à Later works where nuancing this idea of globalization and they state for a balance in local and global.
Globalization or glocalization?
Glocalization is the term from the market at Japan, referring to the effort of the multinationals to adapt
to the product’s local companies. Multinationals need to adapt whatever they sell to local preferences.
For example, Mac Donald’s, in every country they have the same menu, but slightly changes to what
the locals want to eat.
Globalization or glocalization?
• Global-local nexus
• Globalization and localization are intertwined
• ‘Many people still have trouble recognizing globalization for what it is: a complex an uneven
dynamic linking the local (and the national and regional) to the global’
Global forces related to human (in)security
The overarching problem = global forces and local responses are two sides of the same coin, but
tensions arise because they often contradict
Four global forces:
• International development
• International finance
• International migration
• International intervention
Four global-local tension in Cambodia
International intervention
• Khmer Rouge (1975-1979)
• Vietnamese occupation (1979-1989)
• United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (1990-1993)
• Elections in 1993: Prince Ranariddh won… but…
• Coalition between Hun Sen and Ranariddh
• 1997: coup de force by Hun Sen
International intervention
• Global-local tension: between international interventions and local governance, sovereignty
and security issues.
• How are humanitarian interventions (for example by the UN) or military interventions (for
example in the context of the war on terror) perceived and acted upon by local powerholders
or local populations?
• Lectures on this topic: 5 and 6.
4
Summary Globalization I
Literature lecture 1: Chapter 1: globalization, a very short introduction
Globalization: a contested concept
Globalization captures the increasingly interconnected nature of social life on our planet mediated by
the ICT revolution and the global integration of markets. Globalization is a complex and uneven
dynamic linking the local (and the national and regional) to the global – as well as the west to the east
and the north to the south.
We should not approach globalization as a disconnected phenomenon floating above local and
national contexts. Lionel Messi and Jennifer Lopez have in common that they are both the products
and catalyst of global processes that make more sense when considered as a global-local nexus we call
glocalization.
The term ‘globalization’ has been used to describe a process, a condition, a system, a force, and an
age. There are three related terms; globality, which signifies a social condition, global imaginary, to
refer to people’s growing consciousness of thickening globality and globalization, that transforms our
present social condition of conventional nationality into one of globality. The national or the local are
changing their character and social functions as a result of our movement towards globality.
Globalization is about shifting forms of human contact.
Four distinct qualities or characteristics lie at the core of the phenomenon Globalization. First,
globalization involves the creation of new and the multiplication of existing social networks and
activities that increasingly overcome traditional political, economic, cultural, and geographical
boundaries. The second quality of globalization is reflected in the expansion and the of social relations,
activities, and interdependencies. Third, globalization involves the intensification and acceleration of
social exchanges and activities. Fourth, globalization processes do not occur merely on an objective,
material level but they also involve the subjective plane of human consciousness.
Definition globalization: globalization refers to the expansion and intensification of social relations
and consciousness across world-time and world-space. This means globalization is about growing
worldwide interconnectivity.
1
,Summary Globalization I
Lecture 1: General introduction
The globalization scholar and the elephant
Blind men are touching the elephant. They do not see the elephant as a whole, but they can only feel
parts of it. Together they can feel the whole elephant. In order to understand the whole elephant, and
in this case globalization you need to understand the different parts of ‘the elephant’, such as politics,
culture, environment, economics, religion and ideology.
Wicked problems
Revolve around so-called wicked problems:
• Unstructured problems that show constant change
• Broad variety of stakeholders
• Stakeholders think differently about:
o The definition and relevance of the problem
o The desirability of various responses to the problem
o The actors or conditions that are to be blamed
Global forces and local responses
Global forces and local responses are two sides of the same coin, but tensions arise because they often
contradict.
à International tourism comes in though with the locals.
Globalization 1 and 2 – lectures
Globalization 1:
• How does the tension between global forces and local responses affect human security
(‘freedom from want and fear’)?
Globalization 2:
• How do we deal with the tension between global forces and local responses through human
development?
Globalization 1 and 2 – work groups
Choose an organization active in one of three themes
• Social inequality – for example a civil society organization providing shelter to homeless people
in Amsterdam or trying to bring about gender equality in the labor market in Brazil.
• Migration and refugees – for example a government institution working on refugee reception in
Germany, or a company facilitating Filipino labor migration to Japan.
