"How should we define globalization?"

Résumé du document

Defining the concept of globalization is very controversial and much disputed among economists, sociologists and political observers. There is no single concept of globalization, and commentators are unable to agree on the empirical evidence for its extent. These divisions are, however, considerably less acrimonious that the essentially normative or ideological confrontations that surround the idea (Ian Clark 1997, 35). A vibrant debate on these issues has developed in which it is possible to distinguish three broad schools of thought, which we will refer to as the hyperglobalizers, the sceptics, and the transformationalists (David Held 1999, 257). The aim of this paper is not to analyze the position of each of these schools but to stress the fact that there is a fundamental disagreement about what globalization is and about whether it is actually taking place at all, because the term is often used vaguely and inconsistently and in a very general way, and consequently is very imprecise (Ian Clark 1997, 20; John Baylis and Steve Smith 2001, 14; Eleonore Kofmanand, Gilian Youngs 2003, 3; David Held et all 2000, 2). The concept of globalization is recent. It comes from obscure origins American and French writings in the 1960s, and finds expression today in all the world's major languages (David Held et all. 2000, 1).

Extraits

[...] III) Is globalization synonymous with internationalization? People have frequently employed the notions “globalization” and “internationalization” interchangeably. Is this helpful? Let us verify the meaning of these two concepts. According to Karen Risager (1999, globalization is primarily conceived as a threat that strikes us from without, as a worldwide coercion towards homogenisation ('McDonaldisation', etc.), as increased global competition for markets, jobs and competences, or as unrestrained currency speculation that is undermining the economies and welfare of individual states (Martin and Schumann 1996, 45-8). [...]

[...] What does the term of globalization mean? The late twentieth century has seen the emergence of global economic processes of an unprecedented scale becoming deeply enmeshed with national and local economic processes (David Held 1999, 273). Globalization is usually defined as an emanation of economic life but actually it is also impacting upon political, social and cultural domains (Ian Clark 1997, 35). A globalized world is one in which economic, political, social and cultural events become more and more interconnected (John Baylis and Steve Smith 2001, Ian Clarck 1997, 35). [...]

[...] The concept of globalization is recent. It comes from obscure origins American and French writings in the 1960s, and finds expression today in all the world's major languages (David Held et all 1). Globalization became a common term; the term quickly entered standard vocabulary, reflecting the fact that everyone is concerned by globalization: the majority of westerns drink Coca-Cola, use Microsoft, possess Visa or a MasterCard, eat at Mc Donald's, buy things on the Internet and wear jeans etc. (John Baylis and Steve Smith 2001, 14). [...]

[...] My conclusion is therefore that globalization and internationalization each have their own meanings, even if the boundary between them is often vague. Globalization is resistant to uniform definition precisely because of a lack of consensus as to its nature (Ian Clark 1997, 50). Considerably more work will need to be done to determine what exactly “globalization” means, because currently we have a variety of definitions with no agreement as to which one is the most pertinent. Taking everything into account, the definition proposed by David Held et all. [...]

[...] (1999, 103) seems to me to be the most useful one: “Globalization means a world society without a world state and without world government [ [Therefore] there is no hegemonic power and no international regime, either economic or political”. Bibliography Sources from books and journal articles Albrow, Martin Globalization, Knowledge and Society. London : Sage in association with the International Sociological Association. Clark, Ian Globalization and Fragmentation: International Relations in the Twentieth Century. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Cohn, Theodore H Global Political Economy: Theory and Practice. New York: Longman. Cox, Robert.1994. Production, power and world order: social forces in the making of history. [...]