Being the left-brainers that we are, we wanted some simple operational definitions of globalization to compliment our course readings.
We found that the term globalization is a popular buzzword, but we also found that globalization, while often referred to in purely economic terms, is a "defining phenomenon of the turn of the century" (http://www.sociology.emory.edu/globalization/about.html). Globalization affects commerce, education, communication, transportation, law, culture, science, religion, society, finance, the arts and humanities, language, politics, technology, etc. Below are but a few of the definitions that we found. We'll give our own thoughts later.
The best definition that we found came from Farleigh Dickinson University's Global Learning Newsletter in an article entitled "What Is the Meaning of Global Education?" by Michael Sperling.
"Globalization's shifting and controversial parameters make it difficult to define. It is clearly a dominant force, both positively and negatively, shaping the multiple environments in which we live. Motivated by economic forces and driven by digital technologies and communications, globalization links individuals and institutions across the world with unprecedented interconnection and immediacy.” Farleigh Dickinson University's Global Learning Newsletter in an article entitled "What Is the Meaning of Global Education?" by Michael Sperling.
Definitions from Other Perspectives
From a financial and trade perspective: Globalization"refers to the increasing economic integration and interdependence of countries. Economic globalization in this century has proceeded along two main lines: trade liberalization (the increased circulation of goods) and financial liberalization (the expanded circulation of capital)." Currency Transaction Tax Glossary of Definitions
Fromthe perspective of a technology giant: Globalization is the "process of developing, manufacturing, and marketing software products that are intended for worldwide distribution. This term combines two aspects of the world: internationalization (enabling the product to be used without language or culture barriers) and localization (translating and enabling the product for a specific locale)." IBM Glossary of Unicode Terms
From the perspective of a political science professor whose area of expertise is Latin America: Globalization refers "in general to the worldwide integration of humanity and the compression of both the temporal and spatial dimensions of planetwide human interaction." It "has aggravated many of the region's most chronic problems--such as the pronounced degree of economic exploitation and social inequality that have characterized Latin America since it came under European colonial domination in the sixteenth century." Richard L. Harris, "The Global Context of Contemporary Latin American Affairs," in Capital, Power, and Inequality in Latin America, eds., Sandor Halebsky and Richard L. Harris (Boulder: Westview Press, 1995), 279, 80
From the perspective of a faith-based service and social justice organization: Globalization is "the term frequently used to identify a trend toward increased flow of goods, services, money, and ideas across national borders and the subsequent integration of the global economy. However, the term is also used to refer to a deliberate project led by powerful institutions, people, and countries like the United States to apply a single template of economic strategy and policy-"market fundamentalism"-to all countries and all situations." American Friends Service Committee
From the perspective of international relations: Globalization is "the increasing scope, scale and integration of interactions between and exchanges of ideas, peoples, and goods globally. It is usually discussed as a set of forces moving beyond the control of the traditional territorial national state." Lenses of Analysis: A Visual Framework for the Study of International Relations by Richard Harknett. (This is a webbook by the way.)
From the perspective of an institution of higher learning that uses web-based simulations as instructional tools: Globalization is "the process of worldwide integration of economic or political systems. Economically, globalization is driven by free trade and foreign investment. The concept of globalization can also be applied to cultural products (such as movies or music) or values (such as beliefs about human rights)." University of Maryland's Icon Project
From the perspective of a professor of international economics: Globalization is "the increasing world-wide integration of markets for goods, services and capital that attracted special attention in the late 1990's. Also used to encompass a variety of other changes that were perceived to occur at about the same time, such as an increased role for large corporations in the world economy and increased intervention into domestic policies and affairs by international institutions such as the IMF, WTO, and World Bank. Among countries outside the United States, especially developing countries, the term sometimes refers to the domination of world economic affairs and commerce by the United States." Deardorff's Glossary of International Economics
From the perspective of a banking institution: Globalization is "the generalized expansion of international economic activity which includes increased international trade, growth of international investment (foreign investment) and international migration, and increased creation of technology among countries. Globalization is the increasing world-wide integration of markets for goods, services, labor, and capital." The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis glossary
From the perspective of an international trade organization: Globalization is "the movement toward markets or policies that transcend national borders." Washington Council on International Trade
From the perspective of a social justice and environmental sustainability organization: "At the most basic level, globalization refers to the way in which commerce, information and culture are increasingly exchanged and managed on a world-wide, rather than local or national, basis. More significantly, the term refers to the intertwined pressures of free trade policies, multinational corporations, and concentrations of power in producing a global culture grounded in financial principles and goals." http://www.eco-justice.org/default.asp
From the perspective of an institution of higher education's library and research staff when categorizing library materials: Globalization is a term "used for transnational influences on culture, economics, politics, etc., especially illustrating global patterns or trends." University of California Riverside
From the perspective of book publisher on the topic of human geography: Globalization is "the increasing interconnectedness of different parts of the world through common processes of economic, environmental, political, and cultural change." http://www.prenhall.com/divisions/esm/app/knox/html/ch1/ch1terms.html
From Wikipedia: "Globalization is a term used to describe the changes in societies and the world economy that are the result of dramatically increased trade and cultural exchange. In specifically economic contexts, it refers almost exclusively to the effects of trade, particularly trade liberalization or free trade..." (Click here to read more about globalization from the Wikipedia site.)
Sources:
http://www.sociology.emory.edu/globalization/about.html
Currency Transaction Tax Glossary of Definitions
IBM Glossary of Unicode Terms
Richard L. Harris, "The Global Context of Contemporary Latin American Affairs," in Capital, Power, and Inequality in Latin America, eds., Sandor Halebsky and Richard L. Harris (Boulder: Westview Press, 1995), 279, 80
American Friends Service Committee
Lenses of Analysis: A Visual Framework for the Study of International Relations by Richard Harknett
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis glossary
University of Maryland's Icon Project
Deardorff's Glossary of International Economics
The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Glossary
Washington Council on International Trade
http://www.eco-justice.org/default.asp
http://www.prenhall.com/divisions/esm/app/knox/html/ch1/ch1terms.html
Wikipedia
Farleigh Dickinson University's Global Learning Newsletter in an article entitled "What Is the Meaning of Global Education?" by Michael Sperling.
