George Ritzer Paul Dean Globalization a basic text book notes PDF

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A Basic Text 12/9 2013 Chapter 1 – Intro Globalization – the most important change in human history – “the global age” Distinction between globalization and trans-nationalism: Global is all over the world, while trans-nationalism is more about things which hasn’t flowed only between a smaller number of borders. Example: Baseball is a trans-nationalism (few countries) and soccer is global (all over the world). Terms: Globalization: Trans planetary process (es) involving increasing liquidity and growing multidirectional flows as well as the structures they encounter and create. Trans nationalism: Processes that interconnect individuals and social groups across specific geopolitical borders. - Used on immigrants who move from one country to another but still a part of their old. Trans nationality: Rise of new communities and formation of new social identities and relations that cannot be defined as nation-states. Globality: Omnipresence of the process of globalization Metaphors: Use of one term to help us better understanding another. From solids to liquids (to gases) Solid Previous global epochs People - Solidity (they were hard people) - Didn’t go anywhere or venture to people nearby - Things were used where they were produced - Didn’t move far, so did information not The state was solid – the nation-state was likely to create solidity (ex. Wall of China, borders, gates) Most extreme forms of solidity was brought into existence by the Cold war. Example: East and West in Germany and the Sovjet Union. (p. 4) Solidity still exists: borders between Mexico and US, European borders etc.

Elite members of any society were (and are) better able to move about and that ability increased in transportation technology. Technologies advantaged; telegraph, telephone, Internet. It became no longer so solid with its shapes like a book for example. Terms: Solidity: People, Things, Information and places “harden” over time and therefore have limited mobility. Liquids and Gases Information wafts through the air in form of signals beamed off satellites. Those signals are giving us our television or phones (etc.) signals from global systems. Karls Marx was speaking about the capitalism: “everything solid melts into air” (p. 6 ll. 7) The increasing fluidity associated with globalization presents both great opportunities and great dangers. At the moment and for the foreseeable future, the momentum lies with increasing and proliferating global liquidity. Terms: Liquidity: Increasing ease of movement of people things, information, and places in the global age. Gaseousness: Hyper-mobility of people, things, information, and places in the global age. Flows “globalization is increasingly characterized by great flows of increasingly liquid phenomena of all types, including people, objects, information, decisions, places, and so on”(p. 7 ll. 8-9). Places are flowing because people re-create the place they come from (immigrants). Terms: Flows: Movement of people, things, information, and places due, in part, to the increasing porosity of global barriers. Types of flows Terms: Interconnected flows: Global flows that interconnect at various points and times. Multi-directional flows: All sorts of things flowing in every conceivable direction among many points in the world.

Conflicting flows: Trans planetary processes that conflict with one another (and with much else) – attract the greatest attention.(example: the war between US and Iraq information gets out) Reverse flows: Processes, which, while flowing in one direction, act back on their source. Ulrick Bech call it the boomrang effect. Does globalization hop rather than flow? Not all flows go everywhere and they affect differently Globalization hops instead of flows (James Ferguson) in some countries, Africa. This means that in some countries (or special enclaves (territories)) globalization hops into it in the form of tourists and their money. Globalization flows more easily through developed countries Some ‘heavy structures’ block flows, especially in less developed parts of the world which means that positive flows often bypass these less developed areas while more developed places with no barriers are positively affected. Heavy, light, weightless - like solid, liquid and gasses Big changes in going from heavy to light or even weightless – arrival and expansion of cable and satellite television, radio, phones, computer and Internet. Being social have even become weightless Digitalization also is an example of weightlessness – via internet you can see a specialized doctor in another country. Karin Knorr Cetina has described Al-Quada and financial markets: “complex global microstructures,” or “structures of connectivity and integration that are global in scope but microsociological in character”. Most obvious structures which will be impeding the movement of solid and heavy to liquid and weightless are; borders between nations, China has made a firewall on the internet, digital divide between north and south History concludes that people always have made barriers and borders to protects themselves and will continue to do so.(p. 14) Terms: Economic globalization: Growing economic linkages at the global level. Heavy structures that expedite flows

