INTL201

WEEK ONE
Debunking convenient myths

Globalization
Myth
o After fall of Berlin Wall (1989), new era begins
Transportation and communications revolutions bring people closer together, make
information more accessible
Realization that many important problems cross national borders
Recognition that new actors, outside traditional nation states, play a role in creating and
responding to these global issues
Inevitable and amorphous
Cannot be stopped, beyond our control
Everyone has become a global actor??????

Another perspective
Doesn’t necessarily result in a more homogenous world
The world is not necessarily flat
May exacerbate differences and disparities

Strong globalization vs. weak globalization

According to Hirst and Thompson (1999), the strong globalization argument contends that a
truly seamless, global economy of unfettered market forces dominated by transnational firms
has emerged and, accordingly, our daily lives and livelihoods increasingly unfold within
networks that are international in scope. Furthermore, this argument implies the emergence of
a supranational system of economic and political governance, which makes the world more
uniform, integrated and interdependent. In such a globalized world, borders, distance and
difference are increasingly irrelevant. Indeed, the strong globalization argument signifies the
end of geography.

For more than a decade, geographers have been at the forefront of research that debunks the
strong globalization argument, revealing how global economic processes exacerbate disparities
and widen social, economic and political cleavages. Unlike the “flat world” rhetoric bandied
about in the popular press, this “weak” globalization alternative recognizes the continued
importance of geography and scale, acknowledges differences and diversity, and reveals how
people in different places and contexts respond to and resist the forces of globalization. Indeed,
the weak globalization perspective serves as an effective point of departure for this class.

SO…
Purported globalization is a conscious choice, result of policy
Contested process

Recognize that “globalizing” processes are not the inevitable product of a disembodied
“invisible hand” or a nebulous, nefarious “global system”. Rather, globalization is a process, not
an outcome, which reflects asymmetries of power and the interests of a diverse set of actors,
including transnational corporations, NGOs, multilateral organizations, and national
governments. Accordingly, we can choose to contest the prevailing discourse of
internationalization and reorient the forces which facilitate globalization (technology and
policy) for progressive purposes.

What makes something a global issue?

An issue is a problem, concern, which may be perceived differently in different places
and by different people
Different actors may have different ideas about what an appropriate solution is, and
how to go about achieving a solution
EXAMPLE: Is poverty in Global South caused by overpopulation (there) or
overconsumption (here)?

Characteristics
Mutual agreement among actors that problem constitutes a GLOBAL ISSUE
Problem transcends national boundaries (or at least our awareness of problem)
Cannot be resolved solely by governments or one single actor
Typically confront different value systems
Require long-term focus (both in terms of solutions and consequences)