โลกาภิวัตน์: ความรู้ฉบับพกพา

Elementaire Deeltjes #8

by Manfred B. Steger, วรพจน์ วงศ์กิจรุ่งเรือง (Translator)

หนังสือ โลกาภิวัตน์: ความรู้ฉบับพกพา (Globalization: A Very Short Introduction) อธิบาย โลกาภิวัตน์ อย่างรอบด้าน แต่กระชับหนักแน่นด้วยข้อมูล และนำเนอกรอบแนวคิดฐานรากในการทำความเข้าใจ โลกาภิวัตน์

แม้การศึกษา โลกาภิวัตน์ จะมีลักษณะสหวิทยาการและมีความสลับซับซ้อน แต่ แมนเฟรด สเตเกอร์ ศาสตราจารย์ด้านโลกศึกษา (Global Studies) แห่งมหาวิทยาลัย RMIT และมหาวิทยาลัยฮาวาย สามารถย่อยเรื่องยากให้ง่าย สามารถอธิบายเรื่องซับซ้อนได้อย่างชัดเจนเป็นระบบ และตอบข้อสงสัยในใจของคนทั่วไปและนักเรียนนักศึกษาได้อย่างมีคุณภาพ เพลิดเพลิน และเต็มไปด้วยตัวอย่างประกอบ

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Economics, History, Sociology, School, Political Science

232 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Manfred B. Steger (born 1961) is Professor at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He was also Professor of Global Studies and Director of the Globalism Research Centre at RMIT University in Australia until 2013. Steger's research and teaching spans globalization, ideology, and non-violence.

Steger's won the 2003 Michael Harrington Award with his study on Globalism: The New Market Ideology.

Reviews

[Erwin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Short History of Globalization

Interesting idea. Misses the mark - by far.

Feel like the author must be a liberal university professor, writing to an audience of university professors, who will nod in agreement to each assertion while buzzing through a "very short introduction" to globalization, without actually introducing globalization to those that don't already understand.

The author frequently criticizes the "Washington Consensus", but doesn't get outside the box and ask the difficult, independent questions. I expected much more.

The actual writing style is needlessly indirect and opaque, even though the actual situation could be easily described - instead the author hides behind his ivory tower politically correct terms.

There is a lot of deception at the foundation of the "inevitable world is flat" globalization popularized for the last 30 years.

For a far more insightful historical view of globalization, see "1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created" discussing the global integration that started once Columbus arrived in the Americas and has never stopped.

More importantly, our current "world is flat" globalization can not be understood without also understanding American Militarism and geopolitics. "Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire" is by far the best geopolitical look at globalization.

The actual invisible hand/laissez-faire/free market economics espoused by Washington are also very misleading. "Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism" is by far the best description of how national economies actually interact in the real world (as opposed to economics in idealized computer models, the kind that helped facilitate the subprime crisis).

Reviewers note: As an American living and doing business in China for the last decade, ALL of my first hand experience attests to the simple truth described in Bad Samaritans and Blowback as being accurate, and everything free market related being naive of real world facts. Bad trade policy is the single biggest problem that's destroyed the USA to date.

Lastly, this one is a little bit further out there, but is a counterpoint to overall British and American foreign policy over the last 100 years. There are a few accusations here that I'm quite skeptical of, but the premise is pretty common sense: USA policy is all about control over oil. A Century of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order.

I learned far more reading these four than I did while reading books like "globalization: a very short introduction".

