III.
Theorizing Globalization
VIDEO #1; Theoretical Perspectives of
Globalization
Theories of Globalization (6 ideas to better
understand globalization today)
6 perspective of Globalization
1. Imperialism
2. Colonialism
3. Development
4. Americanization
5. Neoliberalism
6. Neo- Marxism
1. Imperialism
- methods employed by one nation-sate to gain
power over an area(s) and then to exercise
control over it.
 Political dominion
 Economic control
 Cultural influence
- The term imperialism is derived from latin
the roman word imperium
o Imperium refers to roman rule
especially the supreme power held
by the roman imperator or emperor
- Imperialism has basically changed across
time because in the classical sense
imperialism simply meant the empire or the
imperial government and the huge chasm that
existed between imperial ruler and his
subjects (very strong political and militaristic
sense)
- Traditionally implies a strong and militaristic
sense
- A complex phenomenon of global political,
economic, and cultural processes. (In
modern the term imperialism has actually
expanded to include a broader discussions on
the complex phenomenon of global political,
global economics and global cultural.
- Both past and present conceptions of
imperialism attached it with negative
connotations.
- First used in 17th literatures but its
widespread use came around late 1900’s as a
number of countries like Germany, Italy,
Belgium, Great Britain, France and United
States competed for control over vast
resources and territories in previously
underdeveloped geographic areas especially
in the continent of Africa. (scramble for
Africa is indulged in mainly by the previous
mentioned European powers and they are
viewed either as an attempt by these powers
to extend or advance their political or
economic interest
 Economic view point
- Imperialism can be considered closely
associated with the economic nature of
capitalism
 Imperialism and Capitalism (argument
being forwarded by historians and
globalist or globalization theorist)
- Capitalist – driven European nation-states
who became industrialized experienced:
 Increasing rate in the mass production of
goods and various commodities
 Accumulation of growing quantities of
surplus products which far exceeded the
need and therefore the consumption
capacity of their people
 Production reached the saturation point as
it exceed what the people can possibly
consume
  Profit of the capitalist owners of
manufacturing industries declined
significantly
In order to regain and even maximize profit,
capitalist
 Sought-out to gain control of distant
territories
 Established foreign investment in these
foreign markets
- Nature of Capitalism is its tendency to
expand imperialistically throughout the
world, imperialism and capitalism are very
much synonymous with each other in terms
of their economic nature.
- Imperialism as an economic enterprise
- Imperialism also had so much to do with 19th
century European ideology of nationalism
 Imperialism and European Nationalism
In the 1900’s, the aggressive, militaristic, and
expansionist behaviour of most European nation
states were driven by their:
 National prestige and pride and superior
culture
 Belief that they are suited to rule and
others are suited to be ruled
 Belief that they have the right to exploit
and “civilize” countries they thought were
backward and barbaric
- Each believing in their own military
superiority over other neighbors European
arms race which resulted to a series of
international crises which eventually led to
the outbreak of world war one and world
war two in 1942 as a result of intense
national pride and inspiration among the
Japanese, Italians and German to pursue
imperial expansion
o Benito Mussolini and his Italian
fascists they justify their aggression
as they look back to their past
greatness or national glory in the
days of Imperial Rome
o Adolf Hitler of Germany and his
German Nazis they envisioned of
establishing the
third right which was actually driven
by their belief that only the Germans
were a true folk or people descended
from a race that maintained blood
purity they call this the Aryan race –
they think that they ought to dominate
the world being a superior and a
purely blooded race
- Past scholars have argued that it's some kind
of a heavy-handed and nationalistic or
nation-centered form have been actually
replaced by a new form of imperialism
o New form of Imperialism – a kind of
imperialism that is no longer
centered on the power and control
exercised by a given nation-state.
Imperialism: New Form
- No longer centered on a nation-state’s power
and control
- Characterized by fusion of
 Political interest (territorial expansion) and
 Economic – interest (control and
exploitation of a territory’s resources) by
capitalist
o This new form of imperialism is
characterized by some kind of a
fusion or a combination or a mix of
political interest in territorial
expansion and the economic nature of
imperialism which basically reflects
the capitalist interest in gaining
control of territories and other
resources - these are basically the
reflections of recent images and
meaning of imperialism as they
 describe in a more subtle and
complex network of global political
economic and cultural processes that
are exercising and occurring around
the world.
 For instance, a very reason of
incursion of china in the
territorial waters of the
Philippines within our
exclusive economic zones
(these basically reflect on as a
modern form of imperialistic )
2. Colonialism
- Is almost always a consequence of
Imperialism, As when an imperial or a
dominating European Nation state begins to
strengthen control over its subjects in distant
territories either by establishing European
settlements in foreign territories or by
creating apparatuses to administer direct
fool and uninterrupted political control over
the internal affairs of its colonies
- In other words colonialism generally
involves settlers or colonist emigrating to a
colony and it also involves the formal
mechanism of political control or an attempt
to extend political
- Imperialism and Colonialism involved both
economic and political as well as cultural
control
- Colonialism is more about political control
- Colonialism as a global phenomenon is
ancient it can be traces back to ancient
Greek romans Egyptians , Phoenicians,
Sumerian colonies which extended across the
Mediterranean
- The creation by a colonial power of an
administration in an area that has been
colonized to run its internal affairs.
- Involves
 Establishing settlements in foreign
territories
 Emigrating settlers to the colony
 Creating mechanism of political control or
authority over colonized people
 2nd recent ages
- 1st
 Started in the second half of the 15th
century
 Led by Portugal and Spain
 Established colonies in Africa, Asia and
the Americas between 1580 and 1640
nd
- 2
 Lasted between 1820 to the end of WW I
 Division and control of Africa by Great
Britain, France, Germany, Portugal,
Belgium, Italy and Spain
Decolonization  Neo-colonization
Decolonization – The process of revealing and
dismantling colonialist power in all its form
 Decolonization movement began to
succeed at the outset of the 20th century.
 Achievement of political independence by
former colonies in Africa, Asia, and South
America
Neo-colonization – The resurgence of efforts
at regaining control over former colonies and
other nation states in a more INDIRECT and
SUBTLE economic control and exploitation of
their natural resources
Examples:
 Payne-Aldrich Act of 1909
 Philippines was compelled to trade and
buy more American made products
 Philippines was obliged to import more
American product
 Quantities of Philippine made products
exported to the US were limited through
quotas and other restrictions
 Tydings-McDuffie Act og 1934
 Filipinos were compelled to allow the flow
of American capital, technology, and
 products (medicines, chemicals, wheat
flour, and preserved meat
- Residues of colonialism in this former
colonies still provided the precondition
which enabled it to resurge
- There was in fact a resurfacing of
colonialism through a new mode of
colonization and that is the process called
neo-colonialism now under this neo-
colonialism trend or mode control over the
former colonies was more indirect it was
more subtle and even more focused on
economic control and exploitation of their
resources
-