Blog assignment 1 - What is Globalization / Sangwoo Jeon

Sociology of globalization

Blog assignment 1

1. What is Globalization?

Globalization is a complex and complex mix of factors. This article gives a variety of views on such globalization. One is that there are many views at the center of globalization such as world governance, world citizenship, human rights and immigration. The other one is that globalization is an object, a perspective and a horizon. Globalization may be understood as the direction in which the world considered as a whole is moving.

Globalization can be viewed in many areas, such as economic, cultural and political factors. Political globalization refers to the development of a political infrastructure of global governance. In the past, political globalization was attempted through warfare. Today, it is attempted through diplomacy, often through intergovernmental organizations. Economic globalization is the increasing economic interdependence of national economies across the world through a rapid increase in cross-border movement of goods, service, technology, and capital. Cultural globalization is the most visible part of globalization such as Westernization and Mcdonaldization.

One word that represents globalization is the term 'Glocalization'. This is a new word that has never been before. It refers to pursuing globalization while adapting to local culture and meeting its customer characteristics and needs. For globalization, localization strategies that differentiate and produce products according to the needs of the local market are very important.

There are three characteristics of globalization. First, two goals of globalization are to increase connectivity among nations internationally and to increase a sense of world. Second, countries around the world are joined by many international organizations. Through international organizations, they discuss not only domestic issues but also diplomatic and international issues. This is one of the great features of globalization. Finally, globalization consists of culture, society, politics, and economics. These are the main aspects of human life.

2. Interesting point & What I learned: 

What was most interesting about the article was that it talked a lot about cultural globalization along with economic and political globalization. In other classes, I studied Antonio Gramsci and Steven Rooks. Rooks said three-dimensional power is easier to control than the traditional two-dimensional power. He said control through these three-dimensional powers - voluntary consent of the subjects - was most effective. To explain it, Gramsci explained it through cultural hegemony. Perhaps it's another story, but what's certain is that culture has a powerful power to assimilate not only one society but also another that is not entirely homogeneous.

Among the elements of cultural globalization, Westernization and McDonaldization are new concepts that have never been found in the East, such as Asia. But in the end, many countries have westernized to gain efficiency and international competitiveness, and globalization has been accelerated.

I also studied why the world trade while taking international economics classes. These are the basis of economic globalization. The traditional (of course, most critical today) trade theory says that countries trade because of the comparative advantage of goods between the two countries. The premise is, of course, that trade will benefit both countries.

But more than trade profits we are talking about in economics, economic globalization in sociology seems to give a more modern view of how the international community is changing based on that. For example, from the background of the emergence of WTO and NATO, the relationship between the superpowers and developing countries was much greater. The main focus is to develop the entire international community together if we can see it economically. But the reality is not so. As globalization progresses, there is a growing country and a lagging one. We need to keep an eye on those figures and study how the world should proceed.

3. Discussion:

I have a question about the term globalization. I think we need to think about whether globalization is right or Americanization is right. Except China, South Korea and Japan are America's closest allies in Asia. I need to study more about the situation in Europe, but I know that European defense is left strictly to NATO forces in the United States, except for Russia's allies.

As such, America's influence in the world is overwhelming. Of course, before the 20th century, the world was the center of Europe. But Europe, where imperialism prevailed in the 19th century, ruled the colonies by force. They could not unite the world through globalization. Rather, the relationship between the upper and lower regions of Europe and the colonies further estranged the world.

But after the World War, the United States emerged as a world power. Unlike previous Europe, they advanced their own globalization into cultural, economic, and social diverse areas with enormous military power. The United States is now the most dominant power in the world after the Soviet Union broke up through the Cold War.

Therefore, I think critically that future globalization will be not globalization but 'Americanization.' We need to discuss in depth what true globalization is.