Globalization: Solidity and Liquidity

• Globalization is considered a very important change
• Globalization enables humans to see themselves as part of the "global age"

Literature

• Globalization refers to the onset of the borderless world
• Globalization is the internationalizing of production along with new migratory movements, a new competitive environment
• Some view globalization positively as world shrinkage due to distances getting shorter
• Some view globalization negatively as something occurring through colonialism and destabilization
• Overall, to define globalization is not easy

Metaphors

• Metaphors are used to better understand globalization
• Solid and liquid are the metaphors

Solidity

• Solidity refers to barriers that prevent or make difficult movements of things
• Natural barriers include land forms and bodies of water
• Man-made barriers are things made by humans

Liquidity

• Liquidity refers to the increasing ease of movement of people, things, information, and places in contemporary world

Characteristics of Liquidity (Zygmunt Bauman)

• Liquid phenomena change quickly with continuous fluctuation both spatially and temporally
• Movement of liquid phenomena is difficult to stop
• Liquidity is increasing and proliferating
• Liquidity best describes globalization

Flows

• Flows refer to the movement of people, things, places, and information and are brought by the growing "porosity" of global limitations

Types of Flows

• Trade involves the import and export of goods and services
• Telecommunication refers to complex and extensive flows of information used for communication and power exchanges
• Migration involves people coming from one place to another

Homogeneity

• Homogeneity refers to the increasing sameness in the world as cultural inputs, economic factors, and political orientations of societies expand
• This creates common practices, same economies, and similar forms of government
• Homogeneity in culture often links to cultural imperialism, meaning a given culture influences another

Heterogeneity

• Heterogeneity pertains to the creation of various cultural practices, new economies, and political groups
• Heterogeneity is due to the interaction of elements from different societies in the world
• Heterogeneity in culture often links to cultural hybridization

Media

• The global flow of media is often characterized as media imperialism
• The internet can be seen as an arena for alternative media
• Global media is dominated by a small number of large corporations

McDonaldization

• The contemporary world is undergoing the process of McDonaldization
• McDonaldization involves the global spread of rational systems such as efficiency, calculability, predictability and control
• McWorld is existing

McWorld vs. Jihad

• McWorld is the Globalization of Politics
• McWorld is also the Commodification of Culture
• McWorld involves the Homogenizing power of 4 imperatives: a market imperative, a resource imperative, an information-technology imperative, an ecological imperative
• Jihad (Struggle) involves Fierce Tribalism
• Jihad also involves Evolution of Nationalism from a force of unification to a force of differentiation
• Namely Anti-Globalism, Anti-Capitalism, Anti-colonialism and Anti-Homogenization

Dynamics of Local and Global Culture

• There are 3 perspectives on Global Cultural flow: Cultural Differentialism, Cultural Hybridization, and Cultural Converge

Cultural Differentialism

• Cultural Differentialism emphasizes that cultures are essentially different and are only affected by global flows

Cultural Hybridization

• Cultural Hybridization emphasizes the integration of local and global culture

Cultural Converge

• Cultural Converge stresses homogeneity introduced by globalization

Globalization of Religion

• Globalization transforms generic religion into a world-system of competing and conflicting religions
• These become "World Religions"

Globalization and Regionalization

• The process of globalization and regionalization reemerged during the 1980s and heightened after the end of the Cold War in the 1990s
• The regionalization of the world system and economic activity undermines the potential benefits coming out from a liberalized global economy
• In a 2007 survey, the Financial Times revealed that the majority of Europeans consider that globalization brings negative effects to their societies
• Inter-regional relations include the ASEAN, the European Union, and the South American trade bloc, Mercosur
• Regionalization in one part of the world encourages regionalization elsewhere, whether by imitation, like the success of the European Single Market

Debate of Hurell (2007)

• His debate was captured in his “one (global) world/many (regional) worlds relationship"
• Regional developments in one part of the world affected and fueled regionalization everywhere else in a contagion or domino effect
• Regionalization process is global in nature

Perspectives on Globalization

• Cycle is Globalization as a long term cyclical process
• Epoch is a sequential occurrence of epochs
• Events considers specific, treated points as the start of globalization
• Broader, More Recent Changes are notable changes

EPOCH- Sequential Events

• Globalization of religion (fourth to seventh centuries)
• European colonial conquests (late fifteenth century)
• Intra-European wars (late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries)
• Heydey of European imperialism (mid-nineteenth century to 1918)
• Post-World War II period
• Post-Cold War period

Three Notable Changes

• The emergence of the United States as the global power
• The emergence of multinational corporations
• The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War

Emergence of US as Superpower

• Occurred post-World War
• Dominant military and economic power after WWII
• Outran Germany and Japan in terms of industry
• Axis powers and Allies economically fell behind
• Began progress in different aspects such as diplomacy, media, and film

Multinational Corporations (MNCs)

• USA, Germany, and Great Britain initially had their great corporations in their homelands
• Did not remain there as far their production and market are concerned

Global Demography

• Demographic transition can occur
• A singular historical period during which mortality and fertility rates decline from high to low levels

Three Main Demographic Processes

• Birth
• Migration
• Aging
• Contribute to changes in populations, including how people inhabit the earth, form nations and societies, and develop culture

Global Migration

• Categories of migrants: Vagabonds and Tourist

Labor Migration

• Labor Migration is defined as the movement of persons from their home State to another State for the purpose of employment
• Migration is traditionally governed either by "Push" or "Pull" reasons

Push

• “PUSH” factors compel a person, due to different reasons, to leave that place and go to some other place

Illegal Immigration

• Illegal immigration refers to the migration of people into a country in violation of the immigration laws of that country
• Also refers to the continued residence without the legal right to live in that country

Globalization is a very important change and refers to the onset of the borderless world. It is the internationalizing of production along with new migratory movements and a new competitive environment. Metaphors such as solid and liquid are used to better understand it.