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THE WORLD IS OURS with Chris McMillan An introduction to the origins of globalisation
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Transcript of 1 the world is ours 2015
THE WORLD IS OURS
with Chris McMillan
An introduction to the origins of globalisation
So, what is globalisation?
According to Anthony Giddens (1990, p.64), globalisation involves:
“the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa”
Globalisation is an evolving process, not a thing that has happened
Globalised structures
Structure is a metaphor for understanding the social influences or influences that ‘structure’ and organise human behaviour
If human behaviour has identifiable patterns, social structures are the drivers of these patterns
Social structures are the basis of sociological investigation – the identification of something that makes us behave a similar way beyond biology and individual decisions to do so
These structural influences have become increasingly global
Local agency
We have individual bodies and have the potential to act independently
Agency is the capacity to act otherwise: It requires both a choice and the capacity to act on that choice
Global sociology considers how global structures influence local agency and vice versa
What are the global influences in your life?
Today
The sociological challenge of globalisation
Module overview
The origins of globalisation
Global institutions
Core problems
How and why have local relations become increasingly affected by global structures and events?
How have changes in global structures been experienced by different peoples? How have they been experienced by you?
What are the future consequences and challenges of living in a more global world?
Week 2 – Think local, act global: Understanding local and global cultural identities
Week 3 – Mediating globalisation: Communicating hegemony or technologies of resistance?
Week 4 – Who runs the global village? Cultural hegemony and the convergence of cultures
Week 5 – Globalising socialising: From the global to the personal
ASK WEEK!
Week 7 – There is no alternative? The rise of global capitalism
Week 8 – The Flat Earth Hypothesis: Development, inequality and poverty
Week 9 – It’s getting hot in here: Climate change and the limits to expansion
Week 10 – People movers: Urbanisation and migration
Week 11 – Welcome home, history: Security, surveillance and terror in a global era
Week 12 – Course review and essay preparation
Our Goal: To think critically about the society in which
we live
Learning and assessment
Lectures are held on Friday from 11-1pm There are no seminars
Lectures are recorded, but will be discussion based
There are two assessments: A 30% 1,000 word ‘critical
review’ A 70% 1,500 word essay
Assessment I: Critical Reflection
To what extent has your cultural identity been affected by the processes of globalisation?
1,000 words, 30%
Due: Monday 16th February, 3pm
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Please note:
Students are encouraged to write reflectively, but are also required to make reference to a minimum of three academic sources
Assessment II: Essay
Choose ONE question, worth 1500 words/30%
Due: Monday April 13th, 3pm
1. Critically evaluate the impact of the expansion of capitalism on the global poor
2. To what extent should developing nations be forced to reduce their carbon emissions?
3. Using examples from contemporary London, discuss the extent to which the ‘world city’ promotes post-national cultural identities.
4. What is meant by ‘the end of history?’ Is this term still relevant in the 21st century?
About Me!
Room: MJ153
Phone: ext. 66547
Consultation and feedback hour: Friday 1-2pm
Readings
Readings have been assigned for each week – they are uploaded to BBL
The recommended textbook is Cohen and Kennedy (2012) Global Sociology
Many of the issues will also be covered in your ‘Introduction to Sociology’ textbooks
Globalisation
According to Giddens (1990, p.64), globalisation is:
“the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa”
We are being critical of the affect of global structures upon local agencies
What’s new?
The processes described in globalisation, principally the connections between people outside of the nation state, have been developing for a number of years
What is new is the intensity at which they are occurring through changes in technology, communication and forms of co-operation
Intensified connections
Connections between peoples have intensified across time and space
More communication and influence outside of immediate
environment (space)
Quicker interactions between geographically separated peoples (time)
These changes have led to a progressive deterritorisation
Changing time
The compression of time means that the time previously taken for social interaction to occur has been reduced
Communicating with the Southern hemisphere once took more than six weeks but is now instantaneous, changing our sense of time and distance
This has changed our perception of distance and the importance of territory
These changes have been primary driven by technological developments, from steam trains to smart phones
What technology allows you to influence people beyond those
immediately around you?
