What was globalization?

ABSTRACT

This contribution draws on world-system, Marxist, and feminist theories to argue that globalization is a stage in the evolution of the capitalist world-system, with distinct geographic, class, and gender features. Although there is some merit in redefining ‘globalization’ to enable its extension back to ancient history, this contribution situates ‘globalization-from-above’ and ‘globalization-from-below’ in a particular stage of world capitalist development, highlights female labour in social reproduction, and ends by speculating as to whether aspects of this stage may be on the decline.

KEYWORDS:

• Globalization
• world-system
• capitalism
• female labour
• globalization-from-below

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 In the interest of space, I do not cite the many studies; the debates are examined in chapter 2 of my book, Globalization and Social Movements (2020). See, for example, Robinson & Harris, 2000; Smith et al., 1997, 2008.

2 An early study of the global reorganization of production and labour is that of Frobel et al. (1980). On fast fashion’s downside, see Anguelov (2015).

3 See Great Transition Initiative https://greattransition.org/gti-forum/farewell-to-the-wsf.

4 See also BBC World Service, October 24, 2011; wikileaks.org (accessed October 27, 2011). A November 2011 Facebook posting by Catherine Savage featured a photo of Julian Assange with the comment, ‘I give private information on corporations to you for free and I’m the villain’, juxtaposed with the image of Mark Zuckerberg and the comment, ‘I give your private information to corporations for money, and I’m the Man of the Year’.

5 www.peaceaction.org ; www.answercoalition.org ; www.codepink.org; https://marchemondiale.org/?lang=fr; www.wilpf.org.

6 Even before globalization became a buzzword, Von Laue’s (1988) took a critical view of the global reach of Western political, economic, and ideational power, noting its connection to violence and wars as well as its influence on political leaders and state-building in developing countries. Controversially, he argued that Western institutions were adopted even by anti-Western leaders and states. This is not so far removed from the Communist Manifesto’s prediction of the worldwide diffusion of bourgeois values and institutions through ‘the exploitation of the world market’ – or indeed the acceptance of neoliberal capitalist globalization by former critics of Western capitalism, such as the leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People’s Republic of China.

7 The chapter by Steger and James on populism and globalization (Ch. 8) resonates with my own perspective on the subject, but I agree with Cas Mudde that populism, as a ‘thin-centered ideology’, can look different in varied contexts and can assume a left-wing as well as a right-wing complexion.

8 See https://www.awid.org/publications/beyond-investing-women-and-girls-mobilizing-resources; Ford (2016); personal interview with Mahnaz Afkhami, founder/director of the Women’s Learning Partnership (19 January 2020).

9 Karl Polanyi’s influential text was originally published in 1944. The 2001 edition includes contributions by economist Joseph Stiglitz and political sociologist Fred Block.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Valentine M. Moghadam

Valentine M. Moghadam is Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Northeastern University, Boston, and co-author (with Shamiran Mako) of the forthcoming After the Arab Uprisings: Progress and stagnation in the Middle East and North Africa (Cambridge, 2021).