“Group Reports”

Discussion Notes

DISCLAIMER:
The content is based on (1) summary of the reporters’ handouts, (2) sir’s additional discussions, and
(3) my own notes for further understanding. This means that there could be some parts that are not
correct or accurate. For further accuracy, please do rely also on your OWN notes.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Group 1. Globalization and Media: Creating Global Village Pg 2

Group 2. Asian Regionalism Pg 6
Group 3. Locating the Global South Ongoing
Group 4. Demographic Transition Ongoing
Group 5. Migration N/a
Group 6. Food Security N/a
Group 7. Global Citizenship N/a
 GEC103: Contemporary World Summary (Gg)

GROUP 1: GLOBALIZATION AND MEDIA:

CREATING GLOBAL VILLAGE

Globalization today will not happen without MEDIA.

✓ Etymology (Origin) of Globalization: Global and -ization
• Global: global activities
• -ization: (1) completed outcome or (2) ongoing process
Globalization as an outcome means it is already done or a final product.
Globalization as a process means it will continue, improve, or developed. The world will be further
globalized.
✓ History of Globalization (3 Versions):
• Arjun Appadurai stated that Globalization started or intensified during the advancements
in media and transportation. This is what he calls “Rupture” which caused significant
changes in social life.
• Started on the Colonizers or Global Trading
• Nayan Chanda stated that it started from Human Beings or Homo Sapiens.
Note: NO RIGHT ANSWER as to when globalization began. Most of us will agree that globalization
has accelerated in our time as what Arjun Appadurai says.
MEDIA (plural for Medium) is a tool or a means for conveying information. It is a
communication channel.
MASS MEDIA when it can reach a wide or diverse audience.
✓ Evolution of Media and Globalization
• Oral Communication – use of voice.
Our voice will be useless if there is no meaning to it. That is why, Language, exists.
Having a language makes communication easy. Thus, it creates exchange ideas, cultures, etc.
The limitation of using voice is the difficulty to spread ideas because you need to go for a certain place
to exchange information. Also, the information could be manipulated or forgotten.

• Script – system of writing.

The advantage is it can travel far distances and cannot be manipulated or forgotten.
Hieroglyphs is the first known script or writing system in Egypt. This are the writings in cave which
leads to the development of cuneiform.
Baybayin is the first writing system in Philippines.

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Clay Tablet is the paintings in the rock.

Papyrus made the script more efficient and convenient. This also results in Standardizing of
Knowledge.

• Printing Press – technology by which it can print a document to many copies.

If you want to convey your ideas to a mass audience, printing press will be ideal.
The first printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg.
The invention of Printing Press led people to be enlightened. Before, the knowledge of a people is
limited due to the great influence of religion such as the idea of monarchy being appointed by God.
Now, in the Age of Enlightenment, people spread different ideas of such scientists and philosophers
which led to their knowledge being more broadened. This led people to question previous beliefs.

• Electronic Media – powered by electricity. They also use electromagnetic waves, fields
and energy.
Telegraph is a mechanical writer like a typewriter where you can send messages at electrical lines. It
uses Morse Codes such as dashes and periods where it has a secret meaning to it. These codes are
mostly used by soldiers.
Telephone uses voices instead of writing which uses electricity also.
Radio relies on radio waves. It is conceived as wireless telegraph.
Films are another potent of medium which uses chemical processes to display images.
Television encompasses sound and images altogether. Further, it colorizes and became the most
powerful and pervasive ass medium yet created. It also requires electricity.

• Digital Media – relies on codes.

Digital and Electronic Media uses electricity, but they have different ways of conveying information.
Computer relies on digital code (Binary Code which is 0 and 1). It is the usual representation of this
period and marks the most significant medium to influence globalization.
Camera used such chemicals before to produce an image. Nowadays, images can be produced digitally
using computers or digital codes.
Smart Television, for example, uses digitals such as the Internet to produce information or create
channels.

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✓ Global Imaginary and Global Village

Global Imaginary means the globe itself as imagined community. People imagine themselves as part
of the world.