Liquefaction of the social world increases, but still many solid things is produced and continue to exist. Immobility and exclusion verses globalization as movement Formal and informal bridges Networks: transnational(those that pass through the boundaries of nation-states), international (those that involvetwo or more nation-states), national (those that are bounded by nation-state) and local (those that exist at the sub-national level. Those networks expedite the flows, especially of information. Social structures (family, religion, state, societies, institutions etc. ) are interconnected on a global basis. Example: Banks work together across nations. Heavy structures as barriers to flows There are limits and barriers to those flows we were talking about. - trade agreements - borders - custom barriers - standards “While the global world is increasingly interconnected, we cannot lose sight of the fact that there remain, and are likely to remain, many points of weak, awkward, or even absent interconnectedness.” (p. 19) Interconnection caused by flows doesn’t move smoothly which is called “frictions”. Friction can slows, speeds, keep globalflows moving and even make them stop. Illegal products and even people flows too. What is legal and illegal? Organizations are closed to some flows, to benefit economically Subtler structural barriers “These structures are less blatant, more subtle, than the kinds of structures discussed above, but in many ways more powerful and more important from a social point of view. Included here are a variety of structures that serve to differentiate and to subordinate on the basis of social class, race, ethnicity, gender, and region of the world” (p. 23) “Those who occupy superordinate positions in these hierarchies tend to erect structures that halt or slow various flos. These restrictions are designed to work to their advantage and to disadvantage of others”(p. 23) Here we talk about social relations in the structures

“brain drain” people from the south moving to the north – global phenomenon Northern people is seen as tourists because they can travel ‘weightless’ while southern people are more vagabond because they are ‘heavy’(less oppourtunities) – Zygmunt Baumann Terms: Tourists: People who move about the world because they want to; because they are ‘light’. Vagabonds: Those likely to move because they are forced to. Structures: Encompassing sets of processes that may either impede or block flows or serve to expedite and channel them. Structure and process - various form; economic, political, religious, cultural etc. Structure – something which is there Process – something that happens On the increasing ubiquity of global flows (and processes) and structures Global flows – inescapable part of our everyday experience Talked about since 1990’es Micro-perspective; how the flow affect daily life, people Macro-level; government, organizations Transcendental; planet, climate, migration, diseases without borders, religion, cosmologies Thinking about global flows and structures Processes of global flows, relations, networks, interconnections: Extensive – flows has become extensive today, lots more global processes Intensive – flows are much more central and important Velocity – the speed at which they move, greater speed Impact propensity – impact in the past Various structures that have emerged to expedite and impede globalization: Extensive – more in the future(export processes zones) Chapter 2 Is there such thing as globalization? Skeptics: - no one process of globalization but rather globalizations (multiple globalization processes) - globalization is an over-simplification - globalization is a new term of something old - economically: emphasize global division of labor and multinational and transnational corporations, focus on national-state - political: inter-governmentalize (world continue being dominated by relations among

national governments. - cultural: more national and not up for a popular common culture dominated by only one for example US. Globalists: - no where isn’t affected by globalization - it’s growing, increasing - globalization is new - economically: few genuine MNC(multi national corporations), national-state are less important and declining - political: multilateralism(relations possible in a global world) - cultural: a culture which is common to a large number Terms: Globalist: Believe that there is such a thing as globalization and that it encompasses virtually the entire globe Skeptics: Contend that there is no such thing as globalization The origin of globalization(p. 37-44) - Globalization is a long-term cyclical process, which will be replaced by a new cycle in the globalization process. - Epochs; globalization is not unique historically. Past epochs of globalization is not returning in its old form but in its new form. - Events can also be seen as the origin of globalizations Important forms of globalization - Economically - Political (some organizations are state-less such as al-Qaeda. - Cultural - Religion - Science - Health and medicine - Sport - Education It makes more sense to seek different origin for each of the many forms of globalizations than seek out one single origin point. Terms: Political globalization: Political relations that exist at a global level, including inter-national relations Cultural globalization: Cultural influences that exist at a global level, between and among various nations. What drives globalization? A single driver? Or lots of drivers?