If you want to understand how the world actually works and why the *experts* are so often wrong, you should also read:

* Black Swan and Antifragile: Explaining why our historical understanding of possibility doesn't account for the unprecedented.
* Alchemy of Finance: Famous global investor Soros explains why belief in the "magic of the market" is as superstitious as belief in the witch doctor, the self reinforcing nature of boom and bust cycles, and the financial reason American 1980's deficit spending didn't immediately cause dollar devaluation, but helped plant the seeds for ever larger financial crisis.
* Investment Biker, Adventure Capitalist & Street Smarts. Famous investor Jim Rogers explains history and economics close to the ground as he travels round the world.
* In the Jaws of the Dragon: America's Fate in the Coming Era of Chinese Hegemony concerning the long term impact of American "one directional free trade" with East Asia, a battle that the west has been loosing for decades, but with the scale of China's massive population, the west will not be able to absorb the losses the way we have previously.
* Confessions of a Spy where double agent Aldrich Ames describes what the forever hyped cold war bogey monster, the KGB, could and could not actually do. The interesting thing is comparing the CIA to the KGB, and seeing how ever creeping government secrecy to defend against the enemy of the moment has eroded our civil rights. Note that this is by no means the primary point of the book, but nowhere else have I seen more candid discussion about what the KGB was actually capable of, and our political response to that knowledge.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Severely disappointing. For a book meant to be an introduction to globalization, Steger sure loves putting his own thoughts and opinions alongside the actual facts. It really loses direction in the last two chapters and never recovers. Steger's arrogant tone makes it hard to want to read anything else by him. The fact that he includes one of his own books in the reference section really rubs me the wrong way. Not so much a very short introduction as a very short diatribe.

[Skrivena stranica · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay, some things here were nicely and shortly presented, others left me still with an ? over my head. I think it was good but it could definitely be done better.

[Incek Akim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Globalisasi ni bukan satu destinasi tapi suatu proses. Proses mensejagatkan hubungan antarabangsa; melangkaui dan merentasi sempadan tradisional tetapi menggabungkan sekurangnya dua atau lebih elemen seperti ekonomi, politik, budaya, alam sekitar dan juga fahaman ideologi. Macam modenisasi la: usaha ke arah perubahan memajukan suatu teknologi atau suasana.

Istilah "globalisasi" dikesan mula digunakan seawal 1960-an lagi. Namun begitu, proses globalisasi bermula sejak tamadun manusia di bumi ini dibangunkan lagi: sejak 20,000 ribu tahun yang lalu. Jadi, tiada satu negara pun yang boleh mendabik dada menyatakan bahawa dialah pelopor usaha globalisasi ini.

Satu bacaan yang menarik untuk dihadam kerana dalam era pascamodernisme ni, kita semua sebenarnya sedang terkait sama ada secara langsung atau tidak langsung dalam gelombang globalisasi yang bertali arus ini. Bacaan yang ringkas untuk suatu topik yang sangat luas dan masih rancak mencapah dan bercambah. Semoga bermanfaat.

[Brian H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manfred B. Steger’s “Globalization: A Very Short Introduction” deals with the growing connection through government, media, economics and all sorts of things across the world. It examines the increasing communications and technology that help us spread ideas across the globe, for better, and sometimes, for worse. This is a repeating pattern throughout history. Civilizations connect and improve with influence from the outside, and with modern technology, globalization surrounds us completely in our everyday lives. Steger looks at this issue from an unbiased perspective, looking at how this can help us grow and expand, and also how we can destroy mother Earth with our increasingly poor efforts to preserve her health. We are our own worst enemy when it comes to the survival and preservation of the human race.
This book was definitely interesting. It had a lot of data about money, people and much more. This was a book my brother read in a course for his junior year in college, so I definitely didn’t understand a good portion of it. There were many trips to the dictionary app on my laptop what words like “neoliberal” meant. I would rate this book a 3 out of 5. It’s interesting, and pretty cool, but so hard to understand. It took me about 3 times the amount of time if would’ve taken to read a normal book that size. It definitely helped having graphs, pictures and charts. Without those, I seriously doubt I could’ve understood half of this book.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes politics, government issues, economics, and human nature. All that sort of stuff. Also someone who’s better at reading than me (not saying that much actually.) This is a book I probably will read again when I’m a lot older and smarter.