• Manfred Steger – global imaginary is a powerful force shaping our perceptions, behaviors,
and relationships around the world.
• Benedict Anderson – used “nation” as imagined community. This means people:
o Imagine themselves part of a shared identity
o Share common interests and value, and
o Construct collective narratives.
Examples is that as a Filipino, we haven’t met all the Filipinos around the world, but we feel or imagine
that all Filipinos are in the same community where we share same traits or characteristics.
This can be facilitated in the media where a certain community fights for a certain cause or movement.
Global Village describes how the world is interconnected by media. Like the word, Village, it is a
small place where people live in the same place and people are the community itself.

• Marshall McLuhan – because of media or technology, it creates a global village. People

would be like neighbors, living in a universal understanding and unity. People interact
through media.
• Lewis Mumford – criticizes the idea of Mcluhan. He stated that media can be used instead
of “capitalism, militarism, domination of culture, and power.” He sees media as a negative
force.

MEDIA AND ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION

▪ Media is associated in globalizing the economy of the world by creating the conditions for
global capitalism and promoting the conceptual foundation for the world’s economy.
▪ Global Media is the new missionaries of global capitalism.
▪ Media is being used by the businessmen for engaging in their business in making profits. They
entice or persuade people to buy their own products by using advertisements.
▪ These advertisements can be taken place in various platforms of social media such as YouTube,
TikTok, or FaceBook.
▪ Media also results in frequent exchange of products internationally and locally.
▪ In relation to Oligopoly, most of the media companies are owned by Western. This can be
controversial since the owner can have the decision on what to show, what to listen, what to
write, etc.
▪ Media Industry is not teaching people to become critical as a person but rather, it makes us
fool. This means that the media mostly shows advertisements of a products, celebrities, sporting
events, instead of showing about the current issues happening in the world.

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 GEC103: Contemporary World Summary (Gg)

▪ Transnational Conglomerates are less interested in local media outlets in providing news and
information necessary for citizens.

MEDIA AND POLITICAL GLOBALIZATION

• Media can affect political decisions. Media are subject to other pressures in this age of high-
tech persuasion, manipulation, and propaganda. Economic, political, and personal pressures
shape the news around the globe.
▪ One of the political actors that relates to media and politics are the Journalists.
▪ Journalists are those who write articles for newspapers, magazines, news, or websites. They
usually writes the anomalies of a certain institutions or a state,
▪ Sometimes, the owner of media companies where the journalist takes place matters in providing
information. Owner controls what information should publicized by telling it to the journalists.
This could mean that the information could be one-sided.
▪ The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) – world’s largest organization of journalist.
▪ Brown Envelope Journalism – seeks to influence journalists to produce more positive
reporting on an issue.
▪ Social Media can be used to question the ideas, political decisions and policies of a state.

MEDIA AND CULTURAL GLOBALIZATION

▪ The media, on one level, are the primary carriers of culture. Through newspapers, magazines,
movies, advertisements, television, radio, the Internet, and other forms, the media produce and
display cultural products, from pop songs to top films.
▪ They sometimes result in startling and stunning hybrid creations. But other times they result in
combustible and explosive mixtures.
▪ 3 outcomes of the influence of globalization on culture:
o Cultural Differentialism - cultures are different, strong, and resilient. Distinctive
cultures will endure, this outcome suggests, despite globalization and the global reach
of American or Western cultural forms.
o Cultural Convergence - globalization will bring about a growing sameness of cultures.
A global culture, likely American culture, some fear, will overtake many local cultures,
which will lose their distinctive characteristics.
o Cultural Hybridity - globalization will bring about an increasing blending or mixture
of cultures. This mélange will lead to the creation of new and surprising cultural forms,
from music to food to fashion.
▪ Glocalization - blend of "globalization" and "localization." It refers to the adaptation of global
products, services, or ideas to fit local cultures, preferences, and markets.

