A concise exploration of globalization and its role in the contemporary era
Driven by technological advancements and global corporations, more and more people are swept up by globalizing processes, creating new winners and losers. Globalization: The Essentials explores the flows, structures, processes, and consequences of globalization in the modern economic, political, and cultural landscape. This comprehensive introduction offers balanced coverage of areas such as global economic and cultural flows, environmental sustainability, the impact of technology, and racial, economic, and gender inequality — providing readers with foundational knowledge of globalization.
Extensively revised and updated, this second edition includes expanded coverage of human trafficking and migration, global climate change, fake news and information wars, and transnational social movements with increased emphasis on examples from Central and South America, Africa, and Asia:
- Offers a straightforward approach to the multiple facets of globalization and their positive and negative influences on contemporary society
- Employs unique metaphors and a coherent narrative structure to promote intuitive understanding of abstract concepts
- Introduces cutting-edge research, updated statistics, and real-world examples in areas such as rising global populism, social justice movements, blockchain technology, and cryptocurrencies
- Provides an efficient and flexible pedagogical structure, allowing integration with instructor’s own course material
Emphasizing student comprehension, a wide range of source material is incorporated including empirical research, relevant theories, newspaper and magazine articles, and popular books and monographs. Examples of current research and recent global developments, such as emerging economies and global health concerns, encourage classroom discussion and promote independent study.
Globalization: The Essentials — a compact edition of the authors’ full-sized textbook Globalization: A Basic Text — provides concise coverage of the central concepts of this dynamic field. Offering a multidisciplinary approach, this textbook is an invaluable primary or supplemental resource for undergraduate study in any social science field, as well as coursework on economics, migration, inequality and stratification, and politics.
Table of Contents:
Preface xii
About the Companion Website xiii
1 Globalization 1
Conceptualization, Origins, and History
Conceptualizing Globalization 3
From “Solids” to “Liquids” 4
“Flows” 7
“Heavy” and “Light” 8
“Heavy” Structures that Expedite “Flows” 10
“Heavy” Structures as Barriers to “Flows” 12
Subtler Structural Barriers 16
Origins and History of Globalization 17
Hardwired 17
Cycles 18
Phases 18
Events 19
Broader, More Recent Changes 20
Chapter Summary 23
Discussion Questions 24
Further Reading 24
References 25
2 Theorizing Globalization 29
Imperialism 30
Colonialism 32
Development 33
Americanization 35
Anti‐Americanism as a Global Process 37
Neoliberalism 38
Neoliberalism: Basic Ideas 41
The Neoliberal State 42
Critiquing Neoliberalism: Karl Polanyi 43
Contemporary Criticisms of Neoliberalism 44
Neo‐Marxian Theories 46
Transnational Capitalism 46
Empire 48
Chapter Summary 51
Discussion Questions 53
Further Reading 53
References 54
3 Structuring the Global Economy 58
Before Bretton Woods 59
A Prior Epoch of Globalization 59
Economic Development During and After WW II 60
Bretton Woods and the Bretton Woods System 61
General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) 63
World Trade Organization (WTO) 64
International Monetary Fund (IMF) 65
World Bank 67
The End of Bretton Woods 69
Changes in, and Critiques of, Bretton Woods‐Era Organizations 70
Other Important Economic Organizations 74
The Role of Emerging Economies 75
The Multinational Corporation (MNC) 76
The Myth of Economic Globalization? 79
Chapter Summary 80
Discussion Questions 81
Further Reading 81
References 82
4 Global Economic Flows 85
Trade 86
Trade Surpluses and Deficits 86
Global Trade: Economic Chains and Networks 87
Global Value Chains 88
T‐Shirts 88
iPhones 90
Conventional, Hybrid, and Electric Automobiles 91
Increasing Competition for Commodities 92
The Economic Impact of the Flow of Oil 93
Oil Wealth 94
Race to the Bottom and Upgrading 96
Upgrading in the Less Developed World? 96
Outsourcing 98
Financial Globalization 100
The Great Recession 100
Consumption 104
Consumer Objects and Services 106
Consumers 106
Consumption Processes 106
Consumption Sites 107
Global Resistance 107
Chapter Summary 108
Discussion Questions 109
Further Reading 109
References 109
5 Global Political Structures and Processes 113
On Political Flows 114
The Nation‐State 115
Threats to the Nation‐State 116
Global Flows 116
Universal Human Rights 117
Sustainability and Liquid Sovereignty 118
In Defense of the Nation‐State 119
“Imagined Community” 120
Changes in Global Nation‐State Relations 122
The European Union and Brexit 122
China 125
United Nations (UN) 126
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 127
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 127
Global Governance 127
Civil Society 130
International Non‐Governmental Organizations (INGOS) 134
Chapter Summary 137
Discussion Questions 138
Further Reading 139
References 139
6 High‐Tech Global Flows and Structures 143
Technology, Media, and the Internet
Technology, Time–Space Compression, and Distanciation 144
Space‐Based Technologies 146