[Tee · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** 3.25 Stars ***

Globalization, a Very short Introduction is a exactly what the title is describing. It is a very short book on how Globalization works, when was it born (if that's even applicable) and how it moves the world today.

While I enjoyed reading this book thoroughly, I find it a little misleading. Stager mentions multiple dimensions of Globalization including culture. However, I don't think we can discuss any other dimension without relating it to culture. Culture is what moves globalization. You cannot take culture out of it.
Culture is what generates meaning to the human experience and thus, the human (the individual) then applies that meaning to everyday life by making countless choices throughout the day.
I think Cultural globalization is in every dimension of globalization.

Nonetheless, this was an informative read and definitely very fast-paced. I would just keep in mind that it could be a bit confusing because of the separation of culture from the dimensions of globalization.

[Selena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very short introduction into globalization. I enjoyed the story of the elephant and the blind scholars. I had heard the story before, but it fits the definition. . .

[luciana · Rating 3 out of 5]

reading this for a research paper i’m working on. not the most groundbreaking or thought-provoking book out there but still gives a pretty decent outline of globalization and free trade.

[Preetam Chatterjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mission 2026: Binge reviewing all previous Reads, I was too slothful to review back when I read them

Manfred B. Steger’s ‘Globalization: A Very Short Introduction’ is deceptively small, but it opens a universe. At just over a hundred pages, it delivers a sweeping panorama of one of the most complex, contested, and consequential phenomena of our time. Reading it feels like stepping into a room where someone is simultaneously explaining the mechanics of the world economy, the politics of identity, the culture of modernity, and the moral stakes of connectivity—and doing so with clarity, wit, and intellectual generosity.

Steger doesn’t just introduce globalization; he forces the reader to wrestle with its ambiguities, its contradictions, and its radical transformations of everyday life.

The book begins by defining the term—always a contested move. Steger avoids a single rigid definition, which would have been lazy, and instead presents multiple perspectives: economic, political, cultural, ideological.

Globalization is not merely the spread of capitalism or technology; it is the intensification of worldwide social relations and consciousness, a process that compresses time and space, reshapes identities, and alters the dynamics of power.

Right away, the reader is confronted with the tension at the heart of the subject: globalization is both a material and a symbolic process, and understanding it requires navigating both dimensions simultaneously.

One of the book’s greatest strengths is its organization. Steger moves carefully from the economic to the political to the cultural, tracing the threads of globalization through multiple lenses. Economic globalization—the networks of trade, finance, and production—receives close attention, but Steger refuses to reduce everything to GDP or stock indices. He emphasizes that economic flows are embedded within political institutions, legal frameworks, and social norms.

For instance, the role of the International Monetary Fund or World Bank is not merely procedural; these institutions shape sovereignty, redistribute risk, and influence national priorities. The book makes clear that to understand globalization is to understand power—and its uneven distribution.

Political globalization, as Steger presents it, is equally fascinating. He explores the rise of supranational organizations, transnational social movements, and global governance mechanisms.

Yet he is careful to avoid techno-utopianism: globalization is not inherently liberal or democratic. Institutions like the United Nations or the European Union coexist with non-state actors, rogue regimes, and the sprawling, sometimes anarchic networks of global finance.

The result is a world simultaneously integrated and fragmented—a paradox that Steger articulates with remarkable precision. He makes it clear that globalization is not a singular narrative of progress but a complex, often contradictory historical force.

Cultural globalization, perhaps the most contested area, receives particularly subtle treatment. Steger addresses fears of homogenization—the spread of “American” or Western culture—but also notes the creative, hybridizing, and resistant practices that emerge.

From Bollywood films to K-pop fandoms, from culinary fusions to local adaptations of global technology, the book shows how culture circulates in uneven, contested ways.

Steger’s attention to ideology here is key: globalization is not merely the movement of objects or images; it is also the movement of ideas, beliefs, and moral frameworks. Understanding globalization requires attention to both material and symbolic dimensions.

