Globalisation: Finding the Appropriate Words and Levels

Abstract

A review essay on books by (1) Hans-Peter Martin & Harald Schumann, The Global Trap: Globalization and the Assault on Prosperity and Democracy (London: Zed, 1997); (2) Anthony Richmond, Global Apartheid: Refugees, Racism, and the New World Order (Toronto: Oxford U Press, 1994); (3) Paul Hirst & Grahame Thompson, Globalization in Question: The International Economy and the Possibilities of Governance (Cambridge Polity Press, 1996); & (4) Martin Albrow, The Global Age (Stanford: Stanford U Press, 1997). These texts expand, articulate, &/or challenge contemporary definitions of globalization. Martin & Schumann assert that the internationalization of TV has contributed to the unification of middle classes into a common culture, thus necessitating that marginal groups turn toward political militancy for salvation. Richmond is accused of uncritically using the term globalization to analyze increases in ethnic conflict. Noting that these ethnic conflicts possess local rather than global import, it is concluded that uncritical use of conceptual terminology may exacerbate misunderstandings of the conflicts & hinder the development of resolutions to ethnic fighting. Although Hirst & Thompson challenge "strong" understandings of globalization, it is contended that their description of the world economy as global misinterprets capitalism's uneven spread throughout the world. Conversely, Albrow's notion of the "Global Age" & contention that modernist projects must be abandoned in favor of new global-oriented concepts is praised. It is concluded that "worldization" is a more suitable term for describing globalization processes; moreover, the creation of concepts to adequately describe globalization remains unfinished. J. W. Parker.