Material factor - objective factors and forces - Karl Marx, economic factors; forces, relations of production and technology etc. - Capitalism, MNC Ideal factor - Presented by Hegel and Marx saw the ideology - drivers of the process are changes in thinking and idea - not by material changes but in changes of ideas and knowledge Max Weber – concluded that both material and ideal factors are important for the driving of globalization, but still he personally thought that material factors was most important. If there is such a thing as globalization, is it inexorable? Friedman; The World is Flat; “globalization is expanding in various ways and directions” Terms: Globalization from above: Process that is created disseminated by large-scale forces, especially in the North and imposed especially on the South. Globalization from below: Individual actors, and groups of actors opposing and acting to oppose globalization. Does globaphilia or globaphobia have the upper hand? Terms: Globaphilia: Emphasis on the positive aspects of globalization, especially greater economic success and the spread of democracy. Globaphobia: Emphasis on the negative aspects of globalization, especially for the less well-off parts of the globe. What can be done? Nothing? Everything? Idea: Nothing can be done to stop globalization Marxian theory – people come to accord social processes and come to feel its their own Idea: Everything can be done Antithetical view: People can affect globalization by their actions. Stop, slow or alter globalization. Terms: Reification: People come to accord social processes a reality of their own and come to feel that there is nothing they can do about them.

Chapter 3 – Globalization and related processes I Many of the concept are discussed separately but overlap each other. Imperialism is sometimes difficult to distinguish from colonialism because Americanization is a subtype of Westernization and it has also involved imperialism, colonialism and commitment to development (and dependency). Globalization cannot be completely divorced from the other idea because they the concepts continue to be viable and affect globalization. Imperialism The word imperialism came from Roman(emphire = describe political form with characteristic from Roman rule) and was FIRST associated with control over one or more neighbor nations, LATER ON imperialism(emphire too) was associated with rulership, vast over geographical spaces and people there = leads to association between imperialism and globalization. Imperialistic: ‘Superior ‘ cultures should be controlled by the ‘inferior’ cultures by flowing. Economically(Great Britian economy in India, USA in North America) and Politically too. Vladimir Lenin(the first leader of Sovjet Union) and Hobson - theorists of imperialism - view: the economic nature of capitalism leads capitalistic economies, and the nation-state that are dominated by such an economic system, SEEK OUT control distant geographic areas. Which means that a capitalist economic system tended to expand imperialistically throughout the world. Lenin: Only “purely economic factors” as the most basic as the essence of imperialism(5 dimensions page. 66) Hobson: Other dimensions than economically New imperialism - David Harvey

Terms: Imperialism: Methods employed by one nation-state gain power over an area(s) and then exercise control over it. Cultural imperialism: Cultures imposing themselves, more or less consciously, on other cultures. Media imperialism: Western (especially US) media and their technologies dominating less developed nations, cultures. Colonialism The combining between imperialism and colonialism: Edward Said: “Imperialism means the practice, the theory, and their attitudes of a dominating metropolitan centre ruling a distant territory; ‘colonialism’, which is almost always a

