Contemporary World GE3-Module 1 PDF

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DOMINICAN COLLEGE OF TARLAC Mac Arthur Highway, Poblacion (Sto.Cristo), Capas. 2315 Tarlac, Philippines Tel.No. (045) 491-7579/Telefax (045) 925-0519 E-mail: domct [email protected]

COLLEGE DEPARTMENT A.Y. 2020-2021, First Semester

OBE FACULTY-DESIGNED MODULE

THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD (GE 3)

Prepared by: HAZEL P. JAOS, LPT

MODULE 1

The Task of Describing Globalization

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MODULE 1: The Task of Describing Globalization

LEARNING OUTCOME 1. Identify and understand the working definitions of globalization for the course; 2. Differentiate the competing conceptions of globalization; and 3. Connect daily life experiences to the definition of globalization.

MOTIVATION PHASE

Activity 1

Globalization Map

Think of vocabulary words that can be connected to the given word. Write a minimum of twenty (20) words but you are allowed to write as much as you can.

GLOBALIZATION GLOBALIZATIO N

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11. _________________

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3.__________________

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4.__________________

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5.__________________

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6.__________________

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7.__________________

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8.__________________

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PRESENTATION PHASE

INTRODUCTION 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” (Bauman, 2003). The reality and omnipresence of globalization makes us see ourselves as part of what we refer to as the “global age” (Albrow, 1996). The internet, for

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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 globe. So what is globalization? This question is probably an easy one to answer. However, many scholars gave and tried to formulate its definitions. This resulted in different sometimes contradicting views about the concept. It cannot e contained within a specific time frame, all people, and all situations (Al-Rhodan, 2006). Aside from this globalization encompasses a multitude of processes that involves the economy, political systems, and culture. Social structures, therefore are directly affected by globalization. Over the years, globalization has gained many connotations pertaining to progress, development, and integration. On the one hand, some view globalization as a positive phenomenon. For instance, Swedish journalist Thomas Larsso (2001) saw globalization as the “the process of world shrinkage, of distances getting shorter, things moving closer. It pertains to the increasing ease with which somebody on the side of the world can interact, to mutual benefit with somebody on the other side of the world”. On the other hand, some see it as occurring through and with regression, colonialism, and destabilization. In the mid-1990s, Martin Khor, the former president of the Third World Network (TWN) in Malaysia, once regarded globalization as colonization. In this module, different definitions of globalization will be discussed. The task of conceptualizing it reveals a variety of perspectives. To understand further the concept, different metaphors will be used. These metaphors will also allow an appreciation of earlier epochs before globalization and the present globalized world. The following section will highlight the different views scholars have toward globalization.

THE TASK OF DEFINING GLOBALIZATION

Since its first appearance in the Webster’s Dictionary in 1961, many opinions about globalization have flourished. The literature on the definitions lf globalization revealed that definitions could be classified either broad and inclusive or narrow and exclusive. The one offered by Ohmae in 1992 stated “…. globalization means the onset of the borderless world…” (p. 14). This is an example of a broad and inclusive type of definition. If one uses such,

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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 and exclusive definitions are better justified but can be limiting in the sense that their application adhere to only particular definitions. Robert Cox’s definition suits best in this type “the characteristics of the globalization trend 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… makes states into agencies of the globalizing world” (as cited in RAWOO Netherlands Development Assistance Research Council, 2000, p. 14).

No matter how one classifies a definition of globalization, the concept is complex and multifaceted as the definitions deal with either economic, political, or social dimensions. In fact, in a comprehensive study of 114 definitions by the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP) in 2006, 67 of them refer to economic dimension. These definitions include political and social dimensions as well. The sheer number and complexity of definitions do not mean that there is a remarkable improvement in every definition given by scholars. Kumar (2003) took on a different argument and what it is are similar. This is in relation to what some academics have claimed about globalization - it is a useless task.

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A more recent definition was given by Ritzer (2015), “globalization is a transplanetary process or a set of processes involving increasingly 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…” (p. 2). 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 country 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 us understand globalization?

The overview of definitions implies that globalization is many things to many different people. In 1996, Arjun Appadurai said, “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’” (as cited in Chowdury, 2006, p. 37). In a more recent study, Al-Rhodan (2006) wrote that definitions suggest the perspective of the author on the origins and the geopolitical implications of globalization. It is a starting point that will 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, if it is deemed as creating greater inequalities among nations, globalization is negatively treated.

One became part and parcel of the other. As Poppi (1997) wrote: “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 selfevident, 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” (as cited in Kumar, 2003, p. 95).

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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. The future of globalization is more difficult to predict. What we could expect in the coming years is what has happened over the past 50 years and that is the fluidity and complexity of globalization as a concept, which made more debates, discussions, and definitions than agreements on it. 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 individua society, from small communities to nations and states, and from the benefits we can gain from it to the costs it could carry. In his article, “The Globalization of Nothing,” Ritzer (2003) said, “attitudes toward globalization depend, among other things, on whether one gains or losses from it” (p. 190). Nevertheless, the task of defining globalization should stimulate more discussions about it. More importantly, the act that we experience globalization should give one the interest of engaging in the study of it.

METAPHORS OF GLOBALIZATION In order for us to better understand the concept of globalization, we will utilize metaphors. Metaphors make use of one term to help us better understand another term. In our case, the states of matter - solid - liquid - will be used. In additions, other related concepts that are included in the definition such as structure and flows will be elaborated....