Globalization: Against Reductionism and Linearity

Abstract

This paper challenges two popular notions that (1) globalization refers only to the economic unification of the globe integrating all the countries of the world under a single grid of market; and (2) globalization is a euphemism for Westernization, that is, the discourse of globalization is a Western hegemonic imposition on the rest of the world in the mode of cultural imperialism. Rather than viewing globalization as a narrow, economistic and exploitative process, the paper suggests that globalization is to be understood as a multi-dimensional process. As such, a more careful look at the various dimensions of globalization in all their complexities and contradictions is in order. The paper also argues against the popular myth that, as a mega-process affecting all aspects of our life, globalization unleashes destructive consequences by erasing differences, leading to a homogenized world. The paper takes issue with the popular criticism of globalization as global pillage and attempts to re-emphasize the notion of global village. Taking a dispassionate view of this process, this paper suggests that a return to the original usage is necessary, reiterating the heterogeneous and multi-cultural features of globalization processes that open possibilities for further theoretical and empirical explorations.