Republic of the Philippines

Surigao del Sur State University

Rosario, Tandag City, Surigao del Sur 8300
Telefax No. 086-214-4221
Website: www.nemsu.edu.ph

CONTEMPORARY

WORLD
MS. CLYDELYN E. CABRERA
Instructor
Course Description:
This course introduces students to the contemporary world by
examining the multifaceted phenomenon of globalization. Using
the various disciplines of the social sciences, it examines the
economic, social, political, technological, and other
transformations that have created an increasing awareness of the
interconnectedness of people and places around the globe. To
this end, the course provides an overview of the various debates
in global governance, development, and sustainability. Beyond
exposing the student to the world outside the Philippines, it seeks
to inculcate a sense of global citizenship and global ethical
responsibility (CMO No. 20, s. 2013).
 What is
CONTEMPORARY
WORLD?
 CONTEMPORARY
• existing/living/occurring at the • belonging to or occurring in the
same time. present.
Ex. This photo was taken by a contemporary
photographer. PRESENT TIME/PERIOD MODERN CURRENT
 INTRODUCTION AND METAPHORS OF
DEFINITION OF ADVANTAGES AND GLOBALIZATION
GLOBALIZATION DISADVANTAGES
OF GLOBALIZATION

THE GLOBALIZATION
GLOBALIZATION DYNAMICS OF LOCAL OF RELIGION
THEORIES AND GLOBAL CULTURE

GLOBALIZATION AND ORIGINS AND HISTORY GLOBAL

REGIONALIZATION OF GLOBALIZATION DEMOGRAPHY

GLOBAL MIGRATION
Chapter 1: DEFINING GLOBALIZATION
 DEFINING GLOBALIZATION

Globalization – a term that came into popular usage in 1980s to describe

the growing interdependence of the world’s economies, cultures, and
populations, brought about by cross-border trade in goods and services,
technology, and flows of investment, people, information, and ideas.

“Globalization is a transplanetary process or a set of processes involving

increasing liquidity and growing multidirectional flows of people, objects,
places, and information as well as the structures they encounter and create
that are barriers to, expedite, those flows…” (Ritzer, 2005)
GLOBALIZATION

Flow of Goods Flow of People

Flow of Information Flow of Culture

The literature on the definitions of globalization revealed that definitions
could be classified as:
Broad & Inclusive
“…globalization means the onset of the borderless world…” – (Ohmae, 1992)

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 due to its vagueness.

Narrow & Exclusive

“the characteristics of the globalization trend include the internationalizing of

production, the new international division of labor, new migratory
movements, the new competitive environment, and the internationalizing of
the state… making states into agencies of the globalizing world” (as cited in
RAWOO Netherlands Development Assistance Research Council, 2000, p. 14)

Narrow and exclusive definitions are better justified but can be limiting, in
the sense that their application adhere to only particular definitions.
If so, why are we going to spend time studying this
concept? How can we appreciate these definitions?
How can these help us understand globalization?

THE PERSPPECTIVE OF THE PERSON WHO DEFINES GLOBALIZATION

SHAPES ITS DEFINITION.
The overview of definitions implies that globalization is many things to many different
people.

GLOBALIZATION IS THE DEBATE AND THE DEBATE IS GLOBALIZATION.

One became part and parcel of the other.

GLOBALIZATION IS A REALITY.
It is changing as human society develops. It has happened before and is still
happening today. We should expect it to continue to happen in the future.
ADVANTAGES &
DISADVANTAGES
OF GLOBALIZATION
 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It improves access to technology, media, education, consumer goods,

and other resources.
 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It could create more employment opportunities.

 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It increases the quality of goods and services.

 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It attracts foreign capital as well as foreign updated technology,

improving the quality of production.
 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It enables greater case and speed of transportation for goods and

people.
 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It allows international trade (exchange of goods between countries)

 ADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It creates political and economic union.

 DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It benefits the wealthy more than the poor.

 DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It would encourage disease transfer/

• Rapid spread of deadly diseases
 DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It could reduce social safety/human rights.

 DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• It negatively affect the environment (Environmental degradation)

 DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• Results in more imports than exports resulting in growing trade deficit

and balance of payment issue.
 DISADVANTAGES OF GLOBALIZATION

• The mix of cultures can lead to racism, xenophobia, intolerance and

loss of national identity.
METAPHORS of
GLOBALIZATION
SOLID & LIQUID
 SOLID
Solidity
• refers to the persistence of
barriers that prevented the
free flows.
• refers to the barriers that
prevent or make the
movement of things difficult.
LIQUID
Liquidity
• Refers to the increasing ease of
movement of people, things,
information, and places in the
contemporary world.
Ex. Videos uploaded on YouTube or
Facebook are unstoppable once
they become viral.
Important characteristic of Liquid
It “tends to melt whatever
stands in its path (especially solid).”
 Liquidity and solidity are in constant interaction.
However, liquidity is the one increasing and proliferating
today. Therefore, the metaphor that best describes
globalization is liquidity.

