What is the relation between culture and globalization? - Qiu Pengyu

 1. Summary

This article proposes a three-dimensional framework for understanding political globalisation through the following three points. Firstly, global geopolitics: globalisation has not led to the demise of nation-states but has instead catalysed their formal transformation. Democratic systems have proliferated globally, yet this has not resulted in homogenisation but rather fostered diverse political cultures. Although the United States is a superpower, it has been unable to establish unipolar hegemony; the global power structure exhibits a multi-centred competitive landscape. Secondly, global normative culture: issues such as human rights, the environment, and sustainable development constitute a global normative system transcending national frameworks. This culture is not only advanced by international organisations but also widely embraced through dissemination in the global public sphere, becoming a new source of political legitimacy. Finally, the polycentric network: the rise of global civil society represents a non-territorial, networked form of political organisation. These entities operate independently of states through transnational alliances, social movements, and information networks, constituting a form of ‘bottom-up globalisation’.

2. Interesting points

The authors present several compelling observations. They emphasise that the nation-state is not disappearing but undergoing ‘transformation’. In Europe, transnational cooperation has even ‘rescued’ the nation-state, enabling it to address challenges it could not tackle alone more effectively. Another intriguing observation is the ‘decoupling’ of nation and state. While the state level is becoming transnationalised, national identity may rebound in stronger, even populist forms – exemplified by France's 2005 referendum rejecting the EU Constitution. Moreover, the authors' discussion of ‘borders’ proves highly illuminating. Globalisation has not ushered in a ‘borderless world’; rather, it has rendered borders ubiquitous. They have diffused from lines on maps into every corner of society, functioning as filters regulating flows and creating a complex landscape where ‘de-borderisation’ coexists with ‘re-borderisation’.

3. Discussion and Conclusion

During my reading, several critical questions emerged. While globalisation grants greater autonomy to certain groups, does it simultaneously exacerbate societal fragmentation and disorder? How can we maintain the cohesion of political entities while encouraging pluralistic governance? Secondly, the culture of global norms itself warrants scrutiny. Though it claims universality, this assertion is questionable, and its dissemination remains saturated with Western discursive hegemony.

Political globalisation constitutes a complex web fraught with inherent contradictions and tensions. It simultaneously offers new possibilities for emancipation while fostering fresh divisions and risks. We must remain vigilant against the potential for new inequalities and uncertainties it may engender, continually reflecting upon the nature of the global future we aspire to build collectively.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What is globalization--Kim younggyun

 1) Summarize From what I understand, globalization is not merely an economic trend. It is a broad concept in which the world becomes increasingly interconnected on cultural, social, political, and even individual levels. Because globalization is such an all-encompassing idea, it is only natural that debates continue over its definition. This is exactly what made studying the concept of globalization difficult for me. That is why, like Robertson and White, I tried to understand globalization mainly through the two dimensions of increasing connectivity and growing consciousness. I find their approach persuasive. When internet, transportation, and trade expand, the connections between countries grow stronger, and naturally, people begin to perceive the world as a “single place.” 2) Interesting point What I found particularly interesting while studying globalization is that it does not simply lead to “one-sided homogenization.” I used to think of globalization only as the expansion of...
Read more

What is globalization? | Yun Shinji

1.   Summary It is difficult to define the concept of ‘globalization’ with a single meaning, as the term is used in various contexts with different implications. Sociologist Roland Robertson describes globalization as “the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole". Robertson and White further elaborate it as two main trends “an increase in global interconnectedness” and "an increase in global consciousness". In this way, globalization is a complex phenomenon in which the world becomes closely connected across borders, and it is used in multiple ways in different contexts. Globalization can be broadly divided into three dimensions cultural, political, and economic. Among them, cultural globalization is the phenomenon we experience most directly in our daily lives. For example, a cultural content that becomes popular can spread worldwide and be shared globally. However, this phenomenon also raises concerns about cultural hom...
Read more

What is globalization? (TRAN THUY NGA/ 짠 튀 응아)

What is globalization? 1. Summary of the Reading Roland Robertson and Kathleen E. White’s chapter “What Is Globalization?” offers a careful, multi-layered attempt to describe a phenomenon that has become both a powerful reality and an intensely debated concept. They begin by acknowledging that  globalization is an essentially contested concept : scholars from different parts of the world and from different disciplines approach it with varying assumptions and no single agreed-upon definition. The authors trace the word’s rise in public discourse: although the processes we now associate with globalization long-distance trade, migration, cultural exchange stretch back centuries, the term itself only became widely used after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the partial collapse of communism. This historical moment gave globalization a new political and economic resonance, yet its roots are far older. Robertson and White emphasize that debates often split between those who see g...
Read more