INTRODUCTION TO

GLOBALIZATION
I. GEOGRAPHY MATTERS: Environments, Regions, Landscapes
1. Areal Differentiation and Integration
2. The Cultural Landscape: Space into Place
3. Regions: Formal and Functional
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
A. The Environment and Globalization
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.1. Geopolitics and Globalization
C.2. Economic Globalization and Uneven Development Outcomes
C.3. Thinking Critically About Globalization
C.4. Diversity in a Globalizing World
Geography
• Geography is a foundational discipline, inspired and informed
by the long-standing human curiosity about our surroundings
and how we are connected to the world.
Geography

• The term geography has its roots in the Greek word for
“describing the Earth,” and this discipline is central to all
cultures and civilizations as humans explore their world,
seeking natural resources, commercial trade, military
advantage, and scientific knowledge about diverse
environments.
Different conceptual approaches to
investigating the world
• Physical geography examines climate, landforms, soils,
vegetation, and hydrology.
• Human geography concentrates on the spatial analysis of
economic, social, and cultural systems.
Different conceptual approaches to
investigating the world
• A physical geographer, for example, studying the Amazon
Basin of Brazil, might be interested primarily in the
ecological diversity of the tropical rainforest or the ways in
which the destruction of that environment changes the
local climate and hydrology.
• A human geographer, in contrast, would focus on the social
and economic factors explaining the migration of settlers
into the rainforest, or on the tensions and conflicts over
resources between new settlers and indigenous peoples.
The Cultural Landscape: Space into Place

• Humans transform space into distinct places that are

unique and heavily loaded with significance and symbolism.
Place, as a geographic concept, is not just the
characteristics of a location but also encompasses the
meaning that people give to such areas, as in the sense of
place.
 The Cultural Landscape: Space into Place
• A common tool for analyzing place is the concept of the cultural
landscape, which is the tangible, material expression of human
settlement, past and present. Thus, the cultural landscape
visually reflects the most basic human needs—shelter, food, and
work.
• The cultural landscape acts to bring people together (or keep
them apart) because it is a marker of cultural values, attitudes,
and symbols. As cultures vary greatly around the world, so do
cultural landscapes
 Regions: Formal and Functional

• The human intellect seems driven to make sense of the universe

by lumping phenomena together into categories that emphasize
similarities. Biology has its taxa of living organisms, while history
marks off eras and periods of time.
• Geography, too, organizes information about the world into
units of spatial similarity called regions—each a contiguous
bounded territory that shares one or many common
characteristics.
 Regions: Formal and Functional

• Sometimes, the unifying threads of a region are physical, such

as climate and vegetation, resulting in a regional designation like
the Sahara Desert or Siberia.
• Other times, the threads are more complex, combining
economic and social traits, as in the use of the term Rust Belt for
parts of the northeastern United States that have lost industry
and population.
 Two types of regions

• Formal regions can be defined by some aspect of physical form,

for example a climate type or mountain range such as
Appalachia. Cultural features, such as the dominance of a
particular language or religion, can also be used to define formal
regions. Belgium, for example, can be divided into Flemish-
speaking Flanders and French-speaking Wallonia. In contrast, a
functional region is one where a certain activity (or cluster of
activities) takes place.
 Quiz

• How is the concept of place different from space in terms

of geographic understanding and analysis?
• How do functional regions differ from formal regions?
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
One of the most important features of the 21st
century is globalization—the increased
interconnectedness of people and places around the
world.
Although earlier forms of globalization existed,
especially during Europe’s colonial period, the current
degree of planetary integration is stronger than ever.
In fact, many observers argue that contemporary
globalization is the most fundamental reorganization
of the world’s socioeconomic structure since the
Industrial Revolution.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION

Economic activities may be the major driving force

behind globalization, but the consequences affect all
aspects of land and life: human settlement patterns,
cultural attributes, political arrangements, and social
development are all undergoing profound change.
For example, gold mining in the Peruvian Amazon is profitable for the
corporations involved and even for individual miners, but it may ruin
biologically rich ecosystems and threaten indigenous communities.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
Peruvian landscape near the gold mines

Photo credit: New York Times / Tomas Munita

II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
A. The Environment and the Globalization
The expansion of a globalized economy is creating and
intensifying environmental problems throughout the
world.
Transnational/Global firms conducting business through
international subsidiaries disrupt ecosystems around the
globe with their incessant search for natural resources
and manufacturing sites. Landscapes and resources
previously used by only small groups of local peoples are
now considered global commodities to be exploited and
traded in the world marketplace.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
A. The Environment and the Globalization
On a larger scale, globalization is aggravating
worldwide environmental problems such as
climate change, air and water pollution, and
deforestation.
Yet it is only through global cooperation, such as
the United Nations treaties on biodiversity
protection or greenhouse gas reductions, that
these problems can be addressed.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
Globalization changes cultural practices. The spread of a
global consumer culture, for example, often accompanies
globalization and frequently hurts local economies.
It sometimes creates deep and serious social tensions
between traditional cultures and new, external global
culture. Television shows and movies available via
satellite, along with online videos and social media such
as Facebook and Twitter, implicitly promote Western
values and culture that are then imitated by millions
throughout the world.
Study shows that around fifty percent (50%) of the developing countries
use internet.

