Cultural Phenomenon is categorised into two models. The first being culture as a Top Down Phenomenon which impinges on people’s lives, and affects what they do. This model refers to the increased homogeneity in the consumption of the shared understanding of the world. The Top Down Globalisation is the means in which the process has been achieved. There is an important sub-theme. Top down – is a new historically which is a break from past. It has a qualitative difference. We can now be able to travel half way around the world to China, yet still be able to drive up in Ford car, eat a McDonald’s meal and drink Coca-Cola; this represents the qualitative break.
In comparison, there is a variant of Cultural Phenomenon, but does not necessarily contradict the Top Down Phenomenon. It is known as the Bottom-Up Phenomenon; whereby what people do and create in their everyday lives affects the resistance to globalisation. For example, the way in which we take up global products and use them in our own way and giving them our own meaning. This is given a new name, known as ‘Glocolisation’ – way globalisation is experienced locally. However one must not overlook the fact that there is a common use of products regardless of how they are ultimately used. The substance is the same even if the application is not.
‘Glocolisation’ refers to human beings as inventive and creative. A species that adapt and reinvent imported products from elsewhere. For example, how British music took rock and roll to America. It is argued that resisting globalisation, local communities – leads to greater local diversity. A lot of society members resort to selecting from different cultures. The media for example, bombards societies with different so in this respect, globalisation does not affect society but it is the other way around.
Global culture can be seen through the effects of migration of people from one place to another. For example, Islamic immigrants to Western nations have often found that their traditional values come into conflict with those of the receiving host. This can be seen in the numerous instances of immigrant parents who find that the practice of arranged marriages – especially if the arrangement lacks the consent of the child – is looked on unfavourably by the host society. [Kivisto 1998, pg 159]
In comparison, Millions of people throughout the world journey from countryside to towns and from towns to cities. They travel because they are fleeing from violence in their homelands, come to gain an education or the majority come to look for jobs. This has become apparent because travel is easier and cheaper. People therefore migrate partly due to poverty and unemployment in the regions they live of origin.
Immigrants come looking for work and business owners prefer them because they are cheap labour and can be hired illegally thus avoiding rules on taxation and pay rights. Similarly, global politics means that states impose taxes on people throughout the planet and maintain law and order by force when necessary [Abram de Swann, 2001]. [Abram de Swann 2001] International trade is another feature of how globalisation has made on society. It has increased links between countries. This Free Movement of Goods is a good example of how the European Countries allow good to freely move from EC country to another increasing globalisation and strengthening society support for it.
States and Their Boundaries – Politics
The increased speed of the population movement has led to the rise in the number of people moving around the world. As there are so many different methods available in society, individuals are spoilt for choice. These are by air, trains, trucks, cars; known as ‘cultural resources’.
There is a difference in how you travel, for example, tourists move around the world to learn about different cultures, societies. These people have a genuine interest. In contrast, vagabonds have no purpose. However, in this modern day we have asylum seekers, who are refugees, they have a purpose but are not tourists. Globalisation has affected some societies more than others. It is sometimes difficult for some societies to fully adopt other society’s habits so people resort to moving. In the European Countries this is easily done as the countries have an agreed consensus
Another factor that contributes to the patterns of migration is caused by global warming. People from countries who move out lose a population but another country gains them. This enables the emergence of new collectives/group identities e.g. British Afro Caribbean identities. Though, people still know what their family roots are. They move part of their identity with them making a niche for others to join – setting up their own community.
The modernity of globalisation includes IT and communications, which is the foundation of our global network. This is very difficult to control as safeguards can be overcome. However, even with stringent safeguards ways are found to penetrate censored information easily thus declines the cause of ‘political isolation’.
In times of recession many States try to protect employment in their own countries by banning imports, so that consumers will be compelled to buy products manufactured at home. This is called ‘protectionism’ in international trade. [Abram de Swann 2001]. Nonetheless, globalisation has prevented latest recession. Each society helps out the other and this is how societies strengthen their bonds. Therefore, globalisation is making a positive impact on society.
In 1948, shortly after the founding of the United Nations, the representatives of the Member States passed a Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which asserted for the first time in history that everyone has inalienable rights. [Kivisto, 1998, pg 158] Amnesty International was founded in 1961, dedicated to challenging political regimes that violate those rights. This makes a difference to society in the sense that the boundaries between the state and the rest of society are being reshaped.
Many inhabitants of the planet, especially those fortunate enough to be affluent, are beginning to see the earth as a common home that needs to be maintained and tended if they and their individual descendants are to have a comfortable, prosperous and healthy life. Earth limits; food, mineral and energy sources and pollution.
Economic
The world economic system approach has had a focus on a long history based upon international capitalism for nearly a thousand years. Wallerstiern [1974] argues that developing trade is not new. There has been a misunderstanding of what is happening today. For example, in the western calendar, the year 1492 refers to Columbus’s Discovery, whereas in the Chinese calendar – two elephant’s exhibitors in Beijing were bought back through a routine trading from Zanzibar in South Africa. Thus, the Chinese had travelled over these distances four times longer than that of Columbus, many years before Columbus made his discovery.
The original and continuing fundamental of economic globalisation is trade. Trade can link together geographically distant producers and consumers, often establishing a relationship of identification as well as interdependence between them. The British taste for tea, for example, could not have been cultivated in that damp little island had it not been able to export its cheap textiles to Southern Asia. [Waters,1995,pg 66]
The economic reality is thought provoking to state the least, and on a macro level that global economy has become striking since 6th century – where the world had developed economic blocks. There was the rich block consisting of North America, Japan and Australia and the excluded block including those not in the rich block. At one point these two ‘blocks’ were one through the need to import and export raw materials such as coal and oil. It is now a true global economy where we have those who have the material goods and those who don’t. Thus, the gap between these two continues to grow wider.
The global Economic System is advocated through the Marxist perspective because Marx believes that the society is controlled through those who have wealth and use it to maintain their status in society referred to as the bourgeoisie. The system was based on the ‘import and export of fabrics, shipped by British traders from America to Africa, where they were exchanged for slaves, who were deported to the American plantations on a large scale. This is another factor which relates to the increased population movement. Africa, exclusively produces raw materials, without any industry or banking system of their own. The oil-producing countries occupy a special position. Accumulate tremendous wealth, even though they only provide raw materials. [Abram de Swann, 2001]
In conclusions, globalisation is not one phenomenon. It is many, which depends on the starting point; cultural, political and economic. Starting from one or the other would then paint a different picture, albeit there are crossovers. In understanding the world we must embrace all three to begin to understand globalisation.
It would be true to say globalisation is making a difference to sociology and also sociology is making a difference on how the world is globalised. Globalisation affects each and every member of the world so it does make a difference to people’s living hence may be smaller than to others. The major difference globalisation makes it unites countries rather than separating them making us all live in harmony and create a stable global village.
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Word Limit: 2,000
References:
Human Societies, An Introduction, Abram de Swann [2001] Cambridge: Polity, Chapter 12
Kivisto, P [1998] Key Ideas in Sociology, Thousand Oaks: Pine Forge, Chapter 6
Malcolm Waters, [1995], Globalisation, Routledge
8th December 2003