Another aspect that makes the book intellectually satisfying is Steger’s treatment of critical perspectives. He does not shy away from the controversies: anti-globalization movements, critiques of neoliberalism, and debates about environmental degradation all receive careful attention.

Yet Steger presents these not as dogmatic positions but as arguments to be weighed. The book encourages readers to interrogate assumptions, ask difficult questions about justice and inequality, and recognize that globalization is not a neutral or inevitable force. It is a terrain of contestation, in which the stakes are political, economic, and moral.

Stylistically, Steger balances accessibility with intellectual rigor. The prose is clear without being simplistic, and complex arguments are presented in digestible segments.

Each chapter contains examples that anchor abstract concepts in reality—from multinational corporations and trade agreements to grassroots movements and cultural phenomena. The result is a book that is both readable and authoritative, suitable for newcomers but rewarding even for those already familiar with globalization studies.

Reading this book today, in 2026, is strikingly relevant. The world Steger describes—a hyperconnected, interdependent, and ideologically diverse space—feels both familiar and disorienting. Global crises like pandemics, climate change, migration, and geopolitical rivalry underscore the stakes he outlines.

The book’s insistence on nuance, complexity, and critical reflection feels urgently necessary. Steger avoids the twin pitfalls of utopian enthusiasm and paranoid alarmism; instead, he equips readers to navigate a world where borders, identities, and power are increasingly fluid.

For me, the personal takeaway is how globalization is both intimate and structural. It is present in a phone call to another continent, a social media feed, a trade war, or a refugee crisis.

Steger’s book makes the invisible visible: the networks, dependencies, and ideologies that underpin modern life. Reading it sharpens awareness of how deeply interconnected our lives are, and how choices at one scale—local, national, global—reverberate across multiple dimensions.

Ultimately, ‘Globalization: A Very Short Introduction’ succeeds not by answering all questions but by teaching the reader to ask the right ones. Steger models curiosity, critical thinking, and intellectual rigor. He reminds us that globalization is not destiny but process: contested, uneven, and profoundly human.

It is at once exciting, troubling, and ethically demanding. In fewer than 150 pages, Steger conveys the scope, complexity, and significance of a phenomenon that shapes every aspect of contemporary life.

For anyone seeking to understand the modern world in a thoughtful, nuanced way, this book is indispensable.

In short, the book doesn’t just explain globalization; it opens a lens through which the world comes alive—messy, interconnected, and morally urgent.

It is a masterclass in clarity, criticality, and contextual thinking, reminding readers that in a globalized world, seeing the connections is the first step toward understanding them.

Most recommended.

[Fraser]

Globalization is hard to pin down as a concept. When did it begin? That's hard. How can it be defined? That's hard. Is it good or bad? That's hard.

Started this book with the slightest of notions of what globalization is. Finished it with a slightly less slight notion. Steger in the beginning affects a neutral voice, but this gives way to some fairly explicit views in the last two chapters.

I don't feel comfortable giving books like this a star rating. I found its contents useful, but still feel woefully uninformed about the subject matter.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel like this books was basically a quick summary of my International Politics textbooks from last semester.

[M. Ashraf · Rating 2 out of 5]

Globalization
A Very Short Introduction #86
Manfred B. Steger

I think Globalization is more than what is discussed here, it covered a lot of aspects and meaning of globalism but it still lacks in my opinion other aspects.
And it is one-sided and more opinionated than it needs to be and what the Very Short Introductions meant to be; to be more of a short unopinionated entry to a subject.
It is an O.K book but it could have been better

Globalism consists of powerful narratives that sell an overarching neoliberal worldview, thereby creating collective meanings and shaping people's identities.

Globalization is about the triumph of markets over governments. Both proponents and opponents of globalization agree that the driving force today is markets, which are suborning the role of government.

