Samenvatting media, culture and globalisation theories
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Course
Media, culture and globalisation theories
Institution
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB)
*SUCCESSFUL IN THE FIRST SESSION! * Summary of slides + explanation in the lesson. Sometimes translated into Dutch to make it easier to learn. At the end, sample questions + my own drawn ex.questions from June 2024. Passed with a 16/20!!
(sorry if there are still typing and writing errors)
There are few terms that we use so frequently but which are in fact as poorly
conceptualized as globalisation (A. Giddens)
What is globalisation? Controversies
What are defining characteristics/features
of globalisation? What is globalisation? → difficult to define & different
A. Define globalisation interpretations
When did globalisation start? Economic or multidimensional?
B. In which year/decade/century and why Recent or long-term historical
then? process? → for some related to the rise of internet.
What is (qualitatively) new or significantly Other claims it exists longer
different since this Does globalisation exist? → Globalization towards a
turning point? world society, but that world society is not here just
C. Which fundamental change(s) since B yet & probably will not be here in the next 100 years
should be highlighted in A? Is globalisation neoliberal capitalism?
Is globalisation manageable? → who should do it?
The state? What if the state is on retreat, who should
take over?
A. Exchange of cultural, political & economic movement. It includes powers →
spreads fast, certainly with technology ⇒ spreading knowledge: language &
cultural. → Interactiveness (interconnected) = grenzen vervagen, capitalism
(money) → 15th century
B. Since there was civilization, there was globalization. In the beginning, a small
trade = integration. - Before & after internet.
C. Capitalism
1
,Cul-de-sacs/redundant concepts
What Jan Scholte claims Globalisation is not: 4 cul-de-sacs = dead ends → when
talking about golbalisation, we talk about earlier concepts: when u define
globalisation as something, but it is in fact internationalisation or westernisation, it
does not bring new knowledge or indicates what is fundamentally new about
contemporary times → that why he calls them redundant concepts or cul-de-sacs
(dead ends)
Most existing analysis of globalisation is flawed because it is redundant →
‘globalisation’ no analytical added value
- Growth of transactions and interdependence between
countries
- Quantitative approach and measuring (eg. the global
top 20, global cities, countries that are most involved in
globalization)
- Minimum intellectual and political adjustments is
necessary
- ‘The new’ understood in the familiar
- Replay of historical scenarios
- Why bother then? → because it’s just a new form of globalization, so why call
it internalization
2. Cul-de-sac: Liberalisation
● Globalization understod as Process of removing officially imposed restrictions
on movements of resources between countries towards a borderless world
2
, economy → approach doesn’t indicate what is fundamentally new about
globalization
● Debate about contemporary neoliberal macroeconomic policies
○ Neoliberalism as only available policy framework for global world is
potentially harmful
● Positive vs. negative assessments
○ Borderless world, peace, prosperity (positive) vs poverty, inequality,
ecological damage, deglobalization (negative) etc.
● Why bother then? → around 1900, time of increased liberalization (breaking
down tariffs and restrictions)
3. Cul-de-sac: Universalisation
● Globalization seen as the Process of dispersing various objects and
experiences to people all over the world: more related to culture, conscience,
relations amongst people, for identity
● Homogenisation and convergence
○ Cultural, economic, legal, political
● Why bother then? → in ancient times with Slik Road there was process of
dispersing various objects and experiences to various people all over the
world (maybe on smaller scale) (increasing interconnectedness)
4. Cul-de-sac: Westernisation
● Globalization seen as A particular type of universalisation, in which the
structures of modernity are spread all over the world (structures of modernity
= the Enlightment, rationalisme,
processes of urbanization and
secularization, individualism &
capitalism etc.)
● Imperialism, rationalism, consumerism,
colonisation & Americanisation,
capitalism, urbanism, industrialism
3
, ● Hegemonic discourse, ideological discourse
○ But there are also emancipatory & exploitative transworld social
movements, actors, & processes
● Why bother then?
Timing of globalization
1. Prehistoric (5000 BC) first global dispersion of species, new trade routes,
Sumer & Indus civilizations
2. Premodern (3500 BC-1500) Roman Empire, Mongolian empires, Silk Road,
the plague (diseases travelling), cultural exchanges
3. Early modern (1500-1750) Geographic & scientific discoveries, metropolitan
systems, foundation of capitalist world system…
4. Modern (1750-1970) industrial revolution, world trade, multinationals,
money/Gold standard, colonialism, technological & communications
innovations, population growth… => A lot of people say that globalization
started here
5. Contemporary (1970 -) – enhanced global data flows, acceleration of trends
(ICT & internet), ‘something new’? A more recent thing
● Dependent on definition
● Different periodisations exist alongside one another
● Periodisation is artificially neat
● Globalisation is not necessarily linear
● Measuring globalisation is difficult
○ Absence of global statistics – national and international data
● Dependent on quantitative and qualitative assessments
● Dependent on the argument one aims to make
4
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