From Modernization to Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

During the past decade, notions of globalization have displaced familiar discourses of modernization. On the political right, globalization is seen to signal the demise of socialist economies, and proponents of market liberalization proclaim new opportunities to further global wealth and prosperity. On the left, critics point to the ways in which the current economic restructuring is accompanied by an increasing gap between the ’haves’ and ’have nots’. However disparate these two positions seem, both neglect the gendered impact of globalization. The purpose of this article is to review feminist critiques ofglobalization. Central to this review is recognition of the diversity of women’s (and men’s) situations, both within and across cultures. This recognition reminds us that ’gender’cannot simply be added to existing paradigms ofglobalization. What is needed are innovative ways of thinking that will help us understand how local contexts are increasingly orchestrated by extra-local forces. The articles included in this Special Issue provide examples of such methodologies.