Globalization Critical Concepts in Sociology
Globalization is essentially the organization of social life, linkages and consciousness on a global scale. The central theme behind globalization is the consolidation of numerous societies to form a world culture. The idea of such societal consolidation is relatively new to the social science discipline. There are a number of critical concepts in sociology that are centered around globalization.
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World Systems
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World systems in social science was inspired by the research of Immanuel Wallerstein. According to Wallerstein, there are two world systems: world empires and world economies. World empires encompass labor divisions and cultural patterns from a political standpoint. World economies, on the other hand, involve chains of integrated production structures united by complex labor divisions and commercial exchange.
Culture
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The central theme of culture in conjunction with sociology and globalization is a homogeneous culture influenced by the mass media. The theory of globalization suggests that global culture is formed when social and cultural practices infiltrate the mass media platform. As mass media, especially television, exhibit images and ideas pertaining to popular culture, the entire world is transformed into a global village. While there are many cultures in the world, Western cultures tend to infiltrate mainstream and represent the central culture of globalization.
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Society
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The central goal of sociologists is to study the trends and differences of society. Since the boundaries of society have expanded from a national to global level, sociologists now study the trends of societies worldwide. When discussing the concept of global society, many theorists suggest that the authority of local and state governments are becoming obsolete in light of global authorities. Such theorists argue that global institutions have more influence over individuals within society because of advances in science and technology.
Capitalism
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The concept of capitalism seeks to evaluate the influence of globalization in capital structures. Research typically surrounds the ways that consumerism and cultural ideas concerning wealth transform the world. Although consumerism prioritizes consumption and spending capital, it fails to emphasize the importance of having the income to support such liberal spending. As a result, capitalism on a global scale tends to influence individuals and nations to live beyond their means; which has the potential to lead to bankruptcy.
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References
- "Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology"; Glocalization as Globalization-Evolution of a sociological concept; Habibul Haque Khondker; July 2004
- The Globalization Website; Globalization Issues; Frank Lechner; 2000-2001
- University of California Riverside; Competing Conceptions of Globalization; Leslie Sklair; 1999
- International Sociology; Globalization and The Sociology of Immanuel Wallerstein -- A Critical Appraisal; William Robinson; 2011
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