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GROUP 2: ASIAN REGIONALISM

Regionalism – process of cooperation and integration among countries within a specific geographic
region, aiming to promote collaboration.
Region – geographical area with a distinct characteristic, often sharing common interests, values, or
goals.
Regionalization – process of forming regions or promoting regional cooperation, integration, and unity
among countries.
Regionalism is the political or social focus on promoting a specific region’s interests, identity, and
autonomy, while Regionalization is the process of dividing an area into smaller regions for
administrative, economic, or organizational purposes.
ASIA PACIFIC AND SOUTH ASIA AND THE WORLD
Asia is emerging as a significant global force while also being affected by globalization.
Three Perspectives on Asia Pacific and South Asia:
1. The Region as an Object of Globalization (Externalist View)
2. The Region as a Subject of Globalization (As a Springboard)
3. The Region as an Alternative to Globalization (Anti-Global Impulse)
Asia was defined by ancient Greeks and not by the people living there.
Asia Pacific (sometimes referred to as Pacific Island) includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.
Sometimes, it also includes South Asia. These countries are those who are in Pacific Ocean.
South Asia includes India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.
Asia Pacific and South Asia make up about 1/3 of the world’s land mass and 2/3 of its population.
This region generates 35% of Global GDP, surpassing Europe and North America.
This region has become the important political players, driven by the economic growth of China and
India, which led the Major powers like US to focus on this region.
US shifted its foreign policy to emphasize the Pacific Pivot or Asia-Pacific Rebalance recognizing it
as a key area for global politics. They shifted because of the fear of domination power of China.
Pacific Pivot or Asia-Pacific Rebalance is a strategic policy shift initiated by the United States during
the Obama administration around 2011. This approach aimed to strengthen the U.S. presence in the
Asia-Pacific region in response to the region's growing economic importance and the rising influence
of China.

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#1 EXTERNALIST VIEW OF GLOBALIZATION

The externalist view of globalization argues that globalization is largely influenced by outside
forces, especially powerful countries like the United States and European nations.
In this perspective, Asia Pacific and South Asia are viewed as recipients or targets of global forces.
It can emphasize that the impact of globalization in this region can be traced back to the arrival of
Western powers beginning in the 1500s.
Different Colonial Practice
o Direct rule is when the colonizing power directly controls and administers the colony’s
government and policies, often replacing local leaders with its own officials.
o Indirect rule is when the colonizing power governs through existing local rulers or
structures, maintaining some traditional authority while ultimately controlling key
policies and decisions.
Impact beyond Colonialism
Tokuguwa Shogunate – Tokugawa led and isolated Japan. It ended due to internal and external
pressure and economic crisis.
Meiji Restoration – period where a rapid modernization and industrialization that turned Japan into a
significant global power after Commodore Matthew Perry opened Japan.
Thailand was never colonized but underwent modernization under King Mongkut and his son King
Chulalongkorn (Rama V), who implemented major reforms.
Post-World War II Changes
World War II led to the decline of Japan’s imperial power in the region. After the war, the Cold War
politics shaped the region’s development. The Cold War is called "cold" because it was characterized
by intense rivalry and ideological conflict between the United States (Capitalist) and the Soviet Union
(Communist), yet it never escalated into direct, large-scale warfare between the two superpowers.
The United States focused on stabilizing Japan, promoting its economic growth and incorporating it
into the global economy that opens U.S. markets to Japanese products and integrating Japan into
international economic agreements, such as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
Japan's Economic Miracle and East Asia’s Growth
In the 1970s and 1980s, Japan experienced rapid economic growth, called an "economic miracle."
These miracles happened due to: (1) Government Policies and (2) Culture Factors and Work Ethic
By balancing government support with global trade, these nations became economic powerhouses in
the 1980s and 1990s.

