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Almost two years ago, following protests in places as far apart as Prague, Davos, Quebec and Seattle, the biggest protest against globalisation yet to be seen, took place. The terrorist attacks on September 11th 2001 not only changed the course of international politics, but were significant markers in the effects of globalisation.
Indeed, although not commonly thought of as one, the attacks by Al Qaeda were a protest against a phenomenon which has become the buzz word of the century. Prompting at first only debate, then rallies, then eventually violence and terrorism, globalisation is not only one of the most contentious, but one of the most relevant issues that we face today.
Yet, despite this, only a minority of people are aware of what it actually is.
Take the ancient parable of the blind Buddhist scholars for example:
Since the scholars did not know what an elephant looked like they each obtained a mental picture by touching it. Each scholar however only touched one part of the elephant, gaining only a partial picture and disagreeing about what the elephant actually looked like.
Attitudes towards globalisation can be classed along similar lines. Far too many people are only aware of one aspect of it; hence being partially correct by identifying one important dimension e.g. culture, however making the mistake of trying to reduce a complex phenomenon to simplicity.
Hence defining the term can prove to be difficult. Many will no doubt have a vague idea of its more general meaning, but a slightly more accurate definition could be as follows:
'An uneven and unequal set of social processes which are thought to transform our present situation into one of globality in terms of economics, politics, culture,and ideology.'
Each part of the 'elephant' can now be seen, and if we proceed to discuss each limb, then a broader picture begins to develop.
Complex it may seem, however it is perhaps easier to think of globalisation not as a new phenomenon, but as one which has existed for millennia at the very least, and since the existence of humans at the most. If we look through time we can see that today's status of partial globality is heavily dependent upon such events as the invention of the printing press, the production of paper, the development of writing, the invention of the wheel, the domestication of plants and animal and the outward migration our African ancestors, to name but a few. Hence globalisation is also a continuous set of processes, which develops at different rates at different times. Since the industrial revolution and throughout the twentieth century a usually gradual process has developed at a rapid rate with massive developments in technology such as the internet. Increased awareness of other cultures has made society realise the changes that have occurred, which has magnified the effect that globalisation has had in our minds. Hence although fundamental and historical, globalisation is often viewed as a modern 'creation'.
Indeed culture is the one aspect of globalisation with which people identify with the most. The new symbolism of our age, and what we view as its spread, has lead to numerous Anti-McDonalds, Coca-Cola and sweat shop movements. Pictures shown by the media of American Indians wearing Nike trainers and Palestinian youths proudly displaying their Chicago Bulls sweatshirts, has lead to a common belief that globalisation has made people more alike; a process sometimes known as McDonaldisation. It is this process which is often thought of as at the core of globalisation today and prompts the key question of whether or not a few 'western' popular cultures are dominating, even 'deleting', the many ancient and varied cultures of the world. It is this prospect which we fear the most; this fear being magnified by the publication of figures such as the number of languages in the world being reduced from 14,500 to 2,997 in just over four centuries. Indeed the facts can not be denied; 20% of the worlds population owns 80% of the worlds wealth; an average American child watches 20,000 TV commercials each year; and the US with only 6% of the world's population consumes 30-40% of its resources. All are examples of the globalisation of culture.
Yet despite all of this many continue to endorse globalisation; some see it as a natural process, that, as I have mentioned, has operated throughout human history; others justify this supposed degradation of culture by highlighting the practical gains that are made in some parts of the world; many see it as furthering the spread of western values and democracy.
Sociologist Roland Robertson speaks instead of 'glocalisation'; arguing that cultural globalisation instead of eliminating local culture often re-invigorates it, ultimately creating 'unique cultural constellations' where global and local cultures 'borrow' from each other.
Economically also similar arguments must be considered. Imagine that McDonalds is proposing to build a new store in a part of the world which largely preserves its own culture and where this is high, but not extreme, unemployment. Would the benefit of new employment, new products and entry into the global market economy outweigh the possible costs of environmental degradation, and a loss of culture? Or perhaps culture would not be lost, perhaps, as Roland Robertson argues, the McDonalds would bring the benefits of employment and new produce, enriching the area, whilst simultaneously the local culture having a positive effect on McDonalds? Idealistic or simply optimistic?Either way it is issues such as this which are at the centre of the globalisation debate, and ultimately it is not until we look at small scale examples of globalisation that we can decide whether it has positive or negative effects.
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Helen Lindley
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nice one Afeez Adeyemi Adisa | Jun 16th, 2004
Really, i enjoyed ur article. I give you excellent!
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