consequence of imperialism, is the implanting of settlements on distant territory” (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin 1998) (p. 69) Lenin: imperialism is more defined by economic control(and exploitation, while colonialism is more about political control. Amsler(2008): Cultural colonialism – colonial power through culture activities and institutions(media, education) ‘Decolonization’ : “the process of revealing and dismantling colonialist power in all its forms “ (Ashcroft, Griffiths, and Tiffin 1998) ‘Neo-colonialism” (Nkrumah 1965) Terms: Colonialism: Creation by the colonial power of an administration in the area that has been colonized to run its internal affairs. Post-colonialism: Developments that take place in a former colony after the colonizing power departs. Development Development can be viewed as a ‘project’ that predated the project of globalization. - concerned with the economic development of specific (mostly undeveloped) nations - relevant after WW II - the goal was to make the South much more like the North Marschall: Operation in mid-1947 about giving European countries(outside Sovjet union) large sums of money from the US to order to develop and help them. Dependency theory (Cardoso and Faletto 1979) replaced by the World System Theory (Wallerstein 1974) Andre Gunder Frank(1969): “the developed countries were never in the same position of less developed countries today; the developed countries were undeveloped while the less developed countries were (and are) underdeveloped”(p. 73) The meaning is that the path chosen by the former (fx the Northern countries) isn’t necessarily the best one for the latter. “the less developed countries can only develop if they are independent of most of these capitalist relationships which, after all, are really the cause of their lack of development” Terms: Development: A “project” primarily concerned with the economic development of specific nationstates not regarded as sufficiently developed. Import-substitution: Countries (usually in the south) “encouraged” to develop their industries:

instead of producing for export, rely on imports. Dependency theory: Development of the nation-states of the South contributed to a decline in their independence; to an increase in their dependence on the North. World System theory: Sees the world divided mainly between the core and the periphery with the latter dependent on and exploited by, the core nation-states. Westernization Terms: Westernization: Economic, political, and influence of the West on the rest of the World. Easternization How eastern productions affect the western world for example manufactors from Japan has become influent. The western world is not only affected by the food industry from the eastern world. Terms: Economic and cultural influences of the East on the West. (Colin Camphell) Comparisons with globalization Globalization is not nation-state based and is likely, to pose a threat the nations-state. Which is also expressed: “Globalization is a decentered process. All of the others have clear centers from which they emanate and extend their power and influence” The era of the “posts” Chapter 4 – Globalization and related processes II Eric Hobsbawm(1998): “the global trimph of the United States and its way of life” But its clear, that the influence of US in the twenty first century, is declining. Americanization is a central part of globalization because it’s old important influence and its been studied and analyzed so much, and also because of Richard Kuisel definition: “Americanization is important by non-americans of products, images, technologies, practices and behavior that are closely associated with America/Americans” Clarifying Americanization Americanization not only US, but also; Canada, Mexico and North, Central and South. Americanization defined as: the export of products, images, technologies, practices and behavior. Sercan schrieber says(1968): “Fifteen years from now it is possible that the world’s third greatest industrial power, just after the US and Russia, will not be Europe, but American industry in Europe”(p. 87). Later on we saw EU, Japan and China rise.

Soderquist 2005: Nations’ fears of Americanization exists and existed, but the fear got no longer of industrial giants – production oriented (General Motors) instead; the impact of consumptionoriented retailer Wal-Mart (or McD, Coca cola). The fear of the giants. There is also interest in politics, the law, the military, culture, and so on. As seen elections in Europe for example looks more like America, now a day. “All import from the US may not involve Americanization, and imports from the US may be declining but the US remains a major exporter of all sorts of things to other nations, including many that are closely identified with it” (p. 88 ll. 22-24) Lots of things is oriented in Americanization (ex. The fast-food restaurant), and even though the ‘concept’ may be declining or disappearing lots of product’s ‘roots’ will be from Americanization. (example; the law system) Some useful conceptual distinctions Different parts of the world are experiencing different periods of Americanization therefor we can also distinguish between all those terms. America’s logistical technologies “it is the globalization of such American logistical technologies that is far more important than the much more obvious, and much more discussed, things like the globalization of Apple’s Ipods and iPhones as well as Starbucks’ frappuccions” (p. 95) So, the logistical technologies (systems) like McD, ATm Flexible manufacturing system (see 95) of the American things which are the most important and reasons why America is so dominant....