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Southeast Asia’s Economic Growth (1980s–1990s)

Countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam saw rapid economic growth in
the late 1980s and 1990s, earning the nickname “Southeast Asian Tigers.”
However, Southeast Asia’s growth was more dependent on foreign investments and used fixed
exchange rate policies to attract capital.
Role of International Financial Institutions (IFIs)
International Financial Institutions (IFIs), such as the World Bank and IMF, boosted financial
investment in Southeast Asia and developing countries.
Influenced by the U.S. during the Cold War, they promoted neoliberal economic policies favoring free
markets and less government control.
They also supported authoritarian leaders aligned with Western interests, shaping the economic policies
of many nations.
Impact of IFIs in Southeast Asia

• Indonesia: Suharto's regime received support from the World Bank and IMF, which helped
legitimize his rule but ignored widespread corruption.

• Thailand: IFIs promoted liberalization and export-oriented growth, resulting in significant

foreign investment and double-digit GDP growth.

• Philippines: The World Bank and IMF supported Ferdinand Marcos, whose rule led to a $30
billion debt crisis.
Limits of Growth in the 'Tiger' Economies
By the mid-1990s, the rapid growth in Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia began to show weaknesses.
Hot Money seeks quick profits rather than long-term stability which roots investments.
As investors realized this growth model was unsustainable, they started betting against local currencies,
anticipating that central banks would have to adjust interest rates.
In July 1997, the Thai economy collapsed, leading to a massive withdrawal of investments, which
triggered a financial crisis throughout the region.
Interpretations of the Asian Financial Crisis
1. IFIs and orthodox economists blamed: Poor policies, Weak governance and corruption,
inadequate institutional frameworks and liberalization and that globalization hadn't gone
far enough.
2. Critics argued the issue was the uncontrolled flow of capital from globalization, means too
much freedom or less regulations, created instability.

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Economic Liberalization in China and India

China began liberalizing its economy in the late 1970s under Deng Xiaoping.
India started its liberalization in 1991, increasing trade and foreign investment, especially in textiles
and services.
Both countries experienced significant economic growth and became more integrated into the global
economy, including joining the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Impact of Economic Globalization on Working Conditions
In developed countries like Japan, Korea, and Australia: There is an increase in non-standard
employment (temporary and part-time jobs), leading to less job security.
In developing countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam: Informal employment is rising,
including self-employment and family workers.
Many workers lack legal contracts, raising concerns about working conditions and safety in factories,
especially those producing for Western companies.
Political Impact of Globalization
Supporters argue that liberal and democratic values are universal, not just Western.
In the past 30 years in the Asia Pacific: There has been a decline in authoritarian regimes and a rise
in democratic governments.

• Contributing Factors:
➢ The growth of the middle class seeking more rights.
➢ A more globally connected world spreading democratic ideas.
➢ The end of the Cold War, which encouraged democratic movements.
The Fall of Suharto in Indonesia
Suharto, a former president, ruled Indonesia for over 30 years.
This led to large-scale protests, a flight of capital, and diminished international support.
Critiques of Globalization: Cultural Impact
Cultural Westernization. Globalization leads to cultural Westernization, often termed “McWorld,”
overshadowing local cultures. Western cultures becomes dominant and replaces the local cultures.
Cultural Homogenization. Critics argue it results in cultural homogenization, causing unique
identities to vanish. Cultures are starting to look the same.
Local Competitors. Chains like Jollibee, CFC, MOS Burger, and Jumbo King emerged to compete
with Western brands. This shows how locality still stands.

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Westernization of Diets and Culture in Asia

Changing Diets. Younger people in Asia are consuming more beef and beer, while older generations
prefer rice and vegetables.
Wheat Preference. Wheat is becoming a preferred staple, replacing rice in many countries. Before,
wheats are not common but nowadays, it became a preference to most areas.
Cultural Shift. The “McDonaldization” concept extends to music, clothing, television, and film,
marginalizing local cultures. In this light, McDonaldization might also be referred to as ‘MTV-ization’
or ‘Hollywoodization’.