Flows – are the movement of people, things, places, and

information brought by the growing porosity of
global limitations.
 Do you agree with the idea
that the contemporary world
is characterized by high
liquidity? Why or why not?
 GLOBALIZATION
THEORIES
Homogeneity & Heterogeneity
(how·muh·juh·nee·uh·tee) (heh·tr·ow·juh·nay·uh·tee)
 HOMOGENEITY

- the quality or state of being of a similar kind or of

having a uniform structure or composition throughout.

HOMOGENEITY in Globalization
– refers to the increasing sameness in
the world as cultural inputs, economic
factors, and political orientations of
societies expand to create common
practices, same economies, and
similar forms of government.
 HOMOGENEITY

Homogeneity in culture is often linked to

Cultural Imperialism - a given culture influences other cultures.

Example:
• The dominant religion in our
country is Christianity,
which was brought to us by
the Spaniards.
 HOMOGENEITY

Homogeneity in culture is often linked to

Cultural Imperialism - a given culture influences other cultures.

Example:
• Americanization, “the
import by non-Americans
of products, images,
technologies, practices,
and behavior that are
closely associated with
America/Americans”
 HOMOGENEITY
increasing sameness

In terms of the economy, there is recognition of the spread of:

• Neoliberalism - generally associated with policies like eliminating price

controls, and cutting trade tariffs and barriers.
• Capitalism - an economic system based on the private ownership of
the means of production and their operation for profit.
• Market Economy - an economic system where two forces, known as
supply and demand, direct the production of goods and services.
 HOMOGENEITY

Media Imperialism
- a theory based upon an over-
concentration of mass media from
larger nations as a significant variable in
negatively affecting smaller nations, in
which the national identity of smaller
nations is lessened or lost due to media
homogeneity inherent in mass media
from the larger countries.
 HOMOGENEITY
increasing sameness

• McWorld - is a term referring to the

spreading of McDonald's restaurants
throughout the world as the result
of globalization.

• McDonaldization is the process by

which a society takes on the
characteristics of a fast-food
restaurant: efficiency, calculability,
predictability and standardization,
and control.
 HETEROGENEITY

is the quality or state of consisting of dissimilar or

diverse elements

HETEROGENEITY in Globalization
– pertains to the creation of various
cultural practices, new economies, and
political groups because of the
interaction of elements from different
societies in the world.
- It refers to the differences because of
either lasting differences or of the hybrids
or combinations of cultures that can be
produced through the different
transplanetary processes.
 HETEROGENEITY

Cultural hybridization –
The process by which a cultural element
blends into another culture by modifying the
element to fit cultural norms. Hybridization,
however, is not merely the mixing, blending
and synthesizing of different elements that
ultimately forms a culturally faceless whole.
In the course of hybridization, cultures often
generate new forms and make new
connections with one another.
 HETEROGENEITY

Examples of Cultural Hybridization

• Creole languages
a new language developed from simplifying and
blending different languages that come into
contact with a particular population at a specific
time.
Ex. Louisiana Creole (a combination of African, French, and English languages.

• Global restaurant chains like Kentucky Fried

Chicken or McDonald’s (KFC), modifying their
menus to suit the tastes or mores of
different cultures.
 HETEROGENEITY

Glocalization
(coined by Roland Robertson in 1992)
• Glocalization is a combination of
the words "globalization" and
"localization." The term is used to
describe a product or service that
is developed and distributed
globally but is also adjusted to
accommodate the user or
consumer in a local market.
 HETEROGENEITY

Glocalization
 DYNAMICS OF
LOCAL AND GLOBAL CULTURE
3 PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL CULTURAL FLOWS
• Cultural Differentialism
• Cultural Hybridization
• Cultural Convergence
 3 PERSPECTIVES ON GLOBAL CULTURAL FLOWS

❑ Cultural Differentialism – emphasizes the fact that cultures are

essentially different and are only superficially affected by global flows.
This involves barriers that prevent flows that serve to make them alike.

❑ Cultural Hybridization – this approach emphasizes the integration of

local and global cultures. This is the mixing of cultures and integration
of the global and local leading to unique combinations.

❑ Cultural Convergence – this approach stresses homogeneity

introduced by globalization. It is when cultures are subject to many of
the same global flows and tend to grow more alike.
▪ Deterritorialization means that it is much more difficult to tie culture
to a specific geographic point of origin.
THE GLOBALIZATION
OF RELIGION
 GLOBALIZATION OF RELIGION

Globalization has
played a tremendous
role in providing a
context for the current
revival and the
resurgence of religion.
Today, most religions
are not relegated to
the countries where
they began. Religions
have, in fact spread
and scatter on a global
scale. Globalization
provided religions a
fertile milieu to spread
and thrive.
 GLOBALIZATION
& REGIONALIZATION
 What is the difference between
Globalization and Regionalization?

