"An Introduction to the Global" (Lecture A)

Lecture #2a: “An Introduction to the Global”
Jan Aart Scholte

Definitions
- “Global studies” is a relatively new concept that began less than 20 years ago.

- There are 5 dimensions of globalization and globality:
o Internationalization- increasing transactions between and interdependence amongst people living in different countries (objection: This concept already exists!)
o Liberalization- the removal of official barriers such as tariffs to transactions between countries (objection: human resources have not been liberalized; people still need visas and passports)
o Universalization- various objects and experiences spread to all corners of humanity (objection: people don’t experience things in the same way)
o Westernization- also known as the new imperialism and modernization, this is the spread of western culture to the world (objection: there is also Islamic globalization, Buddhist globalization, etc.)
o Deterritorialization- there are social spaces and activities that have no geographical address such as the internet and currency exchanges (objection- This was Scholte’s definition of globalization in the first addition of his book. He has since changed his mind.)
o Transplanetary social connectivity- people are linked in many complex ways despite geography. This relationship is “new” because of its intensity, scale, impact, velocity, frequency and complexity. This modern form of globalization began in the middle of the 20th century.

- Every major human language has a word for globalization including Swahili which incorporated a term for globalization in 2003.

- Power relations are inherent in globalization. However, people disagree as to what these power relations are.

Manifestations
- Material (concrete) communications (internet, fax, telephones), travel, financial transactions (loans, bank accounts, currencies, credit, SDRs, stock exchanges), diseases (SARs, HIV, H1N1), ecological events and conditions (climate change, global warming), military affairs (wars, WMDs, satellites), laws and institutions of governance (UN, IMF, WTO, ICANN which governs the internet)

- Mental (ideational) globalization is in our minds, stories, symbols, etc.

If’s And’s and But’s
- The intensity, velocity, complexity, etc. of globalization has qualitatively increased since the middle of the 20th century however there are 8 qualifications:
o Globalization has a longer history in terms of economics, religion, disease, etc.
o Globalization is not everything and everywhere.
o Territory, territorial spaces, national identity and diasporas remain important.
o Regionalization (EU, African Unon, NAFTA) is also a form of social transplanetary connectivity.
o Globalization doesn’t entail cultural homogenization. New cultural forms are being created and cultural diversity is maintained.
o Globalization is unevenly spread in terms of complexity, velocity, etc.
o Globalization’s costs and benefits are unequally distributed. For example, some people are more harmed by climate change, income distributions between countries and within countries has increased, there are still significant differences between countries, classes, genders, races, generations, etc. Because of this, political struggle occur. Global relations are globally infused, steeped in power relations and struggles that are both implicit and explicit.
o Because globalization is political, agency and policy choices are vital. In other words, globalization is not pre-ordained; choices must be made. The forces behind globalization are difficult to resist but the ways in which we experience globalization are dependent on our choices and actions.