rearing Outcomes tthe end ofthis lesson you should be abet: 1. agree ona working definition of globalization forthe couse 2. diferente the competing conceptions of globalization and 3. arate a personal experience of globalization. AStory: Gio, Latif, and the Laksa When Gio was a second-year international affairs student in ‘a university in Cebu City, he obtained funding to join the school team partpating in an international Model UN competion in Sydney, Australia, At the height of the competition, Gio made plenty of new friends and became particularly close to Latif a the Malaysian team, The two first started talking when Latif aske Gio where he was from. Upon discovering that the Gio was en the Philippines, Latif lit up and declared that he was a big fan of Filipino actors Jericho Rosales and Kristine Hermosa. Gio = pleasantly surprised to learn that Latif had seen every episode of the ABS-CBN telenovela Pangako sa 'Yo ("The Promise"). The show had aired on Malaysian TV a few years back, and its two stars had developed a modest following, Ashamed that he did not know as much about Malaysia as Latif knew about the Philippines, Gio asked Latif what his country was like. Latif he discovered, was from a Muslim university in Kuala Lumpur. Gio asked him what he liked best about living in “KL; and Latif immediately mentioned the food. Latif explained that in Kuala Lumpur, one can find Chinese, Indian, and Malay cuisines. He told Gio that this assortment of foodways was the result of What is Globalization? | 3 how the British reorganized Malaysian society during the colonial times. The British did little to change the way of life of the Malays who were the original residents, but brought in Chinese laborers to work in the rubber plantations and tin mines, and indians to help manage the bureaucracy and serve as the initial professional core of a potential middle class. One of the ways that these ethnic groups were identified was through their foodways. According to Latif, Malaysia eventually became famous for these cuisines which can be found in the various “hawker centers" actoss the nation’s cities and towns. These food stands are located in outdoor food parks where locals and tourists taste the best of ‘Malaysia from nasi lemak to laksa, Gio interrupted Latif and asked, “What is laksa?" He felt more ashamed at his lack of knowledge. “Ahh. ..let me show you what it Is and how it is prepared!" replied Latif. The next day, Latif took Gio to a Malaysian restaurant a few blocks away ftom the university. Gio was surprised to discover that Malaysian food was readily available in Sydney. Having noticed this, Latif explained to his Filipino friend that, over the years, as more and more Malaysian students moved to Sydney to study, Malaysian restaurants followed suit. Soon after, they were catering ot only to these students, but to Australia-born “Sydneysiders* as well, whose culinary tastes were becoming more and more diverse, Gio finally had his first taste of laksa—a rice noodle soup in a spicy coconut curry sauce. He found the flavors intense since, like most Filipinos, he was not used to spicy food. However, in deference to his friend, he persisted and eventually found himself enjoying the hot dish, After the meal, Gio and Latif went to @ nearby café and ordered “flat whites'"—an espresso drink similar to latte, which is Usually served in cafés in Australia and New Zealand. Both knew what flat whites were since there were Australian-inspited cafés in both Kuala Lumpur and Cebu,4 | The Structures of Globalization What is Globalization? | 5 Laks: a ich and spy nice poodle soup The new friends promised to stay in touch after the competition, and added each other on Facebook and Instagram. congratulated each other for their achievements, and commented on and liked each other's photos, Latif sent his mother’s recipe to Gio and the latter began cooking Malaysian food in his home, A few years after graduation, Gio moved to Singapore, joining, many other overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the city-state, The culture was new to him, but one thing was familiar: the food served in Singapore was no different from the Malaysian food he had discovered through Latif, He would later learn from Singaporean colleagues that the island country was once part of the British colony of Malay and the postwar independent Federation of Malaysia, Singapore, however, separated from the Federation in August 1965 and became a nation-state. Today, they may be two distinct countries in this part of the world, but Singapore and Malaysia still share the same cuisine. After he settled down in his apartment, Gio sought out and found a favorite laksa stall in Newton Hawker Center. He would spend his weekends there with with friends eating laksa and other dishes. po ‘Over the next two years, they exchanged e-mails and posts, | ‘A hawkercenterin Singapore One Saturday, while Gio was checking his Facebook feed along the very busy Orchard Road—Singapore'’s main commercial road—he noticed that Latif had just posted something 