What is Globalization? -Blog about an article

What is Globalization? – Jae Eun Kim

Summary

This article, written by Ronald Robertson and Kathleen White, discusses about a number of disciplinary standpoints of globalization very thoroughly.

First, the writer indicates about the debate about definition of globalization in different areas of study. One of the disputes came from differences in perspective across the world. By the dispute which concept of globalization had gone through, scholars claimed that globalization should be granted as globalization as in plural form, “Globalizations.”

The writer specifies globalization by introducing Velho’s point of view. Velho (1970) saw globalization as a single object, perspective and a horizon. He also argued that globalization may be understood as the direction which the world as whole is moving. The concept of globalization was only discussed by explicit name in sociology and anthropology, but from late 1980s or early 1990s, the concern with globalization in effect began to be mentioned. In perspective of economy, there were some anti-globalization movements by some cultures because they perceived that great inequalities are produced by globalization. Globalization stood on the capitalistic side and by neglecting the development of some social sciences.

Writer discusses that globalization could be divided into three aspects; economical, political and cultural. Globalization is not applied in same ways to all countries. It needs a change considering the local’s cultural or traditional traits. So that better uniformity could be found. Paradoxically, when capitalism spreads it should understand and apply the local’s cultural background. For example, when McDonald’s has altered their menu because in India’s culture, eating beef is taboo.

Immanuel Wallerstein has raised a point that the world capitalist system could become a singular system. In fact, Vatican, Soviet Communist Party, German Fascism, and Imperial Japan could be some possibilities of making world as singular system. (I might have misunderstood the phrases)

Author proceeds by giving new term “glocalization”. The term “Glocalization” was produced by the mixture of globalization and local. Actually some might think that global and local are somewhat opposite concept, but scholars thought that this concepts are not a opposite ones but they are basically a different sides of the same coin. Also indicated that discussion of globalization is the old sociological and anthropological concept of diffusion, which ideas and practices spreading to one local to another. So it is not that surprising to hear a work on globalization is not novel.

To conclude, author states that there are three characteristics of globalization; first, it has two directional inclinations. Those inclinations are increasing global connectivity and increasing global consciousness. Second is globalization has intents and purposes consummated by some organizations. And lastly it is organized by cultural, social, political and economical facets and some aspects could be more prominent.

Moreover, Roland Robertson and Kathleen white argue that globalization should be recognized of its conceptual status not reifying it. The writer insisted that we need more sophisticated framework for the discussion of globalization. And added some views of undisciplined critiques using globalization as negative buzzword “in spite of much rigorous elaboration of globalization theory.”

Interesting part

Well, by reading this article, I learned lots of historical backgrounds of globalization, theories of globalization, and different point of views on globalization. The most interesting part in this article was that the history was so old and it made me think of the people’s lives back then. Also, I was quite interested that McDonalds have changed their menu because India taboos eating beef. I would reconsider making a shop there because I cannot think of burger without beef.

Discussion point

As shown in the article, “Globalization” can be defined in multiple views and also have either positive or negative connotation, how should we or how will you view and define the term “Globalization”? As mentioned in the chapter, if some of the terms of globalization are not novel, then what kinds of new aspect should we look or find for?