Robots and Economic Production 147
Leapfrogging 148
Mass Media 151
Media Imperialism 152
New Global Media 153
Thinking About the Global Media 154
The Internet and Social Media 156
Online Social Networking 157
Bitcoin and Blockchain 159
The Internet in China 161
The Fight for Global Internet Governance 163
Social Media and Social Movements 164
Chapter Summary 166
Discussion Questions 167
Further Reading 167
References 168
7 Global Culture and Cultural Flows 171
Cultural Differentialism 173
Civilizations 173
Cultural Hybridization 177
Muslim Girl Scouts 179
Appadurai’s “Landscapes” 180
Cultural Convergence 182
Cultural Imperialism 182
Deterritorialization 184
World Culture 184
McDonaldization 186
McDonaldization, Expansionism, and Globalization 188
Beyond Fast Food 189
The Globalization of Nothing 191
Cricket: Local, Glocal, or Grobal? 192
Chapter Summary 193
Discussion Questions 194
Further Reading 194
References 195
8 Global Flows of Migrants 198
Migrants 199
Migration 200
Flows of Migrants to and from the United States 203
Undocumented Mexican Migrants to the United States 203
Increased Law Enforcement 205
Flows of Migrants into and within Europe 208
Brexit and British–EU Migration 208
Undocumented Migration Across the Mediterranean into Europe 209
Flows of Migrants in Asia 211
The Case Against the Backlash to Undocumented, or “Illegal,” Immigration 213
Remittances 215
Diaspora 218
Chapter Summary 220
Discussion Questions 221
Further Reading 221
References 222
9 Global Environmental Flows 225
Modernization and Environmental Flows 227
Differences Among Nation‐States 229
Global Climate Change 230
Rising Sea Levels 231
Loss of Biodiversity 232
Threats to Food Security 233
Global Warming and Health 233
Other Environmental Problems 234
Destruction of Natural Habitats 235
Decline of Fish 235
Decline in Fresh Water 236
The Paradox of Bottled Water 237
Toxic Chemicals 238
Population Growth 238
Global Responses 239
Sustainable Development 239
Multilateral Agreements 241
Carbon Tax 242
Cap‐and‐Trade 243
Carbon Neutrality 243
Alternative Fuels and Power Sources 244
A Technological Fix? 245
Economic Issues 245
Opposing Environmentalism 246
Collapse 246
Chapter Summary 247
Discussion Questions 249
Further Reading 249
References 250
10 Negative Global Flows and Processes 253
Dangerous Imports, Diseases, Terrorism, War
Dangerous Imports 255
Borderless Diseases 256
HIV/AIDS 256
Ebola Virus 257
Tropical Diseases in Europe 258
Terrorism 258
War 265
Global Military Structures 268
Drones and Other Technology 269
Information War, Trolls, and Fakes News 270
Cyber‐War 272
The Impact of Negative Global Flows on Individuals 273
Chapter Summary 274
Discussion Questions 275
Further Reading 276
References 276
11 Economic Power and Inequality 280
Class Inequality and Global Cities
Class Inequality 281
Inequality in the World System 282
Trends in Economic Inequality 283
“The Bottom Billion” 286
Conflict Trap 286
Natural Resources Trap 287
Trap of Being Landlocked with Bad Neighbors 288
Bad Governance Trap 288
Summary 289
Growing Global Inequality in Health and Healthcare 290
Global Digital Divide 291
Global Cities 292
Global Cities in the World Economy 292
Changes in the Network of World Cities 294
Global Slums and Gentrification 295
Chapter Summary 299
Discussion Questions 300
Further Reading 300
References 301
12 Global Inequalities II 303
Inequalities of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality
Defining Majority–Minority Relations 304
Majority–Minority Relations in a Global Context 304
The Social Construction of Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Sexuality 307
Intersectionality 309
Race and Ethnicity 310
Ethnic Conflict and Genocide 313
The Latin Americanization of Race and the Value of Whiteness 314
Gender 316
Gender and the Economy 317
Global Care Chains 321
Responding to and Resisting Global Minority Status: The Case of Women 322
Sexuality 323
Chapter Summary 325
Discussion Questions 326
Further Reading 327
References 327
13 Dealing with, Resisting, and the Future of Globalization 331
Dealing with Globalization 332
Dealing with the Global Economy 332
Protectionism 332
Fair Trade 335
Helping the “Bottom Billion” 337
Dealing with Political Globalization 338
Accountability 339
Transparency 339
Resisting Globalization 340
Local Resistance 342
The Global Rise of Populism 343
Social Movements 345
The Movement for Global Justice and Democratization 346
Social Movements and the Global Boomerang 348
World Social Forum 349
Is the Resistance to Globalization Significant? 350
The Futures of Globalization 350
A “Mad Max” Scenario 352
Chapter Summary 353
Discussion Questions 354
Further Reading 355
References 355
Index 359
About the Author :
GEORGE RITZER is Distinguished University Professor at the University of Maryland, USA. He is author of numerous books including The McDonaldization of Society (9th ed., 2019) and editor of The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology (2007) and The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Globalization (2012).
PAUL DEAN is Associate Professor of Sociology and Social Justice at Ohio Wesleyan University, USA. He is an award-winning teacher and researcher in areas including globalization, social inequality, economic sociology, social movements, race and ethnicity, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. He is co-author with George Ritzer of Globalization: A Basic Text (2nd ed. 2015).
