GEC-8-The-Contemporary-World-Chapter-1.docx

**Subject: GEC 8 The Contemporary World** **Chapter 1: Introduction to Globalization (3 hours)** **Introduction** This chapter presents the different definitions and concepts of globalization and its underlying philosophies. It also traces back the brief historical evolution of globalization from...

**Subject: GEC 8 The Contemporary World** **Chapter 1: Introduction to Globalization (3 hours)** **Introduction** This chapter presents the different definitions and concepts of globalization and its underlying philosophies. It also traces back the brief historical evolution of globalization from prehistoric to contemporary times. **Learning Outcomes** 1. Differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization 2. Identify the underlying philosophies of the varying definitions of globalization 3. Agree on a working definition of globalization for the course 4. Trace the historical evolution of Globalization **Content** Like the blind men in the parable, each globalization researcher is partly right by correctly identifying one important dimension of the phenomenon in question. However, their collective mistake lies in their dogmatic attempts to reduce such a complex phenomenon as globalization to a single domain that corresponds to their own expertise. To be sure, one of the central tasks for globalization researchers consists of devising better ways for gauging the relative importance of each dimension without losing sight of the interconnected whole. But it would be a grave mistake to cling to a one-sided understanding of globalization. Manfred B. Steger (2003), introduces Globalization as a set of social processes that are thought to transform our present social condition into one of globality. At its core, then, globalization is about shifting forms of human contact. - *globality* signifies a "social condition" characterized by the existence of global economic, political, cultural, and environmental [interconnections] and flows that make many of the currently existing [borders and boundaries irrelevant.] To argue that globalization refers to a set of social processes propelling us towards the condition of globality may eliminate the danger of circular definitions, but it gives us only ***one defining characteristic*** of the process: movement towards greater *[interdependence and integration.]* **There are 5 Influential Definitions of Globalization** - Globalization can thus be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa**. -*Anthony Giddens,*** *Director of the London School of Economics* - The concept of globalization reflects the sense of an immense enlargement of world communication, as well as of the horizon of a world market, both of which seem far more tangible and immediate than in earlier stages of modernity.- ***Fredric Jameson,** Professor of Literature at Duke University* - Globalization may be thought of as a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions -- assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact - generating transcontinental or interregional flows and networks of activity, interaction, and the exercise of power**.-*David Held,*** *Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics* - Globalization as a concept refers both to the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole.-***Roland Robertson,** Professor of Sociology at the University of Pittsburgh* - Globalization compresses the time and space aspects of social relations.-***James Mittelman,** Professor of International Relations at American University* **In Summary by Manfred Steger** - **Globalization refers to a multidimensional set of social processes that create, multiply, stretch, and intensify worldwide social interdependencies and exchanges while at the same time fostering in people a growing awareness of deepening connections between the local and the distant.** **The five influential definitions of Globalization suggest four (4) distinct qualities or characteristics at the core of the phenomenon;** - **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. - **Second**, the second quality of globalization is reflected in the **EXPANSION** and the **STRETCHING** of *social relations, activities, and interdependencies*. - **Third**, globalization involves the **INTENSIFICATION** and **ACCELERATION** of *social exchanges and activities.* - **Fourth**, the **CREATION**, **EXPANSION**, and **INTENSIFICATION** of *social interconnections and interdependencies* do not occur merely on an objective, material level. As Roland Robertson notes in his definition, globalization processes also involve the SUBJECTIVE plane of human consciousness. While the short chronology outlined below is necessarily fragmentary and general, it nonetheless gives us a good sense that ***globalization is as old as humanity itself***. This brief historical sketch identifies *five distinct historical periods* that are separated from each other by significant accelerations in the pace of social exchanges as well as a widening of their geographical scope. **1. The prehistoric period (10,000 BCE-3,500 BCE**) Let us begin our brief historical sketch of globalization about 12,000 years ago when small bands of hunters and gatherers reached the southern tip of South America and global dispersion of our species was finally achieved. In this earliest phase of globalization, contact among thousands of hunter and gatherer bands spread all over the world was geographically limited and mostly coincidental. Humans took the crucial step of producing their own food through farming and domestication of animals -- Agricultural Revolution. Over time, food surpluses achieved by these early farmers and herders led to population increases, the establishment of permanent villages, and the construction of fortified towns and created social classes whose members did not participate in food production; full-time craft specialists and the other group was comprised of professional bureaucrats and soldiers. For the most part, however, globalization in the prehistoric period was severely limited. Advanced forms of technology capable of overcoming existing geographical and social obstacles were largely absent; thus, enduring long-distance interactions never materialized. It was only towards the end of this epoch that centrally administered forms of agriculture, religion, bureaucracy, and warfare slowly emerged as the key agents of intensifying modes of social exchange that would involve a growing number of societies in many regions of the world. **2. The pre-modern period (3,500 BCE-1,500 CE)** The invention of **writing** in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and central China between 3,500 and 2,000 BCE roughly coincided with the invention of the **wheel** around 3,000 BCE in Southwest Asia. Marking the close of the prehistoric period, these monumental inventions amounted to one of those technological and social boosts that strengthened globalization processes. The wheel spurred crucial infrastructural innovations such as animal-drawn carts and permanent roads that allowed for the faster and more efficient transportation of people and goods. In addition to the spread of ideas and inventions, writing greatly facilitated the coordination of complex social activities and thus encouraged large state formations. Thus the pre-modern period was the age of empires. As some states succeeded in establishing permanent rule over other states, the resulting vast territorial accumulations formed the basis of the Egyptian Kingdoms, the Persian Empire, the Macedonian Empire, the