Definitions and Debates

Globalisation

In this course, Professor Ray Kiely (Queen Mary, University of London) explores the concept of globalisation. In the first module, we think about what ‘globalisation’ actually means, before introducing three different perspectives on globalisation – hyper-globalism, scepticism and transformationalism. In the second module, we think about the extent to which globalisation has impacted the ‘sovereignty’ of the nation state, before turning in the third module to the rise of global governance. In the fourth module, we think about the impact of globalisation on inequality and poverty, before moving on in the fifth module to consider globalisation through the lens of international relations. Finally, in the sixth module, we think about the rise of anti-globalisation political activism via a case study of the Trump administration in the United States.

Definitions and Debates

In this module, we provide an introduction to globalisation by thinking about some definitions and debates, focusing in particular on: (i) the increased use of ‘globalisation’ as a concept in both academic writing and political discourse from the 1990s onwards; (ii) three definitions of globalisation – interconnectedness per se, a particularly rapid or intense form interconnectedness, and consciousness of interconnectedness – and the strengths and weaknesses of each; (iii) three perspectives on globalisation – hyper-globalism, scepticism, and transformationalism – and the strengths and weaknesses of each; and (iv) the rise of anti-globalisation, first as a left-wing issue and more recently as a right-wing issue, and the reasons in each case.