defining globalisation

• Globalisation is a process that dates back thousands of years, involving events like the colonisation of Africa, Asia, and South America, the spread of Islam and Christianity, and the slave trade
• At a social level, globalisation involves the exchange of goods, services, money, people, drugs, crime, terror, disease, popular culture, news, images, ideas, religions, and pollution
• Sociologists define globalisation as the process through which different people and cultures around the world are integrated into a single global society
• Advantages of defining globalisation:

  • It is a positive process that can lead to developing societies improving their standards of living
  • Globalisation is a complex process involving various social, cultural, economic, and political changes that may not always align with each other
  • Societal changes, like shared movements such as the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020, can be attributed to globalisation
• Problems with defining globalisation:

  • Globalisation does not necessarily lead to greater awareness of the world and unity among people, as wars, political disagreements, conflicts, and non-western societies that are not developed still exist
  • Some argue that what is perceived as globalisation is actually cultural imperialism, like the spread of American products such as TV shows and Hollywood, known as Americanisation
  • Religious fundamentalists in some countries uphold their religious superiority, like Arab nations enforcing Muslim laws, which goes against the idea of globalisation