What is globalization?
There are various definitions of globalization reflecting different theories, perspectives or boundaries of interest. This week’s readings contain several such definitions or descriptions, and there are many others in alternate literature.
The term itself is relatively young compared with the concepts it describes. The word “globalization” was in use in the social sciences by the 1960s, possibly having been coined as early as the 1930’s. (Chanda, 2008, Contents, Chapter 8; Mr Globalization, 2010, third paragraph).
At their broadest, however, the concepts being described under the umbrella of globalization have ancient roots. Early human migration likely featured inter-regional cultural interactions, including interbreeding, …show more content…
World culture theory emphasizes that the world’s participants (categorized as societies, the international system (which I take to include multi-national corporations), individuals and humankind as a whole) are increasingly conscious of the effects that the rest of the world has on them, their identities and their ways of dealing with things.
The things that appeal to me about this theory include:
• The ability for participants to simultaneously act in all four capacities depending on context. I am an individual, a member of societies, a part of international systems and an interested party to humanity. My views on particular topics may draw from any or all of these perspectives. For example I strongly identify as Australian but currently live within U.S. society, and am conscious daily of both similarities and differences in these two highly developed societies. I am individual. I do not accept all of the predominant mores of either of those societies. I also work and travel internationally and am constantly either enabled or constrained by international systems and conventions; and on some issues (e.g. climate) I consider that humanity is the appropriate reference point rather than any sub-category. Another person might be extremely strongly driven by a particular societal worldview (e.g. a religion) at the expense of
There are various definitions of globalization reflecting different theories, perspectives or boundaries of interest. This week’s readings contain several such definitions or descriptions, and there are many others in alternate literature.
The term itself is relatively young compared with the concepts it describes. The word “globalization” was in use in the social sciences by the 1960s, possibly having been coined as early as the 1930’s. (Chanda, 2008, Contents, Chapter 8; Mr Globalization, 2010, third paragraph).
At their broadest, however, the concepts being described under the umbrella of globalization have ancient roots. Early human migration likely featured inter-regional cultural interactions, including interbreeding, …show more content…
World culture theory emphasizes that the world’s participants (categorized as societies, the international system (which I take to include multi-national corporations), individuals and humankind as a whole) are increasingly conscious of the effects that the rest of the world has on them, their identities and their ways of dealing with things.
The things that appeal to me about this theory include:
• The ability for participants to simultaneously act in all four capacities depending on context. I am an individual, a member of societies, a part of international systems and an interested party to humanity. My views on particular topics may draw from any or all of these perspectives. For example I strongly identify as Australian but currently live within U.S. society, and am conscious daily of both similarities and differences in these two highly developed societies. I am individual. I do not accept all of the predominant mores of either of those societies. I also work and travel internationally and am constantly either enabled or constrained by international systems and conventions; and on some issues (e.g. climate) I consider that humanity is the appropriate reference point rather than any sub-category. Another person might be extremely strongly driven by a particular societal worldview (e.g. a religion) at the expense of