[Sakshi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Past the first chapter this book is quite ok. But the first chapter more than makes up for it - for one being balanced, second being historical rather than angling towards any particular perspective (sociological or otherwise). For some, that works, for others not so much. The rest of the book could've dug deeper or raised some questions of importance in the particular subjects that the chapters address (economics, political, cultural, ecological). For those who are looking for a very fundamental critique of globalization, this can be a good summary.

[Fred · Rating 1 out of 5]

To me, the person charged with introducing a topic should have to present an unbiased view of the whole situations. Steger is overwhelming negative, and while he makes valid arguments, it just rubbed me so wrong that he was giving people's first view of globalization a really negative one. Not terrible though, because he does also outline what globalization is all about, so I suppose in a biased way, he achieved the aims of the book.

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chapter 1: What is globalization?
Chapter 2: Globalization in history
Chapter 3: The economic dimension of globalization
Chapter 4: The political dimension of globalization
Chapter 5: The cultural dimension of globalization
Chapter 6: The ecological dimension of globalization
Chapter 7: Ideological confrontations over globalization
Chapter 8: The future of globalization

[Như Cát · Rating 2 out of 5]

A biased book is not necessarily a bad one. A biased one without back up evidences is.

[emu · Rating 2 out of 5]

had to write an essay based on this in class. steger, if you want to compensate for the mental pain i went through dm me :) ps. i still dont know what globalization is

[PolicemanPrawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written and generally satisfactory introduction to the topic. It stresses that there is no single definition of globalisation, and that the topic is multifaceted, consisting of an economic, political, cultural, and ideological dimension, each of which the author discusses in turn. In particular, the ideology surrounding globalisation was nicely dissected. The political and economic elite, and their minions (including economists and the media), are hell-bent on spreading a false narrative of globalisation – for example, that it provides benefits to all countries, or to all groups in a country; or that it is inevitable – which the author refutes well. Britain First!

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a helpful overview of the subject, and it is insightful in places, but the three-star review comes mostly from the fact that it is fairly dated, with much of the discussion focused on the global world of the mid- to late-2000s. An updated edition of the book would certainly make it feel more up to date and reflective of the current global world.

[Ivy-Mabel Fling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent, clearly explained introduction to the various elements of globalisation - I wish my students would read it!!! Although there is something new and interesting in nearly all these little books, I think this one is more for beginners than some of the others.

[Alyssa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, even though it's wildly outdated by now. I'd love to read an updated version. Really easy to read and understand. And it made me really mad, though that's because of capitalism, not the author haha

[Iván · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un libro corto sobre la globalización. Interesantes algunas de las obras que se citan en la bibliografía, en algunas de ellas voy a profundizar.

[Rianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring

[Jonathan Hockey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Considers a lot of the main concepts involved in this process. The bias in favor of globalisation as a good thing is clear, but this was no surprise to me. The last few years really raise some questions for his analysis. For, if we take market globalism, and then the response of justice globalism. We have now seen the clear rise of a new political force on the right, not religiously motivated, that is against aspects of market globalism, as defined in this book, and against aspects of justice globalism. This book talks of the religious globalism of Al Quaeda, and Islamic terrorism. What we have now is a reaction to this globalism in the west, though it is not primarily religiously motivated. I think you could call it a cultural backlash. I wouldn't say its sympathetic to globalism of any kind. But neither is it simply religious, nationalistic or whatever. It's primary concern is the empowerment of people already in western countries. Not based necessarily on national boundaries, but based on a perception of a common western culture under attack from within by a liberal PC culture that has gone too far and from without by intolerant religious factors such as Islam.

It is a conservative cultural reaction to a liberal style of university education that has got to the point of undermining Western Identity, and allowing no expression for western voices, but only for people who belong to a perceived oppressed minority group. All these groups have lined themselves up against "privileged white males", (which includes many females and many non-white people, if they don't tow the party line), where they see these people as representing a culture that should be destroyed. Unsurprisingly this situation has created a reaction, and this reaction see's that justice globalism is primarily motivated by attacking western culture where ever it sees it, in favour of a identity-less blob of people all welfare state dependent making their appeal to welfare state funding. It, far from empowering people, is creating a new kind of serfdom, completely opposite to its supposed aim of democratic transparency, accountability and egalitarianism.