Does this change your perception of time and
distance?
Consequently…
Technological developments have allowed for a much wider geographical influence
Trans-governmental institutions such as the United Nations and World Trade Organisation (WTO) have (partially) shifted sovereignty outside of the nation-state and local representation
Corporations trade outside of their national origin and the restrictions of national regulation
Global ‘brands’ create shared cultural connections between different peoples
Global interconnectedness
Associated with Marshall McLuhan (1911 -1980), the idea of a ‘global village’ connected by electronic technology captures the most optimistic sense of the inter-connectedness possible through globalisation
Closer global connections and a sense of global consciousness make global problems more manageable
Global governing institutions have emerged to respond to the difficulties in trans-national exchanges
Global institutions
The most prominent political institutions were the ‘League of Nations’, constructed after World War I, and the subsequent ‘United Nations’
These institutions attempt to maintain global order and negotiate common ground between states
This suggests a recognition of a ‘common humanity’
To what extent do you see yourself as living in a
global society?
Principles
The UN has four main purposes To keep peace throughout the world;
To develop friendly relations among nations;
To help nations work together to improve the lives of poor people, to conquer hunger, disease and illiteracy, and to encourage respect for each other’s rights and freedoms;
To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations to achieve these goals.
The Security Council
Whilst the general assembly of the UN can only make recommendations, a ‘Security Council’ can make binding decisions
The Security Council has 15 members, with five permanent members: China, France, Russia, the UK and the US
These permanent members can ‘veto’ any binding decision
Some nations are more global
The permanent members of the Security Council, all of whom are nuclear powers, are able act on their exclusive interests Permanent members of the Council are able to protect their national
and ideological interests
The US has used its veto 42 times in support of Israel, for example to condemn new Israeli settlements in 2011
As any one of these divergent nations can veto a motion, the security council is naturally conservative
Whilst global institutions may appear neutral, some nations have much stronger influence over other nations
Consequently, some ‘distant localities’ become more globally influential than others
America wants you
As we will discuss further in Weeks 3 and 4, these global institutions are not neutral, but represent the spread of localised values – primarily American
American values have become dominant through both practical factors – the power of the US Dollar, military support – and through the spread of US entertainment media and ideology
As a consequent, local nations, and identities, have become threatened by a foreign culture
A similar threat in the UK is perceived to come from the European Union
Britain and the EU
Britain is part of the European Union, a block of 28 nations, which was constructed in the latter half of the 20th century
The European Union established free movement of peoples, capital, goods and services
This requires the UK to give up some power to the EU: Britain contributes around £4billion a year to the EU and about 15% of all British laws stem from the EU
By far the most controversial of these is the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
Established in 1949 by the ‘Council of Europe’ in the first post-war attempt to unify Europe
Individuals in the UK have the right to take cases to the court and the court has jurisdiction in the UK
There has arisen ‘moral panic’ over the ability of the court to make rulings in the UK, such as over prisoners voting or asylum cases
This is an issue at the heart of globalisation: should global institutions be able to enforce cultural values on others who do not have any power over these decisions?
Are you European?
Two minute DIY summary
Write for two minutes on:
What is global in your life?
Next Week
WEEK 2 THINK LOCAL, ACT GLOBAL: UNDERSTANDING LOCAL AND GLOBAL IDENTITIES
READINGS (AVAILABLE THROUGH BLACKBOARD) 1. Anderson, P. (2006). Imagined Communities (Chapter One,
pp.6-8). Verso: London.
2. Hall, S. (1992) The Question of Cultural Identity in Hall, S., Held, D. and McGrew, T. (eds.) Modernity and its Future. pp. 273-325 Polity: Cambridge
3. Hall, S. (1996) Introduction: Who needs ‘identity’? in Hall, S. and Du Gay, P (eds). Questions of Cultural Identity. SAGE: London.
