CONTEMPORARY THEORY ON GLOBALIZATION ( ) AP Human Geography

THE END OF HISTORY?  1989: Francis Fukuyama  End of Cold War  21 st Century = Triumph of liberal democratic and capitalist values (USA is the BEST!!)  Marx was wrong (Communism = end of history? NOT!)  Failed to predict….

CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS  1992: Samuel P. Huntington  FF is wrong; world headed toward “civilizational clashes” over culture

MCDONALDIZATION  1993: George Ritzer  Societal and economic drive to extreme rationalization. Four main dimensions.  Aim to increase(in business and society): 1. Efficiency- Choosing the best, quickest, or least difficult means to a given end.Efficiency 2. Calculability- Emphasis on the quantitative aspects of the product being sold.Calculability 3. Predictability- Involves the customer knowing what to expect from a given producer of goods or services.Predictability 4. Control- A way to keep a complicated system running smoothly. Rules and regulations that make efficiency, calculability, and predictability possible. Control McDonaldizationMcDonaldization is profitable, desirable, and the cutting edge of technological advances. However, it creates a disenchantment of the world and the replacement of “magic and surprise” with efficiency and routine overall dehumanizing societydehumanizing

JIHAD VS. MCWORLD  1995: Benjamin Barber  McWorld = global capitalist “big business”  Jihad = forces of traditional “tribalism”  Neither great for democracy  McWorld will win  World needs “small democracy of local and civic engagement”

LEXUS AND THE OLIVE TREE  1999: Thomas Friedman  Lexus = drive for prosperity and development  Olive Tree = desire to retain unique identity and traditions  McDonald’s Theory of Conflict Prevention?

THE MCWORLDVSTHE OLIVE TREE  ConvergenceDivergence  Economic drivenValue driven  UniformityDifference  RootlessRooted  HomogenousHeterogeneous  IntegratedFragmented  Universal valuesUnique  Future orientedPast oriented