This is where we find ourselves now, in 2017, after Brexit and Trump becoming president of the US. The justice globalists should realise that it is their flaws that have created this situation, as much as they may try to project it on to enemies who they periodically call fascist, racist, homophobe, sexist, etc without doing any research to back up their claims. So where next? Democracy cannot exist in a vacuum, it needs a culture to back it up. By destroying their own countries culture, compounding the destruction already wielded by market globalists, justice globalists have took away the platform within which democratic values can be supported and within which they can make any sense and have any meaning. They have created a generation of zombies/serfs who mistake moving together as a herd for democracy, who mistake their enforced consensus (where all dissenting voices are belittled or accused of hate speech) as being a democratic/majority consensus. The elections of last year were a rude awakening for these people who had come to just assume they were the majority and they were correct, as they surrounded themselves with people who echoed their views.

It leaves us still currently in the hate-filled backlash of the justice globalists struggling to come to terms with this change. Where the polarisation makes things currently very unclear. One thing that is clear is that you will not get rid of dissent by intimidation and forcing people to toe a party line. And if they try this route, justice globalism and all its activism will descend into a communist style organisation. Leftist Authoritarianism. Which, given the serfdom they are creating, would fit politically based on history.

[Zoë Birss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is at least the third "A Very Short Introduction" that I've read. So far, they're fantastic.

Steger's short book is dense with material, yet accessible, and left me feeling in only a few days as though I have a much stronger foundational understanding of globalization than I did before. I have been involved in anti-globalization actions and social justice movements for many years. This book still had a lot for me, especially for getting a clear, overall perspective on the subject.

According to Steger, globalization can be understood differently depending on the ideology behind the movement. In the second half of the book, the writer identifies three main ideologies that drive globalization today. These are market globalism, justice globalism, and jihadist globalism. As for the third, I think the author could have given it a better name. Even in the book, Steger identifies that certain hyper-conservative Christian groups (such as dominionists, whom he describes but does not name) could also fall under this category. I would rename the third "religious globalism" after any religious ideology that wishes to gain exclusive influence over the world entire, even though the most prominent of these today may very well be jihadists. As for the other two, market and justice globalism, I found them very helpful in finding my own place in the current cultural move. What I called my own anti-globalization was really more like justice globalism. True anti-globalization movements are nationalistic movements. Protectionist policies that put a state ahead of all others, to the state's gain and the loss of those outside the state, are anti-globalization.

The author puts faces and examples to each of the ideologies, which was very helpful. For example, Bill Gates is on the leading edge of market globalism, Noam Chomsky of justice globalism, and Bin Laden (or ISIS now) on jihadist globalism. Steger includes many more examples, with fantastic citations that firmly define each as they appear today.

In the final chapter, he also identifies a fourth ideology that he does not describe as deeply as he does the other three. The fourth is imperial globalism. This is a globalist ideology behind a nation seeking so much worldwide influence as to attempt to make the world in its image, culturally, economically, and militarily. Of course, we see this in the American attempts to impact market globalism, and in other ways it acts to Americanize the world. Should I ever have the opportunity to discuss globalization or summarize the ideologies that influence it, I would include this one with the other three.

The first half of the book was more familiar to me, summarizing the impact of globalization on the world, with a chapter each on economic, political, cultural, and ecological impacts. These are the chapters that argue for the reason this subject is so very important.

As one would expect from an academic approach, the first chapters define globalization, give a summary of the arguments for its existence, and a summary of the history of globalization since the founding of nation states. After the summary of globalization's history, the author defends his decision to spend the rest of the very short introduction mostly focused on globalization since the 1970s until the present.

