Globalization in Theory

(TCU) - Globalization as a scholarship has many dynamics. It is meant to be looked at as a concept rather than an ideal because as people change, so can the economy. There is no set viewpoint in which globalization can be seen or systematically applied. The definition of globalization in the book "Globalization" edited by George Ritzer is stated "an accelerating set of processes involving flows that encompass ever greater numbers of the world's spaces and that lead to increasing integration and interconnectivity among those spaces." Another definition of globalization describes it as "the direction in which the world considered as a whole is moving." Globality involves the conscious awareness or social imaginary of how people relate to themselves and the world around them. This comparison between how we see ourselves in our local community falling in line with the overall humankind is called glocalization, an understanding of local, state, national and international relations. It is said to get a better understanding of globalization; we need a paradigm shift towards a more cosmopolitan's outlook on the world. This way we can channel our focus on the inequality in the world and open our eyes to the blinders which hinder us from addressing the global issues holding us back from achieving equality. There are four main ways to analyze globalization, and they are: 

• Theoreticist- theoretical work addressing hotly debated and contested basic issues.
• Historicist- distinguishes what is new about globalization in comparison with past history. 
• Institutionalist- believes in social institutions to solve economic, political, and cultural problems. 
• Poststructuralist- Uses agencies to mitigate globalization and forecast which direction globalization is moving. 

Another way of analyzing Globalization involves a 2nd mapping device which is compose of 4 components: 

• Defensive globalization - globalization as existing and enduring.
• Post-globalization- globalization never existed or is in rapid decline moving more towards nationalism. 
• Critical globalization- seeks to extend globalization into a more transnational sharing of power.
• Glocalism - focus on both global and local in combination; dialectical relationship between the two. 

Considering America to be the "home of the free", democratic country which is more developed than any other country in the world, it would not make sense to compare globalization to past history as we seek to push towards a more technologically advanced society with artificial intelligence, robots, and self-driving cars, even flying cars. Being an owner of a political nonprofit, called  Stryde , which seeks justice pertaining to the discrimination of anyone pertaining to their demographics, it would make more sense to apply a more theoretical, glocalization to the topic of globalization. This is my viewpoint primarily because artificial intelligence or a self-driving car is not going to stop the hatred towards a group of people because of their nationality, religion or gender. In order to make us a better America, we must deal with the interlaced problems within our local communities first which in turn affects America's nation and international globality.  Just because we have a nice GDP, does not necessarily mean we are a better country to live in when it comes to health care, racism, or social inequality. Theoretical, glocalization will give Americans a common ground to build on with each other, especially immigrants seeking citizenship in our country. This path of globalization will lead to a more diversified America, not only on the outside looking in but from within, which we can only hope will spread to the rest of the world if they don't reach that level of peace and calmness with social equality before we do.