Globalization Matters: Engaging the Global in Unsettled Times

At the turn of the twenty-first century, globalization - both the process and the idea - bestrode the world. Widely acclaimed by political and economic pundits as the most important phenomenon of our time, it took the world by storm. Two decades later, it has come under sustained attack by the re-invigorated forces of the extreme right and radical left. Does globalization still matter in our unsettled world? Responding in the affirmative, this study develops and applies a new framework of an 'engaged theory of globalization' to analyze some of today's most pressing global challenges: the rise of national populism, ecological degradation, rapid urbanization, new sources of insecurity, and the changing landscape of higher education. Offering a comprehensive appraisal of globalization in our unsettled times, the authors explain why and how transplanetary interrelations continue to matter in a world that is wavering between globalist expansion and nationalist retrenchment.

Table of Contents:
1. Introduction: what is happening to globalization?; 2. Mapping a new genealogy of 'globalization'; 3. Rethinking the dominant framework of globalization theory; 4. Considering the subjective dimensions of globalization; 5. Outlining an engaged theory of globalization; 6. Excavating the long history of globalization; 7. Examining the promise of global studies; 8. Making sense of the populist challenge to globalization; 9. Confronting the global urban imaginary; 10. Living in the unsettled world of the Anthropocene; 11. Concluding reflections; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.

About the Author :
Manfred B. Steger is Professor of Sociology at the University of Hawai'i, Manoa and Global Professorial Fellow in the Institute of Culture and Society at Western Sydney University. He is the author or editor of twenty-seven books, including: The Rise of the Global Imaginary: Political Ideologies from the French Revolution to the Global War on Terror (2008), Justice Globalism: Ideology, Crises, Policy (2013), and Globalization: A Very Short Introduction (2017). Paul James is Professor of Globalization and Cultural Diversity at the Western Sydney University, where he is Director of the Institute for Culture and Society. He is Scientific Advisor to the Mayor of Berlin, and a Metropolis Ambassador. He is an editor of Arena Journal and author or editor of thirty-five books including Globalism, Nationalism, Tribalism (2006).

Review :
'Steger and James have produced a timely and indispensable study. Globalization Matters is the most comprehensive book on globalization in recent years. It offers a sweeping overview of the theories, approaches, and principal debates in global studies. Erudite yet accessible and engaging, it is suitable for classroom use but will also be of great interest to seasoned scholars of globalization. This is the go-to book we have been waiting for on these matters. Beyond the academy, it should be of great interest to members of the public who wish to become familiar with what this buzzword is all about, or simply interested in the state of global politics and society.' William I. Robinson, University of California, Santa Barbara 'In a time when globalization seems to be under assault by a rising tide of neo-nationalism, Steger and James convincingly show that globalization continues to matter. More importantly, they show that the current anti-global rebellion is itself a part of the complex pattern of globalization that in the twenty-first century embraces the whole world. Gracefully and intelligently written, this is an important and must read book.' Mark Juergensmeyer, University of California, Santa Barbara and author of Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence 'Steger and James bring clarity to hotly debated and frequently misunderstood changes in globalization. Their remarkable book quashes misrepresentations and memes that range from hyperglobalist exaggeration to anti-globalist populism. Artfully presented and thoroughly researched, Globalization Matters is a masterpiece.' James H. Mittelman, American University, Washington DC and author of Implausible Dream: The World-Class University and Repurposing Higher Education 'Steger and James' immensely learned, yet readable, volume does a great service to scholarship on the global in three ways. First it lays to rest the hackneyed and insupportable notion that globalization no longer matters. Second it disposes of the equally unsound claim that global studies is too abstract to tell us much about the actual state of the world as it transforms today. Finally it addresses issues and themes of great moment, in the academy and beyond, to fashion an engaged, engaging and multidimensional theory of globalization.' Barrie Axford, Oxford Brookes University 'Magnificent. Two of the most seasoned analysts of globalization comprehensively update the history and thoroughly reappraise the theory. A flowing, engaging, compelling case that 'globalization matters'.' Jan Aart Scholte, Göteborgs universitet, Sweden and Universität Duisburg-Essen, Germany