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in sharpening their discourse on global political, economic, and cultural movements, and especially to those engaged in actions to seek to resist imperial and market globalism, and believe that a better world is possible.

[Cyndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because in 132 pages I was able to clearly understand more about globalization and the forces that propel or thwart globalization. The author is definitely egalitarian and his bias comes through in several places. That aside, he quickly takes the reader through the beginning of the world and shows how advancements such as the invention of the wheel and language increased interaction between people and fostered trade. Steger does differentiate between Globalization (a set of social proccesses of intensifying of global interdependence) and Globalisms (Ideologies that endow the concept of globalization with particular values and meanings). Separate ideology from the process is helpful.

In looking to the future one premise was interesting, that with increased globalization, powerful NGO's and TNC's, that these could replace traditional nation-states. It seems there would be many wars that would be fought before this scenario played out as there is power associated with borders and those in power would not the borders erased.

The book analyzes different forms of globalization, political, economic, cultural, ecological and then the ideologies, market globalism, justice globalism and jihadist globalism.

We are incapable of predicting the outcome of globalization and what our world will look like 50 - 100 years from now as information is able to be processed and shared with those around the world in a matter of seconds.

[robin friedman · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this book ten years ago today (November 6, 2013, and then, somehow forgot about it.

Globalization In The Very Short Introduction Series

Manfred Stegner's "Globalization" explores a very broad, nebulous subject in a very short introduction from Oxford University Press. Stegner, Professor of Political Science at the University of Hawaii- Manoa and Professor of Global Studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, has written more that 20 books and has served as a consultant on globalism to, among other places, the United States State Department.

Stegner shows in his book that globalism is a highly changing, dynamic subject. The dynamism of globalism may be illustrated at once by this "very short introduction's" publishing history. The first edition of the book was published in 2003. It was well received and reviewed and translated into several languages. Then, in 2009, Stegner published a second edition which brought the book current through the foreign and globalization policies of President George W. Bush. In May 2013, Stegner published a third edition of his "very short Introduction" which considers the global financial crisis of 2008-2010, natural disasters in 2011, and the 2011 killing of Osama Bin Laden. These developments all have important bearings upon understanding the direction of globalization. I am reviewing the second, 2009, edition here. I found the book in the public library and read it before becoming aware that it had already been superseded by a new edition. Such is the pace of change. The book is valuable, but readers should consult the newest edition if possible.

Stegner explores the nature and history of globalization and offers an assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. The book is succinct and written on an informative, high level for lay readers wanting to learn about the subject. Stegner writes: "the main purpose of this book is to provide its audience with a descriptive and explanatory account of the various dimensions of globalization, the careful reader will detect throughout a critical approach." The strengths of this book lie largely in its "descriptive and exploratory account". Criticism and judgment are important for any book; the reader will need to work through and assess Stegner's perspective.

Stegner works to and develops the following definition. "Globalization refers to the expansion and intensification of social relations and consciousness across world-time and world-space." The book shows a historically informed perspective in discussing predecessors of globalization over a long term, beginning with human prehistory. The book also is valuable in emphasizing a multi -- disciplinary approach to globalization and in rejecting reductionism. Stegner uses the Buddhist parable of the blind scholars and the elephant to illustrate the dangers of reductionism. In the parable, each of several blind scholars touches a different part of an elephant and comes away with an incorrect, partial understanding of the nature of the beast. So too, with globalization (and with many other matters) there is a tendency to describe one aspect of globalization as fundamental and to downplay others. Stegner argues that globalization must be understood in terms of several related dimensions which cannot be reduced to one another. He identifies the economic, political, cultural, ecological, and ideological dimensions of globalization.

