🕚  GLOBALIZATION 🕕

“Globalization is the process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things moving closer. It pertains to the increasing ease with which somebody on one side of the world can interact, to mutual benefit, with somebody on the other side of the world.” (Larsson, 2001)

Globalization is not a single concept that can be defined and encompassed within a set time frame, nor is it a process that can be defined clearly with a beginning and an end. Furthermore, it cannot be expounded upon with certainty and be applicable to all people and in all situations. Globalization involves economic integration; the transfer of policies across borders; the transmission of knowledge; cultural stability; the reproduction, relations, and discourses of power; it is a global process, a concept, a revolution, and “an establishment of the global market free from sociopolitical control.” Globalization encompasses all these things. 

🌍 History of globalization

It seems a moot question when someone asks about the history of globalization. By looking at the contemporary feel regarding the effects of globalization, it is a common practice in media and even in scholars to look at globalization as a recent trend that emerged before a few decades (Pieterse, 2012). The usual timeline of globalization emphasized by scholars and researchers is post-second world war and on the minimum post-cold war. Effective database on globalization in the fields of social sciences, humanities, political science, media, cultural studies, communication, film studies, and international relations can be found out from the 1970s or 1980s onward (Pieterse, 2012) and this era has been considered as most relevant as well as have accelerated global flows and effects.

🌍 Dimensions of Globalization

Preceding definitions revealed that globalization is comprised of multiple dimensions. These dimensions include economic, political, cultural, and social. By looking at the literature on globalization, it is evident that whenever scholars talked about globalization, they are mostly concerned about economic globalization (Hebron & Stack, 2013). Although economic globalization is an important factor, but one must not ignore other important factors like political, cultural, and social factors.

🌍 Future of Globalization

According to Muller (2010), “the future of globalization will be quite different from its past or it will not be at all”. Many scholars have written on this crucial issue in the recent past (Muller, 2010; Hufbauer & Suominen, 2010; Robb, 2007). Reasons include unstable situation of globalization in the past few decades especially the financial crisis of 2008 and terrorism. 

References:

Larsson, T. (2001). The Race to the Top: The Real Story of Globalization. US: Cato Institute, pp. 9

Pieterse, J. N. (2012). New Global Studies.

Hebron, L., & Stack, J. F. (2013). Globalization: Debunking the myths. Dorling Kindersley India Pvt. Ltd.

Muller, H. (2010). An Agenda for Phase 4 of Globalization. In Globalization 2.0, pp. 69-81

Hufbauer, G. C., & Suominen, K. (2010). Globalization at Risk. Yale University Press.

Robb, J. (2007). Brave new war: The next stage of terrorism and the end of globalization. John Wiley & Sons.