#2 THE ASIA PACIFIC AND SOUTH ASIA AS SPRINGBOARD

Asia Pacific and South Asia are seen as active contributors to globalization, using their
economic and cultural assets to influence and shape global trends. It uses Springboard because it has
the capability to generate globalization
Asia’s Early Leadership in Global Trade
The thriving spice trade in the region happened before and beyond is what drew the European powers
to the region according to Anthony Reid.
Aisa’s Central Global Force
China had a historically unprecedented maritime fleet in the early fifteenth century under admiral Zeng
Ho which traveled within the region and as far as Africa (Levathes, 1997).
The rise of Europe in the eighteenth century came only after the colonial powers extracted silver from
the colonies and pried their way into the Asian markets.
Colonialism: A Two-Way Influence
Stoler argues that colonies were often ‘laboratories of modernity’ (change of political and social
system) where ‘innovations in political form, and social imaginary, and in what defined the modern
itself, were not European exports but traveled as often the other way around’.
Before they will try it to the colonizer, they will try it to the colonies that is why it is called laboratories.
Colonialism is a two way in a way that colonizers influence the colonies and colonies has influence
to colonizers.
Japan’s Role in Global Trade
Japan as a resource poor nation-state embarked on a massive project to procure raw materials such
as coal and iron at unprecedented economies of scale allowing them to gain a competitive edge in the
global manufacturing market.

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China’s Economic Growth as Manufacturing Hub

China is now one of the world's largest importers of basic raw materials such as iron and has
surpassed Japan, the United States, and Europe in steel production.
In terms of its low wage labor and supply chain management, China has also had an enormous impact
on the availability and consumption of goods around the globe (Nolan, 2004).
The China Development Bank and the China Export Import Bank signed loans of at least US$110
billion to other developing country governments and companies in 2009 and 2010, surpassing the
US$100.3 billion from mid-2008 to mid-2010 by the IFIs (Dyer, Anderlini and Sender, 2011).
India’s Growing Global Presence
India has opened up and emphasized an export-oriented strategy.
Textiles and other low wage sectors have been a key part of the economy, but high value exports
such as software development have also been highly successful.
It is also playing a key role in global service provision as trends in outsourcing and off-shoring increase.
Rise of Asian Migrants
India and China become a major source of international migrant labor. This includes the migration of
highly skilled labor into the high-tech industry based in Silicon Valley.
Remittances from Migrants
They have also become a core source of income for many of the region's economies.
Migrants came from Asia and they contributed in countries like US to fill the gap of workers.
Rise of Regional Free Trade Agreements
This regionalism can be interpreted either as a kind of bulwark to globalization or as compatible and
even pushing forward the process of global economic integration. In other words, they are the
springboard of globalization.
Open Regionalism in Asia Pacific and South Asia
Open Regionalism aims to develop and maintain cooperation with outside actors. It was meant to
resolve the tension between the rise of regional trade agreements and the push for global trade.
‘Open’ refers to the principle of non-discrimination, more specifically an openness in membership and
openness in terms of economic flows (Sutton, 2007).
o Most regional trade agreements and organizations in other regions including North
America (NAFTA), Europe (the European Union), and ASEAN tend to be exclusive and
thereby ‘closed’.

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Open regionalism is embodied by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC (1989).

APEC includes 21 member economies along the Pacific Rim including East Asian and Southeast Asian
states but also Russia, Peru, Chile, the United States and Canada.
As the 1990 Ministerial Declaration states, “it was desirable to reduce barriers to trade in goods and
services among participants so long as such liberalization was consistent with GATT principles and
was not to the detriment of other parties.’’.
The Spread of Asian Culture
The region is also the source of a wide variety of cultural phenomena that have spread outward to the
West and the rest of the world.
1. Spread of kawaii or ‘cute’ culture also known as “Pink Globalization”. This includes Hello
Kitty and Anime.
2. Kung-fu’ movies to Bollywood
3. Rise in Korean popular culture dubbed the ‘K-Wave’ that includes the spread of Korean
dramas as well as music (K-pop). Example: Gangnam Style by PSY

#3 REGIONAL ALTERNATIVES TO GLOBALIZATION

The arguments from this perspective see the region as a source of resistance to globalization or
to global or Western powers.
Asia Pacific and South Asia embody resistance or alternatives to conventional globalization models,
promoting regionalism or local autonomy as a counterforce.
They see globalization as purely Western and should not always be followed.

