Shehab Zahda Essay

Globalization Is A New Phenomenon!

Globalization means different things for different people. It is a gelatinous, rubbery, ubiquitous and mercurial term; Scholars put it as multi-dimensional. One cannot get hold of exact tangible definition, neither a clear historical trace of it. In recent years, some scholars relate globalization, rhetorically as a new phenomenon, to economic, social, technological and political factors; where growing interdependence and interconnectedness of countries are taking place. While one may contend that it is not a new phenomenon, rather a cyclical phenomenon expressed nowadays in what we argue is Globalization related more to internationalization, universalization, westernization and liberalization. It is so much related to the advents of new technologies and the growth of free-trade. A definition states: The innumerable interconnections economic, cultural, technological, political which bind the local and national into the global community; the consequence of neo-liberal economic policies which see everything, including education, as a commodity to be sold to the global market place (Hicks, 2007: 28) Globalization as a concept is multifaceted which has invited controversies, more particularly when it comes to the problmatique whether it is a new or an old phenomenon. Had it been a new phenomenon, it would have been more related to the economic, political, and cultural interdependence. This concept was coined in the 1960s, which ought to imply different things as it suggests; It has become a buzzword that some will use to describe everything that is happening in the world today (Jeffery, 2002). The phenomenon is perceived new one for being a process, while Globalization as a term did not exist before this poque. Authors agree that

Shehab Zahda Essay

globalization is a new phenomenon, although they may stress different factors in its emergence (Estok & Reneta, 2011: 47). The sceptics position that talks of 'globalization' can be a social scientist's jargon, a journalist's catchphrase, a publisher's sales pitch, a politician's slogan, and a businessperson's fetish. Indeed, the four definitions outlined above between them cover most academic, official, corporate and popular discussion of things 'global'. Critics are right to assail the historical illiteracy that marks most claims of novelty associated with globality (Scholte, 2005: 50). A tendency of preference to speak of globalism as a phenomenon with ancient roots and of globalization as set the processes of increasing globalism, now or in the past (Keohane & Nye Jr, J, 2000: 108). Scholars not only hold different views with regards to proper definitions of globalization, they also disagree on its scale, causation, chronology, impact, trajectories, and policy outcomes (Steger, 2009: 11). The idea of globality, globalism, global imaginary, and to name a few has not appeared due to specific event, or emerged in a distinctive way that one would trace Globalization with. It became more in use as a vocabulary after as many people claim Marshall McLuhan tried to elaborate on the Collapse of time and space by referring to the new setting of the world as he sees it Global Village. Scholars who tend to view it as an old phenomenon emphasise that it has existed before 1960s. Globalization, in this regard, is viewed as a part of human civilization from its beginnings, whether it be cyclical trend or a linear process which took place in important times in history and were repeated regularly, accordingly seen as a chronological process and its facets can be found in the past (Scholte, 2005: 19-20).

Shehab Zahda Essay

Nonetheless, proponents of the old phenomenon perception refer to it as a consequent developmental emergence of the global ideas driven from religions as; Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam to modern secular humanism, while others consider its beginning to be 100 to 500 years ago, "The beginnings of this early globalization are connected with systematic worldwide distribution, price formation and with the sale of various commodities" (Scholte 2005: 67). Missionaries, invasions, liberations, preaching and other connotations for spreading religions and ideologies have had the idea of Globalization at their essence. However, it was not called so at the time and its manifestations were not as what we see in the nowadays capitalistic dominated life. "Globalization is nothing more than the global spread of science and technologies. Globalization began at the latest in the last third of the 19th century" (Gray 2002 in Estok & Reneta, 2011: 47). Opponents of Globalization as a new phenomenon consider it an inevitable process (Iravani & Nazerian, 2012: 5229) driven by technological advances and the reduced cost of making transactions across borders and distances, as well as the increased mobility of capital. This has led to an extension in political, cultural environmental and security issues (WHO, 2012). Globalization seen as a process is often related to internationalization, universalization, liberalization and westernization, Internationalization differs from globalization in that globalization includes non-economic factors (Scholte, 2005 & WHO, 2012). The current Globalization as a set of process is much related to Cognitive components, such as the spread of neo-liberal economics, democratic principles and support for human rights (WHO, 2012). The foundation of major institutions was one of the mechanisms of the perceived Globalization as a new phenomenon, such as; which implies the process the International Monetary Fund (IMF), The World Trade Organization (WTO), and the World Bank. This form

