BOOK
REVIEW
Steger,
Manfred B. Globalization: A Very Short
Introduction. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. 2013. 151 pp.
Paperback, $6.93.
As globalization has
become the defining buzzword in this era, Manfred B. Steger gives a very short
yet wide overview of the introduction to globalization. Steger is a Professor
of a Political Science at the University of Hawaii- Manoa, and Professor of
Global Studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT
University). He is also the author and editor of over twenty books on
globalization and the history of political ideas. In his book, Globalization: A
Very Short Introduction, Steger implies that “there is nothing wrong with the
global manifestations of social independence that emerge as a result of
globalization” (137). It is up to the people to choose to keep or destroy the
cultural diversity that has been the lifeblood of human evolution.
Steger started his book
by investigating what globalization is and the events that build up the word
“globalization.” Based on Steger, the term globalization applies to a “set of
social processes that appear to transform our present social condition of
conventional nationality into one of globality” (9). The World Cup in South
Africa become one of the turning points of the word “globalization”. This was
influenced by two of the most celebrated superstars in the World Cup: Diego
Forlan (Uruguay Striker) and Shakira (Colombian singer- entertainer). He also
shows that globalization is not a new phenomenon, and instead, it has been
happening since 1980. Four different
dimensions of globalization were also introduced by Steger: the economic,
political, cultural and ecological dimension of globalization. Globalization
has developed economically through the vast development of global companies
such as Windows, Coca Cola, and etc. The power of transnational companies
(TNCs) is also part of this dimension. Meanwhile, in the political aspect,
political globalization refers to the “intensification and expansion of political
interrelations across the globe” (60). In this chapter, Steger also presented
the emerging rise of a borderless world. Hyper globalizers seek to convince the
public that globalization inevitably involves the decline of bounded territory.
The third dimension of globalization is culture. Intensification and expansion
of cultures across the globe affect a homogenized culture, particularly
influenced by the Western industry. Mostly affected by the Western
entertainment industry, people in developing countries tend to look up to
Western society for their lifestyle. Some might argue that this Western culture
widespread had diminished the local culture. The last dimension by Steger is
the ecological element. In the last few decades, there is no denying that the
Earth’s environmental state has been declining. The extensive demands for food,
timber, and fiber have put severe pressure in the earth’s ecosystem. “Effects
of the overconsumption and population growth are painfully obvious in the
current good crisis plaguing vast regions of our planet” (89).
To wrap up the book,
Steger then identifies three globalism ideologies that claim global scope:
market globalism, justice globalism, and religious globalism. Without question,
market ideology is the dominant idea in this modern time. The constant
marketing technique of the political and the economic sector to promote the
idea of liberalism and democracy. Steger implies that market globalism
“consists of powerful narratives that sell an overarching neoliberal worldview,
thereby creating collective meanings and shaping’s people’s identities” (117).
The second globalism is justice globalism. One principal claims of justice
globalism that Steger wants to highlight is that people power, not corporate
power. Equity of the people became the main point that globalization tries to
aim for. Lastly, religious globalism discussed only Islam extremist. Since the
attack on 9/11, Islam terrorists had become the main subject in the idea of
religion and territory expansion.
Throughout this book,
Steger has presented the basic ideas of globalization in a clear and concise
manner. Utilizing a plain, readable English makes readers to easily understand
what Steger wants to say. However, I found that Steger puts quite a lot of his
own personal opinions and critiques in relation to the advantages and
disadvantages of globalism. One part that caught my attention would be
religious globalism. Basically, it only touched the Islam extremist acts
without including other religions that have impacted the world, such as
Christianity, Buddhism, and etc. The fact that Steger only discusses about the
Islam worldview showed his bias negative view in globalism. If he had not
outlined globalism in a biased way, this book may have achieved the aim of the
book itself, which is to give a very short introduction. For high school to
college students, I would recommend this book because of its organized and
readable introduction to globalism.
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