l1 : introduction to globalisation and definitions Flashcards
what is globalisation?
a process in which the world is becoming more interconnected and more talk of a global society and culture
what are globalisations three distinct processes?
- economic globalisation - interconnectedness of the worlds economies, through global trade
- political globalisation - political ideas such as democracy, equality and human rights in western world has influenced developing world. leading to protests and military interventions
- cultural globalisation - global communication spreads and shares national culture, leading to similarities between cultures (cultural homogenisation)
what are three ways that the emergence of globalisation is shown?
- advances in technology - tech has transformed our concept of time, distance and space. eg. news can be transmitted all over the world, banks can use a 24hr global financial market. digital comm can globalise war, conflict terrorism.
- ownership and control of digital media - digital media is owned by a few TNCs. films, tv, designer fashion are developed for global consumption rather than local consumption. (stevens, 2004). despite differences in upbringing and distance, this happens.
- other developments - cheap air travel, mass tourism, dominance of eng lang in digital comm
what is cochrane and pain (2000) definition of globalisation?
the emergence of a global economic and cultural system which is incorporating the people of the world into a single global society
what is cohen and kennedy (2000) definition of globalisation?
a series of transformations of the world, including changes in the concept of time and space, interdependent economies, increasing cultural interaction and increasingly shared problems
what is giddens (1990) definition of globalisation?
as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such as way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa
what is harvey (1990) definition of globalisation?
space/time compression occurs whereby instant interaction afforded by digital technology such as email/instant messaging erases distance between people and substitutes virtual space for physical space. it does not matter physically where you are in the world, global digital interconnection means people occupy the same online space at any one time
what are four problems with defining globalisation?
- very complex process which involves variety of social, cultural, economic and political changes that may not necessarily be in sync with each other
- occurs at different speeds in different parts of the world. digital social revolution has resulted in a digital divide between the developed world and developing
- if globalisation was happening, people would have greater awareness of the world as one unified place, but nation-state mentality is still dominant
- critics claim spread of american cultural products has been mistaken for globalisation
why is globalisation seen as a positive process?
produces tolerant and responsible world citizens and raise living standards
why is globalisation seen as a negative process?
results in cultural homogenisation - cultural diversity is replaced which can be regarded as a backwards step
why is there a sociological interest in globalisation?
- great deal of sociological change has occurred due to globalisation
- giddens, duneier and appelbaum said that globalisation has caused societies to change at a very fast pace that is accelerating at a fast rate
- want to investigate cause and effect of globalisation and processes of the world so explanations can follow this
- rapid growth and development in tech means than globalisation has accelerated
- concept can be misused and misunderstood, so need careful consideration when defining the term
