How Did We Get Here?

Introduction

The evolution of globalization has been as contested as defining the term, theories of globalization use a range of perspectives that are sometimes conflicting, and many theorists utilize the fact that the term is “vague and obscure as its reaches are wide and consistently shifting. Perhaps, more than any other concept, globalization is the debate about it” (Poppi, 1997, P. 300). Kumar (2003) presents characterizations of globalization from an interdisciplinary perspective, focusing on the sociological, economic, legal, political, and social theories of the phenomena in order to provide a clearer, consistent use of the term. Within the sociological framing of globalization, the emphasis is on humanity, Kumar references Richard Kilminster who argues that “globalization is…created spontaneously to reflect people’s experiences of the properties of an accelerating phase of the level of social integration compromising the bonds between nation-state” (1999, P. 272). From this perspective, Kilminster argues that the processes and politics at the transnational level are becoming increasingly sovereign and those at the lower level (national, regional, communal) are being absorbed into and decided by a higher level (1999). He concludes that the result of this shift is that “increasingly the range of decisions which can be taken at the nation-state level is decreasing as the continental and global levels increase in size and complexity” (1999, P. 271).

Further Poppi notes, “Globalization must be understood as the condition whereby localizing strategies become systematically connected to global concerns” (1997, P. 285); this follows the glocalization term promulgated around the turn of the 21^st century, whereby issues, events, and concerns that were once local can now be consumed and solved at the global level due to increased interconnectedness and digital technologies. This interconnectedness has flattened the globe and allowed for the development of a global consciousness that has only intensified as the globalization era progressed; this is evidenced by social movements that begin in one country (or at an even more local level) that transcend borders via digital technologies, in particular, social media platforms that are best equipped to disseminate information, dissent, ideology, etc., and foment mobilization IRL (or in real life). There are a few common threads for globalization theorists that emphasize the sociological perspective, including a focus on the development of a global discourse, social integration, and the diffusion of culture. The political theories of globalization are the other most relevant explanations for this work that Kumar (2003) highlights, and includes a more institutional and affective perspective than in the sociological definition. Baylis, Smith, and Owens (1997) posit that “modernization is part of the globalization process…and captures a change in the world, and refers to processes whereby social relations acquire relatively distanceless and borderless qualities, so that human lives are increasingly played out in the world as a single place” (P. 14).