• International development – for example a US-based NGO working on democratization in Kenya,
or an international finance institution fostering economic development in Cambodia.
Globalization 1 and 2 – work groups
Globalization 1: after you have chosen the organization, the focus will be on the issue area and national
context in which the organization is active.
à research paper on the issue area within the national context
Globalization 2: the focus will shift from the issue area in the national context to the organization and
its activities
à research paper on the activities of the organization you have chosen.
2
,Summary Globalization I
Work groups globalization 1
• WG 1: make teams, get to know each other, choose an issue area in a national context and an
organization
à preparation: consider theme / issue area / organization
• WG 2: delineate the focus for the research paper and discuss how to look for academic
literature and other sources
à preparation: write an outline of the research paper
• WG 3: work towards the final product
à preparation: write a draft version of the research paper
Assessment – final exam (75%)
• 30 multiple choice questions (75%)
• 2 open end questions (25%)
• Lectures and readings
Assessment – research paper (25%)
• Research paper of 2000 words (+/- 10% and excluding references and appendices)
• Introduction: topical focus (issue area/national context/organization) and relevance
• Body of the paper: description of the issue area within the national context
• Conclusion: a concise warp-up re-articulating the main points
• See assessment form in course manual
Globalization – a new buzzword, since the 1980’s.
Telecommunication, freight by air or sea, companies all over the world.
Globalization – time-space compression
The term by David Harvey, he argues that time and space become compressed. In the early days it was
way harder to travel, they traveled by horse a couple of kilometers a day, but nowadays we travel
hundreds of thousands of kilometers per day by plane. Nowadays there is also no differences between
knowing some events that happen on the other side of the world.
Globalization – a contested concept
• How new is globalization?
o ‘hyperglobalism’ vs. ‘skepticism’ vs ‘transformationalism’ (David Held)
• Is globalization good or bad?
o Globalization is ‘neither good nor bad’ but has the ‘potential to do enormous good’
(Joseph Stiglitz)
• Is globalization Westernization/Americanization?
o No, despite its strong roots in the expansion of European capitalism (17th-19th century)
and the emergence of American hegemony (20th century)
• Is globalization homogenization/universalization?
o No, strong tendencies towards cultural homogenization but also strong
countertendencies
Globalization – towards a definition
1. Globality = social condition characterized by tight global economic, political, cultural, and
environmental interconnections and flows that make most of the currently existing border and
boundaries irrelevant
2. Global imaginary = people’s growing consciousness of thickening globality
3. Globalization = a spatial concept signifying a set of social processes that transform our present
social condition of conventional nationality into one of globality.
3
, Summary Globalization I
Globalization – towards a definition
• A short definition: ‘globalization refers to the expansion and intensification of social relations
and consciousness across world-time and world-space’
• A very short definition: ‘globalization is about growing worldwide interconnectivity’
Globalization – a contested concept
‘Early bestsellers… left their readers with the simplistic impression of globalization as an unstoppable
juggernaut, spreading the logic of capitalism and Western values by eradicating local traditions and
national cultures.’
à Later works where nuancing this idea of globalization and they state for a balance in local and global.
Globalization or glocalization?
Glocalization is the term from the market at Japan, referring to the effort of the multinationals to adapt
to the product’s local companies. Multinationals need to adapt whatever they sell to local preferences.
For example, Mac Donald’s, in every country they have the same menu, but slightly changes to what
the locals want to eat.
Globalization or glocalization?
• Global-local nexus
• Globalization and localization are intertwined
• ‘Many people still have trouble recognizing globalization for what it is: a complex an uneven
dynamic linking the local (and the national and regional) to the global’
Global forces related to human (in)security
The overarching problem = global forces and local responses are two sides of the same coin, but
tensions arise because they often contradict
Four global forces:
• International development
• International finance
• International migration
• International intervention
Four global-local tension in Cambodia
International intervention
• Khmer Rouge (1975-1979)
• Vietnamese occupation (1979-1989)
• United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (1990-1993)
• Elections in 1993: Prince Ranariddh won… but…
• Coalition between Hun Sen and Ranariddh
• 1997: coup de force by Hun Sen
International intervention
• Global-local tension: between international interventions and local governance, sovereignty
and security issues.
• How are humanitarian interventions (for example by the UN) or military interventions (for
example in the context of the war on terror) perceived and acted upon by local powerholders
or local populations?
• Lectures on this topic: 5 and 6.
4