GLOBALIZATION REGIONALIZATION
 GLOBALIZATION REGIONALIZATION
• A sort of counter-globalization
• Global integration of • Regional integration of
international trade of BOTH AIMS FOR countries that divided into
investment, technology
GLOBALIZATION ECONOMIC
GROWTH AND
REGIONALIZATION
areas called segments (smaller
and culture. segments – regions).
• More promotion of culture. MOVEMENT OF • Less promotion of culture.
• Foreign direct investment. ECONOMIC • Promotion domestic product.
INTEGRATION
Ex. Division of nation into
states or provinces.
 ORIGIN OF
GLOBALIZATION
 HARDWIRED EPOCHS

FIVE PERSPECTIVES
ON THE ORIGINS OF
GLOBALIZATION.

CYCLE EVENTS

RECENT CHANGES
 HARDWIRED

Globalization stems, among other things, from a basic human urge to

seek a better and more fulfilling life.

According to Nayan Chanda (2007), it is because of our basic

human need to make our lives better that made globalization
possible…
 CYCLE

For some, globalization is a long-term cyclical process. Subscribing to

this view will suggest adherence to the idea that other global ages
have appeared. There is also the notion to suspect that this point of
globalization will soon disappear and reappear.
 EPOCHS
A period of time in history, typically one marked by notable events.

Ritzer (2015) cited Therborn’s (2000) six great epochs of globalization. These are also called
“waves” and each has its own origin. Today’s globalization is not unique if this is the case.

The difference of this view from the second view (cycles) is that it does not treat epochs as
returning.

The following are the sequential occurrence of the epochs.

1. Globalization of religion (fourth to seventh century)
2. European colonial conquests (late fifteenth century)
3. Intra-European wars (Late eighteenth to early nineteenth centuries)
4. Heyday of European imperialism (mid-nineteenth century to 1918)
5. Post –World War II period
6. Post-Cold War Period
 EVENTS

Specific events are also considered as part of the fourth view in explaining the
origin of globalization.

The recent years could be regarded as the beginnings of globalization with

reference to specific technological advances in transportation and
communication.

Some examples include:

• the first transatlantic telephone cable (1956),
• the first transatlantic television broadcasts (1962),
• the founding of the of the modern internet in 1988
• terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York (2001)
 Broader, More Recent Changes

Recent changes comprised the fifth view. Scholars today point to these
three notable changes as the origin of globalization that we know today.
They are as follows:

1. The emergence of the United States as the global power (post-World

War II).
2. The emergence of multinational corporations (MNCs)
3. The demise of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War
 GLOBAL
DEMOGRAPHY
The global population, which stood
at just over 2 billion in 1950, is
GLOBAL DEMOGRAPHY
7.9 billion today.

2 billion in 1950 Demography is the statistical study

of human populations. Demography
7.9 billion today. examines the size, structure, and
movements of populations over space
and time.
The world is currently gaining new
inhabitants at a rate of 76 million
people a year (representing the
difference, in 2005, between 134 million
births and 58 million deaths).

Although this growth is slowing,

middle-ground projections
suggest the world will have 9.1
billion inhabitants by 2050, when
growth will be approximately 34
million a year.
 COUNTRIES IN
THE WORLD BY
POPULATION
(FEB. 12 , 2023)
 OVER-
GOOD SIDE
• Better Economy
• Efficient Utilization of
Resources
• Medical, Agricultural and
Industrial Growth
• Better Labor Force
• Greater Investment in
Capital Formation
POPULATION
THE “PERILS”
• Shortage of Food and Land
• Environmental Problems
• Problem of Unemployment
• Poverty and Low Standard
of Living
• Inflation (the rate of increase in
prices over a given period of time)
• Conflict and War
GLOBAL MIGRATION
 GLOBAL MIGRATION
- is the movement of people from one place in the world to another.

CATEGORIES OF MIGRANTS
• Vagabonds are on the move “because they have
to be”– they are not faring well in their home
countries and are forced to move in their hope
that their circumstances will improve.
• Refugees are vagabonds forced to flee their
home countries due to safety concerns.
• Asylum Seekers are refugees who seek
to remain in the country to which they
flee.
• Tourists are on the move because they want to be
and because they can afford it.
According to Kritz (2008), those who
migrate to find work are involved in
LABOR MIGRATION. Labor migration is
driven by “push” factors (e.g., lack of
employment opportunities in home
countries), as well as “pull” factors
(work available elsewhere).

The term “diaspora” has been

increasingly used to describe migrant
communities of particular interest. It is the
dispersion of any people from their
original homeland.