M ODERNITY AND G LOBALISATION Gurminder K. Bhambra

W HY G LOBALISATION N OW ? Week 12

W HY G LOBALISATION ? The current idea of the ‘global’ came into fashion after the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War Academic categories were rethought to fit the new world order The idea of the ‘global’ maintains the idea of a ‘ centre ’ from which global processes can be understood, namely ‘world society’ The idea of a paradigmatic or epochal shift, however, can be overstated

T HE S TANDARD H ISTORY OF THE G LOBAL ‘Proto-globalisation’ among a number of civilisations prior to the modern era e.g. trading networks, religious attachments Rise of capitalist modernity in Europe and the region’s rise to global dominance e.g. nation-states, science, Enlightenment Colonial domination of much of the world by, largely, European powers e.g. colonial empire, slavery, imperialism Rise of US global economic power since 1945 e.g. postwar prosperity, baby-boomers, triumphant capitalism (perhaps less so today!)

D ISTINGUISHING THE G LOBAL De-territorialisation / changing notions of space and the politics associated with space, decreasing importance of the nation-state, more emphasis on universal human rights Inter-connectedness / migration and travel, global culture, films and media, social networking sites Speed / impact of new technologies, faster travel and communication Process / cumulative developments over time Shared global problems / environmental concerns, current economic crisis Multi-faceted / all of the above

W HY NOW ? The processes of the global could be argued to have a longer history Why is there a particular perception of such a shift now ? The processes of globalization that were once visited on others are now coming ‘home’ to roost transfer of jobs from the UK to China or India new technologies produce effects which are globally felt, e.g. Chernobyl disaster, global economic crisis

G LOBAL P ROCESSES IN Q UESTION Decline of the nation – was it as predominant before? Is it in decline now? Speed – is a relative concept Global problems – many problems have been global for a long time, the issue is that the effects were felt elsewhere and so we were not as aware of them as problems

B RITISH E MPIRE = G LOBALIZATION ?

R ESOURCES A Student’s Guide to Globalization, State University of New York (arguments for and against globalization are given in the ‘Useful Links’ section) Anthony Giddens’ Reith Lectures on ‘Globalization’ on BBC Radio 4 (transcripts and podcasts) 99/week1/week1.htm

E SSAY W ORKSHOP Question titles Discuss / Critically discuss... Critically evaluate... Outline... How and why... Assess... Why...

S TRUCTURE Title Keep your focus on the question throughout the essay Introduction Explain how you interpret the question Clarify any ambiguities in the title; present initial definitions Identify the main issues to be explored Identify, briefly, the structure

S TRUCTURE Main body Clear, distinct sections, made up of paragraphs, each dealing with one theme; might use sub-headings Provide links between sections; give your essay direction Use evidence to back up your claims Reference your sources Conclusion Summarize your main points Reflect on the arguments you have put forward Consider the implications of what you have written Draw these points into a final concluding sentence

R EFERENCES To give information, to illustrate a point, to present a particular perspective, to present an argument or counter-argument Support your argument with more than one source Select examples from a range of sources Be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence used Why reference? To show that you have researched your material To acknowledge the source of the information used To distinguish between your ideas and the ideas of others To provide support to your ideas

R EFERENCES Harvard system The social scientists of the nineteenth century mostly operated with an idea of modernisation that endowed historical development with coherence (Iggers 1997). The general understanding of the modern world was thus premised on the idea of modernization as ‘a process of the global diffusion of Western civilisation and its key institutions’ (Wittrock 1998: 19) According to Bendix (1967), modernization theory rested on three related assumptions.

B IBLIOGRAPHY Book McLennan, Gregor Sociological Cultural Studies. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan Article Wittrock, Bjorn ‘Early Modernities: Varieties and Transitions’, Daedalus: Early Modernities summer 127 (3): Chapter in an Edited Book Spivak, Gayatri Chakrabarty ‘Post-structuralism, Marginality, Postcoloniality and Value’, in Peter Collier and Helga Geyer-Ryan (eds) Literary Theory Today. Cambridge: Polity Press Website Dimitrijevic, Nenad ‘Moral responsibility for collective crime’, Eurozine accessed 23 June

A CADEMIC C ONDUCT Plagiarism is when you intentionally pass off someone else’s work as your own, be it from a published source or from the web or from another essay (your own or somebody else’s!) If you’re using words, phrases, ideas from someone else – reference them

P RESENTATION Word-processed Use clear English; no slang or jargon Avoid using a ‘patchwork’ of quotations Good referencing Accurate bibliography Clear layout Check spelling and grammar Review and revise No plastic folders, or paper clips, or other fancy binding – just stapled in the top left hand corner please!

W EBSITES Academic writing course Undergraduate skills programme On referencing espublications/bib_cit/ On academic writing ez/resources/