5 minutes earlier. It was a picture from Orchard Road. Surprised but also excited, Gio sent Latif a private message. Latif replied immediately saying that he too had moved to Singapore and was, at that moment, standing in front a department store just a faw blocks away from where Gio was. The two friends met up, and after a long hug and quick questions as to what each was up to, they ducked into a café and renewed their international friendship....by ordering a pair of flat whites. Global Experiences Gio and Latif’s story is fictional but very plausible since itis, in fact, based on the real-life experience of one of the authors. It was through such friendships that one was able to appreciate the ‘meaning and impact of globalization. ‘We begin our definition of globalization with this narrative to illustrate how concrete the phenomenon is. The story shows how globalization operates at multiple, intersecting levels. ‘The spread of Filipino TV into Malaysia suggests how fast this popular culture has proliferated and criss-crossed all over Asia.6 | The Structures of Globalization The Model UN activity that Gio and Latif participated in is an international competition about international politics. Gio met Latif (a Malaysian involved in the model UN) in Sydney, a global city that derives its wealth and influence from the global capital that flows through it. Sydney is also a metropolis of families of international immigrants or foreigners working in the industries that also sell their products abroad. After the two had gone back to their home countries, Gio and Latif kept in touch through Facebook, a global social networking site that provides instantaneous communication across countries and continents. ‘They preserved their friendship online and then rekindled this face-to-face in Singapore, another hub for global commerce, with 40 percent of the population being classified as “foreign talents.” ‘What other hints of globalization did you find in the story? Some Description Our discussion should begin with this intuitive sense that something is happening, and it is not affecting everyone in the same way. Gio's story is a very privileged way of experiencing global flows, but for other people, the shrinking of the world may not be as exciting and edifying, For example, it is very common for young women in developing countries to be recruited in the internet as “mail-order brides” for foreign: men living in other countries. After being promised a good life once married to a kind husband in a rich city, they end up becoming sexual and domestic servants in foreign lands. Some were even sold off by their “husbands” to gangs which run prostitute rings in these cities. Like Gio, they too have experienced the shrinking of the world, albeit negatively. Governments that decide to welcome the foreign investments con the belief that they provide jobs and capital for the country offer public lands as factory or industrial sites. In the process, poor people living in these lands, also called “urban poor communities.” are being evicted by the government. The irony is that these people What is Globalization? | 7 forcibly removed from their “slums” are also the labor force sought by foreign companies. They had to be kicked out of their homes, and then told that they could take an hour or two of bus travel from their relocated communities back to the “old home” for inimum-wage work. Because different people encounter globalization in a variety of ways, it is deemed useful to ask simple questions like: “Is globalization good or bad? Is it beneficial or detrimental?” The discussion begins with two premises. First, globalization is a complex phenomenon that occurs at multiple levels. Second, it is an uneven process that affects people differently. Globalization: A Working Definition Most accounts view globalization as primarily an economic process. When a newspaper reports that nationalists are resisting “globalization,” it usually refers to the integration of the national markets to a wider global market signified by the increased free trade, When activists refer to the “anti-globalization” movement of the 1990s, they mean resisting the trade deals among countries facilitated and promoted by global organizations like the World ‘Trade Organization. Globalization scholars do not necessarily disagree with people who criticize unfair international trade deals or global economic organizations. In fact, many are sympathetic to the critique of economic globalization. Academics differ from journalists and political activists, however, because they see globalization in much broader terms. They view the process through various lenses that consider multiple theories and perspectives. Academics call this an interdisciplinary approach, and itis this approach used by the general education (GE) courses that you will be taking alongside this one. The best scholarly description of globalization is provided by Manfred Steger who described the process as “the expansion and intensification of social relations and consciousness across