Globalization: A Very Short Introduction

by Steger, Manfred

• ISBN13: 9780199552269
• ISBN10: 0199552266
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-03-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Globalization has become one of the defining buzzwords of our time--a term that describes a variety of complex economic, political, cultural, ideological, and environmental forces that are rapidly altering our experience of the world. In the years since World War II, we have seen national boundaries fade as financial markets, manufacturing concerns, information services, and cultural products (including movies, music, and television shows) have spread around the earth. Immigration and tourism have exploded, Japanese cars are assembled in the United States and American hamburgers are sold in Toyko. And the Internet connects virtually everyone on the planet who owns a computer. We are indeed now living in a borderless world. In clear, accessible language, Manfred B. Steger goes beyond a narrow economic focus to cover all the major causes and consequences of globalization as well as the hotly contested question of whether globalization is, ultimately, a good or a bad thing. This new edition has been fully updated for 2009 to include recent developments in global politics and the impact of terrorism and it expands the discussion of environmental issues, devoting an entirely new chapter to this key topic. The book also examines political movements both for and against globalization, from WTO protests to the recent rise in global jihadism; considers such concepts as "Americanization" and "McDonaldization"; and explores the role of the media and communication technologies in the process of cultural globalization. Finally, Steger explains in accessible language the connection between economic globalization and multinational corporations, World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization. Including maps, diagrams, figures, textboxes, and a timeline, this compact book provides a wealth of information on one of the key new forces in the modern world.

Author Biography

Manfred B. Steger is Professor of Global Studies and Director of the Globalism Research Centre at RMIT University. He is also Program Leader of the Globalization and Culture Program in the Global Cities Institute at RMIT University; Senior Research Fellow at the Globalization Research Center in Honolulu, Hawai'i; and an affiliated faculty member with the Department of Political Science at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition

Globalization: a contested concept

Globalization and history: is globalization a new phenomenon?

The economic dimension of globalization

The political dimension of globalization

The cultural dimension of globalization

The ecological dimension of globalization

Ideologies of globalization: market globalism, justice globalism, jihadist globalism

Assessing the future of globalization

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