GLOBALIZATION AS A CONTESTED TERM

Globalization as a Contested Term

Globalization as a Contested Term

"Globalization" is a contested term that has quickly moved to the center of discourse addressing power and political culture in the developing world economy. As the recent (1999) demonstrations at the World Trade Organization conference in Seattle showed, the term is now part of a larger contest over boundaries and acceptable limits in the ongoing social construction of a reconstituted world economic system. The outcome of this contest, over which discourses and symbols succeed in blocking or legitimating the meanings accorded the term "globalization," will profoundly influence the restructuring of the global economy. This has clear implications for this year's American Sociological Association theme of domination and liberation in the 21st century.

The topic of globalization is such a multi-layered topic that is almost impossible to make a concrete definition. It affects every sphere of our life- economical, political and social. It is present everywhere in public discourse. Even with the wide use of this concept, there does not appear to be any precise, widely-agreed definition of it. In every single instance the world "globalization" seems to have a different meaning in a different situation. A generally accepted definition is a "process fueled by, and resulting in, increasing cross-border flows of goods, services, money, people, information, and culture" (Guillen). Many other theories of what globalization entails have been proposed by numerous scholars. In Mauro Guillen's essay, he proposes to combine the perspectives of sociologists Roland Robertson and Martin Albrow, and define globalization as "a process leading to greater interdependence and mutual (reflexivity) among economic, political and social units in the world, and among actors in general." Because the basis of this essay is resting on the combined perspectives of these two sociologists, it is necessary to check the credibility of these men. After visiting the University of Aberdeen websitee (where Robertson is currently a professor of sociology) I was very convinced of the credibility of this man. He has won numerous awards for his journals, books, and essays on globalization. Much of his work has been translated into 10 different languages and he has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Mathematical Sociology, the Review of Religious Research, Sociological Analysis, Theory, Culture and Society, the Journal of International Communication, and Citizenship Studies. Martin Albrow has a Ph. D. of Sociology from the University of Cambridge. He is a former professor and a pioneer on the study of cultural and global aspects of globalization. His book, The Global Age, won the European Amalfi prize in 1997. Because the credibility of these two esteemed sociologists is easily verifiable, it adds to the overall credibility of Guillen's essay. It is important to note the wide diversity of expertise that has been brought to the subject of globalization including but not limited to - "postmodernist scholars or social theorists who rarely, if ever, engage in empirical research to number-crunching empiricists, politicians, and management consultants"(Guillen ...