Defining Globalization

Introduction to Globalization

In history class, if you hear that one famous person was a contemporary of another that
means they lived at the same time. Contemporaries are people and things from the same time
or period. Contemporary can also describe things happening now or recently.

Much has changed since time immemorial. Human beings have encountered many changes
over the last century especially in their social relationships and social structures. Of these
changes, one can say that globalization is a very important change. If not the most important.
The reality and omnipresence of globalization makes us see ourselves as part of what we refer
to as the “global age” The internet, for example, allows a person from the Philippines to know
what is happening to the rest of the world simply by browsing Google. The mass media also
allows for connections among people, communities and countries all over the world.

The term globalization first appeared in Webster’s Dictionary in 1961, from then on many
opinions about globalization have nourished.
The literature on the definitions revealed that definitions could be classified into:

1. Broad and inclusive – Ohmae – globalization means the onset of the borderless world – an
example of a broad and inclusive definition. If one uses such, it can include a variety of issues
that deal with overcoming traditional boundaries. However, it does not shed light on the
implications of globalization die to its vagueness.

2. Narrow and exclusive – these are better justified but can be limiting. In the sense that their
application adhere to only particular definitions.

Robert Cox – suits best in this type – the characteristics of the globalization tend include the
internationalizing of production, the new international division of labor, new migratory
movements from south to north, the new competitive environment that accelerates these
processes and the internationalizing of the state…making states into
agencies of the globalizing world.

A more recent definition was given by Ritzer – Globalization is a transplanetary process or a set
of processes involving increasing liquidity and the growing multidirectional flows of people,
objects, places and information as well as the structures they encounter and create that are
barriers to, or expedite those flows.

Generally, this definition assumes that globalization could bring either or both integration and/or
fragmentation. Although things flow easily in a global world, hindrances or structural blocks are
also present. These blocks could slow down one’s activity in another county or could even limit
the places a person can visit.
If so, why are we going to spend time studying this concept? How can we appreciate
these definitions? How can these help up globalization?

I definition – the overview of definitions implies that globalization is many things to many
different people.

Arjun Appadurai – globalization is a world of things that have different speeds, axes, points of
origin and termination and varied relationships to institutional structures in different regions,
nations or societies. Definitions suggest the perspective of the author on the origins and the
geopolitical implications of globalization. It is a starting point that will guide the rest of any
discussions. In effect, one’s definition and perspective could determine concrete steps in
addressing the issues of globalization.
For example, if one sees globalization as positive, the person can say that it is unifying force.
On the other hand, it is is deemed as creating greater inequalities among nations, globalization
is negatively treated.

2. Cesare Poppi – Globalization is the debate and the debate is globalization – One become
part and parcel of the other. The literature stemming from the debate on globalization has grown
in the last decade beyond any individual’s capability of extracting a workable definition of the
concept. In a sense, the meaning of the concept is self-evident. In another, it is vague and
obscure as its reaches are wide and constantly shifting. Perhaps, more than any other concept,
globalization is the debate about it.

3. Globalization is reality – it is changing as human society develops. It has happened before

and it is still happening today. We should expect it to continue to happen in the future. The
future of globalization is more difficult to predict. What we would expect in the coming years is
what has happened over the past so years and that is the fluidity and complexity of globalization
as a concept, which made more debates, discussions and definitions that agreements on it.

4. Overall, globalization is a concept that is not easy to define because in reality globalization
has a shifting nature. It is complex, multifaceted and can be influenced by the people who define
it. Moreover, the issues and concerns involving globalization have a wide range – from the
individual to society, from small communities to nation and states and from the benefits we can
gain from it to the costs it could carry.

Elaborate
In order for us to better understand the concept of globalization, we will utilize metaphors.

Metaphors of Globalization

Metaphor - a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to

which it is not literally applicable.

In our case, let us use the state of matter – solid and liquid

Solid – the epoch that precede today’s globalization paved way for people, things, information
and places to harden over time, Consequently, they have limited mobility. The social
relationships and objects remained where they were created. Solidity refers to barriers that
prevent or make difficult the movement of things. Furthermore, solids can either be natural or
man-made. Examples of natural solids are landforms and bodies of water.

Man-made barriers include the Great Wall of China and the Berlin Wall. An imaginary line such
as the nine dash line used by China in their claim to South China Sea is an example of a
modern man made solid. This creates limited access of Filipino fishers to the South China Sea.

Obviously, these examples still exist. However, they have the tendency to melt. This should not
be taken literally like an iceberg melting. Instead, this process involves how we can describe
what is happening in today’s global world. It is becoming increasingly liquid.

Liquid – as a state of matter takes the shape of a container. Moreover, liquids are not fixed.
Liquidity therefore, refers to the increasing ease of movement of people, things, information and
places in the contemporary world. - Globalization has since sped up to an unprecedented pace,
with public policy changes and communications technology innovations cited as the two main
driving factors.
Characteristics of liquidity:
1. Today’s liquid phenomena change quickly and their aspects spatial and temporal are in
continuous fluctuation. This means that space and time are crucial elements of globalization. In
global finance, for instance, changes in the stock market are a matter of seconds.

2. Another characteristic of liquid phenomena is that their movement is difficult to stop.

For example, videos uploaded on YouTube or Facebook are unstoppable once they become
viral. The so-called internet sensations become famous not only in their homeland but also in
the entire world.

3. Finally, the forces (the liquid ones) made political boundaries more permeable to the flow of
the people and things. This is brings us to the most important characteristic of liquid – It tends to
melt whatever stands in the path (especially solids). The clearest example is the decline, if not
death of the nation state.

Flows
The previous discussion described the melting process of solid phenomena flowed by the
increase in liquidity. It is only logical to discuss the flow of liquid phenomena.

Flows are the movement of people, things, places and information brought about by the growing
“porosity of global limitations.

Think of the different cuisines being patronized and consumed by the Filipinos. Aside from local
dishes, many of us are fond of eating sushi, ramen, hamburger, and French fries – foods
introduced to us by foreign cultures. Clearly, foods are becoming globalized. Another example
of flow is global financial crises. In global financial system, national borders are porous. This
means that a financial crisis in a given country can bring ramifications to other regions of the
world. An example of which is the spread of the effects of American financial crisis on Europe in
2008. The following are other kinds of flows that can be observed today: poor illegal migrants
flooding many parts of the world, the virtual flow of legal and illegal information such as blogs
and child pornography, respectively and immigrants recreating ethnic enclaves in host
countries. A concrete example is the Filipino communities abroad and the Chinese communities
in the Philippines.
Proponents of globalization believe it allows developing countries to catch up to industrialized
nations through increased manufacturing, diversification, economic expansion, and
improvements in standards of living.

Outsourcing by companies brings jobs and technology to developing countries. Trade initiatives
increase cross-border trading by removing supply-side and trade-related constraints.

Globalization has advanced social justice on an international scale, and advocates report that it
has focused attention on human rights worldwide.

China and India are among the foremost examples of nations that have benefited from
globalization, but there are many smaller players and newer entrants. Indonesia, Cambodia,
and Vietnam are among fast-growing global players in Asia.