Module 1 GE3 – The Contemporary World PDF

GE3 – THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD 1 “WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?” MS. CARLA JHOY JOCSON  NO. 1 The Contemporary World “WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?” Differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization Identify underlying philosophies of the varying de...

GE3 – THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD 1 “WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?” MS. CARLA JHOY JOCSON  NO. 1 The Contemporary World “WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION?” Differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization Identify underlying philosophies of the varying definitions of globalization  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Different people encounter globalization in a variety of ways, it is deemed useful to ask simple questions like: “Is globalization good or bad? Is it beneficial or detrimental?” First, globalization is a complex phenomenon that occurs at multiple levels. Second, it is an uneven process that affects people differently.  NO. 1 The Contemporary World “The same boiling water that softens the potato hardens the egg. It’s what you’re made of. Not the circumstances.” Unknown  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Globalization refers to both the time-space compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole (Robertson, 1992). The concept of ‘time-space compression’ refers to the processes that change the qualities of space and time that we experience and our conceptions of it. Compression is meant, the speed-up in the pace of life and the overcoming of spatial barriers.  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Globalization means the speedup of movements and exchanges (of human beings, goods, and services, capital, technologies or cultural practices) all over the planet. One of the effects of globalization is that it promotes and increases interactions between different regions and populations around the globe.  NO. 1 The Contemporary World According to WHO, Globalization can be defined as “the increased interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples and countries. It is generally understood to include two inter-related elements: the opening of international borders to increasingly fast flows of goods, services, finance, people and ideas; and the changes in institutions and policies at national and international levels that facilitate or promote such flows.”  NO. 1 The Contemporary World According to WHO, Globalization can be defined as “the increased interconnectedness and interdependence of peoples and countries. It is generally understood to include two inter-related elements: the opening of international borders to increasingly fast flows of goods, services, finance, people and ideas; and the changes in institutions and policies at national and international levels that facilitate or promote such flows.”  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Economic Globalization: is the development of trade systems within transnational actors such as corporations or NGOs;  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Financial Globalization: can be linked with the rise of a global financial system with international financial exchanges and monetary exchanges. Stock markets, for instance, are a great example of the financially connected global world since when one stock market has a decline, it affects other markets negatively as well as the economy as a whole.  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Cultural Globalization: refers to the interpenetration of cultures which, as a consequence, means nations adopt principles, beliefs, and costumes of other nations, losing their unique culture to a unique, globalized supra-culture;  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Political globalization: the development and growing influence of international organizations such as the UN or WHO means governmental action takes place at an international level. There are other bodies operating a global level such as NGOs like Doctors without borders or Oxfam;  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Sociological Globalization: information moves almost in real-time, together with the interconnection and interdependence of events and their consequences. People move all the time too, mixing and integrating different societies;  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Technological Globalization: the phenomenon by which millions of people are interconnected thanks to the power of the digital world via platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Skype or Youtube.  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Geographic Globalization: is the new organization and hierarchy of different regions of the world that is constantly changing. Moreover, with transportation and flying made so easy and affordable, apart from a few countries with demanding visas, it is possible to travel the world without barely any restrictions;  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Ecological Globalization: accounts for the idea of considering planet Earth as a single global entity – a common good all societies should protect since the weather affects everyone and we are all protected by the same atmosphere. To this regard, it is often said that the poorest countries that have been polluting the least will suffer the most from climate change.  NO. 1 The Contemporary World The best scholarly definition of globalization is provided by Manfred Steger who described the process as “the expansion and intensification of social relations and consciousness across world-time and across world-space.” Expansion refers to “both the creation of new social networks and the multiplication of existing connections that cut across traditional political, economic, cultural, and geographic boundaries.”  NO. 1 The Contemporary World Steger posits that that his definition of globalization must be differentiated with an ideology he calls globalism. If globalization represents the many processes that allow for the expansion and intensification of global connections, Globalism is a widespread belief among powerful people that the global integration of economic markets is beneficial for everyone, since it spreads freedom and democracy across the world.  NO. 1 The Contemporary World For anthropologist Arjun Appadurai, different kinds of globalization occur on multiple and intersecting dimensions of integration that he calls “scapes.” An “ethnoscape”, for example, refers to the global movement of people, while a “mediascape” is about the flow of culture. A “technoscape” refers to the circulation of mechanical goods and software; a “financescape” denotes the global circulation of money; and an “ideoscape” is the realm where political ideas move around. NO. 1 The Contemporary World  NO. 1 The Contemporary World “Your passion is waiting for your courage to catch up.” Isabelle Lafleche