American Empires of the Aztecs and the Incas, the Roman Empire, the Indian Empires, the Byzantine Empire, the Islamic Caliphates, the Holy Roman Empire, the African Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay, and the Ottoman Empire. All of these empires fostered the multiplication and extension of long-distance communication and the exchange of culture, technology, commodities, and diseases. Chinese Empire implemented a series of fateful political decisions that halted overseas navigation and mandated a retreat from further technological development. Towards the end of the pre-modern period, then, the existing global trade network consisted of several interlocking trade circuits that connected the most populous regions of Eurasia and northeastern Africa. The existence of these sprawling networks of economic an d cultural exchange triggered massive waves of migration, which, in turn, led to further population increase and the rapid growth of urban centers. **3. The early modern period (1500-1750)** The label \'early modern\', then, refers to the period between the Enlightenment and the Renaissance. During these two centuries, Europe and its social practices served as the primary catalyst for globalization. European powers failed to penetrate into the interior of Africa and Asia. Instead, they turned their expansionistic desires westward, searching for a new, profitable sea route to India. Their efforts were aided by such innovations as mechanized printing, sophisticated wind and water mills, extensive postal systems, revised maritime technologies, and advanced navigation techniques. Embodying the new values of individualism and unlimited material accumulation, European economic entrepreneurs laid the foundation of what later scholars would call the \'capitalist world system. The monarchs of Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and England all put significant resources into the exploration of new worlds and the construction of new interregional markets that benefited them much more than their exotic \'trading partners\'. By the early 1600s, national joint stock companies like the Dutch and British East India companies were founded for the express purpose of setting up profitable overseas trade posts. As these innovative corporations grew in size and stature, they acquired the power to regulate most intercontinental economic transactions, in the process implementing social institutions and cultural practices that enabled later colonial governments to place these foreign regions under direct political rule. Ultimately evolving from the Westphalian states system, the sovereign, territorial nation-state had emerged by 1648 as the modern container of social life. As the early modern period drew to a close, interdependencies among nation-states were multiplying as well as increasing in density. **4. The modern period (1750-1970)** Fed by a steady stream of materials and resources that originated mostly in other regions of the world, Western capitalist enterprises gained in stature. Daring to resist powerful governmental controls, economic entrepreneurs and their academic counterparts began to spread a philosophy of individualism and rational self-interest that glorified the virtues of an idealized capitalist system supposedly based upon the providential workings of the free market and its \'invisible hand\'. Eager to acquire their own independent resource bases, most European nation-states subjected large portions of the global South to direct colonial rule. Global pricing systems facilitated trade in important commodities like grains, cotton, and various metals. Brand name packaged goods like Coca-Cola drinks made their first appearance and international advertising agencies launched the first full-blown trans-border commercial promotion campaigns. Intensification of global interconnections would not have been possible without the 19thcentury explosion of science and technology. To be sure, the 32 maintenance of these new industrial regimes required new power sources such as electricity and petroleum. Railways, mechanized shipping, and 20thcentury intercontinental air transport managed to overcome the last remaining geographical obstacles to the establishment of a genuine global infrastructure, while at the same time lowering transportation costs. These innovations in transportation were complemented by the swift development of communication technologies. The telegraph and its transatlantic reach after 1866 provided for instant information exchanges between the two hemispheres. Moreover, the telegraph set the stage for the telephone and wireless radio communication, prompting newly emerging communication corporations like AT&T to coin advertising slogans in celebration of a world \'inextricably bound together\'. Finally, the 20th-century arrival of mass circulation newspapers and magazines, film, and television further enhanced a growing consciousness of a rapidly shrinking world. When the accelerating process of industrialization sharpened existing disparities in wealth and well-being beyond bearable limits, many working people in the global North began to organize themselves politically in various labour movements and socialist parties Interstate rivalries intensified at the outset of the 20th century as a result of mass migration, urbanization, colonial competition, and the excessive liberalization of world trade. The ensuing period of extreme nationalism culminated in two devastating world wars, a long global economic depression, and hostile measures to protect narrowly conceived political communities. The defeat of the axis powers in 1945 and the process of decolonization slowly revived global flows and international exchanges. A new political order of nation-states anchored in the charter of the United Nations raised the prospect of global democratic governance. **5. The contemporary period (from 1970 - present)** **Teaching and Learning Activities** **Activity 1** From the 5 influential definitons of globalization, compare two definitions and explain the differences in terms on dimension/aspect focus in globalization. Example: David Held's definition talked about transformation - like the exercise in "power" which is about political globalization, while Frederic James' definition talks about the "immense enlargement of world communication" which has something to do with technological advancement aspect of globalization. Dimensions to choose from can be; - Political , Economics, Societal/ Social, Cultural, Technological, Religious, Ideological **Activity 2** In your class GC, collaborate with your classmates a working definition of Globalization which has the following key words -- interconnectedness/interconnected, interdependence/interdependent, world, social relations, social processes. **Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading.** Steger, Manfred B. 2014, Chapter 2 of textbook: "Approaches to the Study of Globalization Steger, Manfred B. 2005, "Ideologies of Globalization." Journal of Political Ideologies 10(1): 11--30.Steger, Manfred B. 2003, Globalization, A very short Introduction. Oxford University Press **Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted** **Assessment Task** **References** **Steger, Manfred B.** 2014**,** Chapter 2 of textbook: "Approaches to the Study of Globalization **Steger, Manfred B. 2005,** "Ideologies of Globalization." Journal of Political Ideologies 10(1): 11--30. **Steger, Manfred B.** 2003, Globalization, A very short Introduction. Oxford University Press Prepared by : **LIA CONCEPCION B. VILLANUEVA** ISUC CEd Faculty