Are We Now Living in One World?

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Are We Now Living in One World?

The concept of the world becoming 'as one', is a concept which has been widely

been contested by many writers on subjects such as modernisation, globalisation, and

equality to name a few. It is quite clear from out everyday lives in how some aspects

of our lives are clearly influenced by other cultures, such as the availability of Indian

takeaways on every high street.

Robertson (1992) suggests that the world began to become more integrated with the

European voyages of discovery and colonisation in the 15th Century.1 Turner (1994)

has shown how there has been a global economy since the 17th Century.2 Yet other

theorists claim that it is a much more recent development. In this essay I intend to

look at many of these theories and in particular look at theories of modernisation, and

globalisation.

Modernisation replaced the older traditional forms of societies based on agriculture.

Parsons (1966) has referred to the evolution of societies as a "process of

modernisation". This presumes all societies to be eventually heading towards the

modern stage. This can be applied to the theory of globalisation in that he is saying

that all societies will become similar and 'modern'.3

Rostow (1971) used a similar model to explain human society, in his eyes it was both

evolutionary and possessed an 'inner logic' which leads societies to 'modernisation'.4

In the opinion of Giddens (1990), globalisation originated from modernisation. It is a

continuation of the trends from modernisation processes in 18th Century Europe.

Modernisation is based on processes of disembedding. It 'dis-embeds' feudal

individuals from fixed identities in space and time. This is known as the 'time-space

distanciation', which I shall examine in further detail shortly. It is used to explain the

historic move from traditional to modern societies and the part played by globalisation

in speeding up the modernisation process. 5

Giddens (1991) suggests that the modernisation process entails four major sets of

'institutional complexes of modernity'. These are administrative power, military

power, capitalism and industrialism.6

Administrative power refers to the growth and development of the secular nation

state based on rational and bureaucratic forms of administration of its population and

law and order. Capitalism and industrialism represent new forms of production based

and centred on factory and industrial production. Militarism is based upon technology

and professional armies in modern societies.7

In France, the word for globalisation is mondialisation. In Spain and Latin America,

it is globalizacion. The Germans say globaliserung. This shows how far the term has

spread and how widely used it is.

It is said by many writers such as Giddens (1999) and Beck (2001) that we are now

living in a cosmopolitan society which is forming around us. It is emerging in an

anarchic haphazard, fashion carried along by a mixture of economic, technological

and cultural imperatives.8

Robertson (1996) defines globalisation as a concept,

"Which refers to both the compression of the world and the intensification of

consciousness of the world as a whole..."9

Giddens (1991) takes the view that globalisation is an equalising process as it gives

previously disempowered groups and nations the potential to realise their goals. He

has spoken of globalisation generating "reverse colonialism" which means that non-

western countries influence developments in the west. Examples of this are the

Latinising of Los Angeles, the emergence of a globally orientated high tech sector in

India and the selling of Brazilian TV programmes to Portugal.10

For Giddens (1994) globalisation is a social process which results in,

"... Larger and larger numbers of people living in circumstances in which

disembedded institutions, linking local practises with globalised social relations,

organise major aspects of day to day life."11

However, he sees it as a contradictory and uneven process. He claims that it 'pulls

away' from local communities and uses the example of the weakening of the

capacities and power from nation states in the hands of supra national political

organisations. It is also said to 'push down' as it may present local communities with

new possibilities and demands, such as the increase of nationalist movements, for

example, in Scotland.12

Globalisation is said to emanate from the 1960s as this is when aspects of the

modernisation process received added impetus as a result of globalisation. In late

modernity there is a world capitalist system which is dominated by Trans-National

Corporations (TNCs) which operate independently of nation states. TNCs can be the

dominant economic actor especially in 'developing countries'.13

In industrialism Giddens (1994) claims there has been a development of the

International Division of Labour in which local industries are incorporated.

Previously separate and distinct industries are now involved in trading raw materials

and components with each other. He also mentions how 'industrialisation' now
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includes the 'service' and 'culture' industries. These industries are now

internationally based.14

The administrative powers of the nation state grow due to the increasing

'internationalisation' of state relations through the sharing and pooling of knowledges

and hardware states can increase their powers of surveillance and control over

populations.15

Military power has become globalised through the increasing alliances between

states, which empowers members of each alliance.16 This can be seen today in the

alliance between the UK and the US in fighting the war ...

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