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.

GLOBALIZATION MAP
Think of vocabulary words that can be connected to the word “GLOBALIZATION.” Write
a minimum of ten (10) words.
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 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 be contained within
a specific period, 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, 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.
A more recent definition was given by Ritzer (2015), “globalization is a trans
planetary 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 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” (as cited in Kumar, 2003, p. 95).

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 individual 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.
 The epochs that preceded today’s globalization paved way for people, things,
information, and places to harden over time. Consequently, they have limited mobility
(Ritzer, 2015). The social relationships and objects remained where they were created.
Solidity also refers to barriers that prevent or make difficult the movement of things.
Furthermore, solids can either be natural or manmade. 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 the People’s
Republic of China in their claim to the South China Sea is an example of modern man-
made solid. This creates to the 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 mater, takes the shape of its 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. Zygmunt Bauman’s ideas were the
ones that have much to say about the characteristic of liquidity. First, 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. 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 to the
entire world. Finally, the forces (the liquid ones) mad political boundaries more permeable
to the flow of people and things (Cartier, 2001). this brings us to what Ritzer (2015, p. 6)
regarded as the most important characteristic of liquid: it “tends to melt whatever stands
in its path (especially solids) “. the clearest example is the decline, if not death, of the
nation’s state.
Liquidity and solidity are in constant interaction. However, liquidity is the one
increasing and proliferating today. Therefore, the metaphor that could best describe
globalization is liquidity. Liquids do flow and this idea of flow (Appadurai, 1996; Rey and
Ritzer, 2010) will be the focus of the next discussion/module. Also, it should be expected
that this concept will appear in the succeeding modules/topics. The literature of
globalization makes use of the concept of flows.

Flows
The previous section described the melting process of solid phenomena followed
by the increase in liquidity. It is only logical to discuss the flows of liquid phenomena.
Flows are the movement of people, things, places, and information brought by the
growing “porosity” of global limitations (Ritzer, 2015). Think of the different foreign
cuisines being patronized and consumed by the Filipinos. Aside from the 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 being globalized. Another example
of flows is global financial crises. As Landler (2008, p. 1) put it: “Inglobal 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 the other kinds
of flows that can be observed today: poor illegal migrants flooding many parts of the world
(Moses, 2006), 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.