Shehab Zahda Essay

of globalization is usually associated with Capitalism or Americanization; dominated by the single super power the United States of America (Stiglitz, 2002). The policy mechanisms developed in harmony with neoliberal ideology also aim to foster globalization (WHO, 2012). Basically, 'globalization' is hardly a new phenomenon, rather it is merely a new name, the following code for capitalism that subsumes a variety of social and political and economic processes. Capitalistic Neo-liberal Globalizations driving force has been the extraction from domestic resources to finance economic invasion abroad, the private accumulation, exploitation of third world, ownership of resources, and exploitation of cheap labour and international trade (Iravani & Nazerian, 2012: 5229). Globalization to be a new phenomenon, one would need to verify the time of a historical transition when certain changes affect all localities (Giddens, 2000: 11).The world is spinning out of control and new risks are especially associated with technological innovations. Globalization comes from the West and brings with itself a mark of American political and economic power and in its consequences it is not balanced, due to the changes in power distribution on a global level where the United States emerged as the sole superpower (Giddens, 2002: 14). Globalization, today as in the past, has always limited and selected geographic areas, and includes a relatively small part of the world population. It is of gross mistake to treat globalization as a new phenomenon, inevitable process, or as a final stage of capitalism. Globalization is a 'cyclical' phenomenon alternating with periods of national development, the product of government policies described in the international economic institutions (J.basic p.2). Another view of globalization as a new phenomenon suggests that it is not only an economic phenomenon but also a political, technological and cultural phenomenon; it is a

Shehab Zahda Essay

complicated set of processes. This outlook gives four dimensions of globalization: the system of nation-states, the world military stability, the international division of labour and the world capitalist economy (Giddens, 2002: 67). Globalisation can be seen as a positive, negative or even marginal process. And regardless of whether it works for good or ill, globalisation's exact meaning will continue to be the subject of debate among those who oppose, support or simply observe it (Jeffery, 2002). The changes brought with the emergence of the accumulated Globalization concept can be as international trade, global levels of political representation, global communication and impacts of increased cultural exchange, such as the increased speed of transactions, travel, political change, resource depletion and social mobilization (WHO, 2012).

Globalization is a contested concept that refers to the shrinkage of time and space (Steger, 2009: 11). Notwithstanding, the term globalization also includes change through the spread of ideas, information and perceptions which lead to cultural and social changes. These may influence risk behaviours (WHO, 2012). While definitions of globalization differ, it is generally used to describe a process of growing interdependence that represents a fundamental change from a world of individual and independent states to a world of state interdependence. It is also claimed that, with globalization, capital can be shifted to whatever country that offers the most productive investment opportunities, creating economic growth (WHO, 2012). Globalization is best thought of as a multidimensional set of social processes that resist being restricted to any single thematic structure. Global Studies have been emerging slowly as a new field of academic study that intersect traditional disciplinary boundaries. Transdisciplinarity is the nature of Global studies which makes it, inter alia, more difficult for scholars on various

Shehab Zahda Essay

academic levels to make a full understanding of Globalization and to decide whether it be a new uncontested phenomenon, or it remains as an arguable phenomenon.

Shehab Zahda Essay

Bibliography Estok, G & Reneta B. (2011). Globalization An Old or a New Phenomenon?. In The Scale of Globalization. Think Globally, Act Locally, Change Individually in the 21st Century: University of Ostrava. Giddens A. 2002. Runaway World. How globalization is reshaping our lives. Profile Books: London, UK. Hicks, D & Holden C (2007). Teaching the Global Dimension: Key principles & effective practice. London: Routledge. Iravani, M & Nazerian, I. (2012). Culture and Globalization. Journal of Basic and Applied Scientific Research. Jeffery, S. (2002) What is globalisation?. The Guardian, 31 October,

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/oct/31/globalisation.simonjeffery Keohane, R & Nye Jr, J (2000). Power and Interdependence: World Politics in Transition. 3rd ed. New York: Longman. Scholte, J (2005). Globalization: A critical Introduction. 2nd Ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Steger, M (2009). Globalization: A very short introduction. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Stiglitz, J (2002). Globalization and Its Discontents. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. WHO. (2012). Globalization. Available:

http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story043/en/index.html. Last accessed 28th Oct 2012.