In successive, short chapters, Stegner explores each of these dimensions. In discussing economics, Stegner concentrates on the rise of the multi-national corporation and on what he sees as the policy of economic deregulation and laissez-faire which he calls neo-liberalism. Stegner is critical of neo-liberalism for its role in skewing wealth distribution, creating a distinction between "North" and "South" in terms of economic growth, and in leading to global warming and other types of environmental degradation. In discussing politics, Stegner considers the effect of globalization on the modern nation-state. In his consideration of the culture of globalization, Stegner examines what he sees as the tension between conformity and creative cultural differences. He is critical of what he sees as the spread of American popular culture with its "McDonaldization" and emphasis on consumerism and acquisitiveness. In his chapter on ecology, Stegner discusses resource exploitation and climate change that, he argues, come with expanded global development.

In exploring the ideological nature of globalization, Stegner contrasts the neoliberal model has has described with what he terms "justice globalism" which would aim to work for a fairer distribution of the benefits of globalization between North and South and rich and poor. He also describes "Jihadist globalization" associated with Bin Laden and the spread of terrorism. Again, Stegner suggests the need to understand the underlying causes of "Jihadism" in the process of combatting and ending it.

Contrary to Stegner's suggestion, it does not require a particularly careful reading to discern his "critical approach". He is critical of economic laissez-faire but even more so of the United States and of its culture which he finds based upon "McDonalds" and commodification. The reader may understand and appreciate the importance for cultural diversity without adopting what appears to be a reductive and over-simplified approach to the nature of American culture. Other aspects of Stegner's critique, particularly his discussion of economics, might require a more nuanced, detailed study than possible in a "very short introduction". It is valuable to note Stegner's approach and to consider other possibilities.

Stegner's book taught me a great deal about globalization and about how it may be understood. Oxford University Press has made available a "readers' guide" to this book which is useful in framing questions and in testing one's understanding. It is valuable to have this "very short introduction" series to learn new things and to continue one's education late in life.

Robin Friedman

[Sorobai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the manny negative reviews of this book I read I found it concise and interesting. It acomplish what the author states in the introduction: a concise and elementary introduction to globalization. I didn't find it too negative, I though it reflects reallity and as the author say it's is own view. Minor point to me is the strong american view of the author (but, he's american after all!). Anyway, I belive the portuguese influence in the new discoveries of the XVI century and it's importance in the future globalization was paramount and it didn't get the deserved atention even in a small introduction as this. The name of Portugal is mencioned one time and after spain associated with other european countries. I don't want to belive it's due to the author's lack of information, and if it is not, it is beased information and a strongly negative point at this. In the overall it's a fast read with a interesting compilation of facts about globalization, specially the arguments pro and counter.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

So there were a lot of reviews that said that the book was heavily biased, but as someone who normally doesn't read about economics I actually found it pretty unbiased. So maybe it's because I'm not as well versed in the topics, but I thought it was a great intro to the topics of globalism that have become buzzwords in our society. I found the language very accessible, and the books organization very well-laid out. Overall I learned a lot from the book, and was kind of surprised by how much I didn't know about globalism.

My only qualm was that the illustrations/graphs/tables sometimes seemed unnecessary and more like "fluff." I didn't feel like they aided in my understanding of the material. Maybe the purpose was to provide more information about certain things in case people wanted to know more. But other than that it was great!

I'd recommend this to anyone who (like me) is interested in knowing more but not dedicated enough to buy a full 300-400 page book on globalism. I learned more than what google could tell me, but just enough that I didn't feel completely overwhelmed.

[Nathan Boyett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book lives up to its title. A helpful first primer on my current journey to understand some of the forces at play in globalization. As he says in the beginning, such a broad topic is challenging to reduce into a “very short” introduction but Steger does a good job with it.

I read the third edition which was released in 2013. The fifth edition is slated for release later this year, August 2020. The entire time I was reading the third edition I couldn’t help but wonder how Steger will discuss the global events that have transpired in the 7 years since. It was also interesting to see places in which his anticipation of future events in 2013 came to fruition. That was one advantage of reading an older version, that I could check his intuition more or less in real time.