Japanese Colonialism (1930s and 1940s)

Japan's colonization of the region and the building of a supposed East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere
merely replicated imperial relationships in East and Southeast Asia with new masters. However, it was
also arguably a push back against Western imperialism.

Asia for Asiatics’ - the need to ‘liberate’ the region from Europe. It served as a rallying cry for Asian
unity against Western imperialism, promoting self-determination and regional cooperation.

East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere

• It was a concept promoted by Japan during the 1930s and 1940s, envisioning a bloc of Asian
nations led by Japan and free from Western colonial influence.

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• Initially presented as a plan for mutual economic growth and cultural unity among East Asian
countries, it aimed to establish Japan’s dominance over East Asia and secure vital resources for
Japan’s industrial and military needs.
• It became a guise for Japanese imperialism, with Japan exploiting occupied territories like
China, Korea, and Southeast Asia for resources and labor, often with severe brutality and
repression. The Sphere ultimately collapsed with Japan’s defeat in World War II.

The Concept of ‘Asian Values’

Prime Minister Mohamed Mahathir of Malaysia argued that Asia has culturally distinct
characteristics that make it different from Western liberal democracies.

Argued that Asians (not clearly defined) tend to respect authority, hard work, thrift, and emphasize the
community over the individual on the basis of harmony and consensus rather than majority rule.

The Concept of ‘Western Values’

Every individual can do what he likes, free from any restraint by governments [and] individuals soon
decide that they should break every rule and code governing their society’ (Langlois, 2001: 15).

Concepts such as individual rights, political liberalism, and democracy are Western concepts,
antithetical to the Asian tradition.

Regional Arrangements

Another way the region serves as an alternative to globalization is by creating their own organizations
through the lens of regional arrangements.

East Asia Economic Caucus (EAEC)

• was pushed as an alternative to APEC
• an APEC without Western states.
• The proposed member states were ASEAN, China, South Korea and Japan (without Western
Nations like U.S.).
• The United States strongly objected and at the time, Japan saw the exclusion of the United
States as a threat to their strategic partnership and effectively vetoed the idea.
• ASEAN +3 (APT), (China, South Korea and Japan), is seen as a successor and less radical
version of EAEC.

Asian Monetary Fund (AMF).

• Furthermore, the initial draft proposal suggested that the AMF would act without relying from
the IMF.

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• Although the AMF proposal received nearly universal praise and support among its potential
members, the United States immediately sought to strike down the proposal.
• US opposition succeeded and the failure of the AMF meant a continuation of an IMF-centered
neo-liberal approach to financial governance (Lipscy, 2003).

Regional Terror Networks

Jemaah Islamiyah or JI.

• A terrorist group from Indonesia, linked to Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
• Known for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people, mostly Australian and other
foreign nationals (ICG, 2002).
• The alleged goals of JI are territorial and also regionalist, namely to create an Islamic state in
Indonesia followed by a pan-Islamic caliphate incorporating Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and
the southern Philippines.
• And ultimately, the vision of the caliphate is to expand from a regional to a global structure.

Local Movements Against Globalization

Community Currency in Thailand

• The village of Santi Suk in Thailand created their own currency following the Asian financial
crisis that struck the region in Thailand (Hookway, 2009).
• The currency is called the 'bia', loosely translated as ‘merit’ and operates through a ‘central
bank’ located in the village.
• The currency can be used to purchase various commodities but cannot be used outside of
participating villages and cannot be exchanged for Thailand's national currency, the baht.

Self-Sufficiency Initiatives
• In Thailand, related initiatives included associations such as traditional herbal practitioners,
‘self-sufficiency’ groups, community owned rice mills, and cooperative shops.

Local Production Movements

• In Japan, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and the Seikatsu Club both encourage
consumers to buy ethically and locally (Starr and Adams, 2003: 24).
• In India, the Lok Samiti group advocates local village level education and development and
campaigns against the Coca Cola bottling plant in Mehdiganj.

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