Source: Al Jazeera America

II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
Fast-food franchises are changing—some would
say corrupting—traditional diets, with explosive
growth in most of the world’s cities.
Although these foods may seem harmless to
North Americans because of their familiarity, they
are an expression of deep cultural changes for many
societies and are also generally unhealthy and
environmentally destructive.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
 Yet some observers contend that even multinational
corporations have learned to pay attention to local
contexts.
Glocalization (which combines globalization with
locale) is the process of modifying an introduced
globalized product or service to accommodate local
tastes or cultural practices. For example, a
McDonald’s in Japan may serve shrimp burgers along
with Big Macs.
During the FIFA World Cup 2014, McDonalds created six different
flavors of McSandwiches to showcase the cultures of the six
participating international teams coming from different countries.

The Huffington Post

II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
 Although the media give much attention to the rapid
spread of Western consumer culture, nonmaterial
culture is also dispersed and homogenized through
globalization.
Language is an obvious example—American tourists
in farflung places are often startled to hear locals
speaking an English made up primarily of movie or TV
clichés.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
 However, far more than speech is involved, as social
values also are dispersed globally. Changing
expectations about human rights, the role of women
in society, and the intervention of nongovernmental
organizations are also expressions of globalization
that may have far-reaching effects on cultural change.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
 Globalization also clearly influences population
movements. International migration is not new, but
increasing numbers of people from all parts of the
world are now crossing national boundaries, legally
and illegally, temporarily and permanently.
The United Nations (UN) estimates that there are
nearly 250 million immigrants in the world (people
who are living in a country other than their country of
birth).
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
B. Globalization and Changing Human Geographies
 While many think that globalization is the one-way
spread of North American and European socio-
economic traits into the developing world, one needs
only to look around their own neighborhood to find
expressions of global culture within the United States.
For example, there are almost four (4) million Filipinos
in the USA with 1million of them concentrated in the
California. These Filipinos have built a community and
have also spread the Filipino culture in that foreign
country.
ASSESSMENT
• 1/2 crosswise sheet of paper
Answer the following items clearly and concisely:
1. Consider complex global connections based on your
own experiences. For example, what item from another
part of the world did you buy this month, and how did
it arrive at the store/mall/sellers' possession?
2. Now choose a foreign place in a completely different
part of the world, either a city or a rural village, then
suggest how globalization affects the lives of people in
that place.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.1 Geopolitics and Globalization
Globalization also has important geopolitical
components. An essential dimension of globalization
is that this process is not restricted by territorial or
national boundaries.
For example, the creation of the United Nations
following World War II was a step toward creating an
international governmental structure in which all
nations could find representation.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.1 Geopolitics and Globalization
The simultaneous emergence of the Soviet
Union(USSR) as a military and political superpower led
to a rigid division into Cold War blocs that slowed
further geopolitical integration. However, with the
peaceful end of the Cold War in the early 1990s, the
former communist countries of eastern Europe and
the Soviet Union were opened almost immediately to
global trade and cultural exchange, changing those
countries immensely. This also greatly increased the
number of immigrants within Europe.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.1 Geopolitics and Globalization
A significant international criminal element is another
globalization outcome and includes terrorism, drugs,
pornography, slavery, and prostitution, which require
international coordination and agreements to
address.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.1 Geopolitics and Globalization
Further, many observers argue that globalization—
almost by definition—has weakened the political
power of individual states by strengthening regional
economic and political organizations, such as the
European Union and the World Trade Organization
(WTO).
 In some world regions, a weakening of traditional
state power has led to stronger local and separatist
movements i.e. terrorist/rebel groups challenging the power and
defense of the state
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.2. Economic Globalization and Uneven Development
Outcomes
Most scholars agree that the major component of
globalization is the economic reorganization of the
world. Although different forms of a world economy
have existed for centuries, a well-integrated, truly
global economy is primarily the product of the past
several decades.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.2. Economic Globalization and Uneven Development Outcomes
The attributes of this system, while familiar, are worth stating:
• Global communication systems and the digital flow of information that links all
regions and most people instantaneously
• Transportation systems that can quickly and inexpensively move goods by air, sea,
and land
• Transnational business strategies that have created global corporations more
powerful than many sovereign nations
• New and more flexible forms of capital accumulation and international financial
institutions that make 24-hour trading possible
• Global and regional trade agreements that promote more free trade
• Market economies and private enterprises that have replaced state-controlled
economies and services
• An emphasis on producing more goods, services, and data at lower costs to fulfill
consumer demand for products and information
• Growing income inequality between rich and poor, both within and between
countries
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.2. Economic Globalization and Uneven Development
Outcomes
This global reorganization has resulted in
unprecedented economic growth in some areas of
the world in recent years;
China is a good example, with an average annual
growth rateof 8.6 percent from 2010 to 2014. But not
everyone profits from economic globalization, as the
growing wage gap within China indicates, nor have all
world regions shared equally in the benefits.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.3. Thinking Critically About Globalization
Globalization, particularly its economic aspects, is
one of today’s most contentious issues. Supporters
believe that it results in a greater economic
efficiency that will eventually result in rising
prosperity for the entire world.
In contrast, critics claim that globalization largely
benefits those who are already prosperous, leaving
most of the world poorer than before as the rich and
powerful exploit the less fortunate.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.3. Thinking Critically About Globalization
Increasingly, scholars discuss the pros and cons of
digital globalization, which is less about the
movement of capital, goods, and people but instead
describes the accelerated movement of data to
facilitate daily demands for information, searches,
financial transactions, communication, and video.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.4. Diversity in a Globalizing World
As globalization progresses, many observers foresee a
world far more uniform and homogeneous than
today. The optimists among them imagine a universal
global culture uniting all humankind into a single
community untroubled by war, ethnic strife, or
resource shortage—a global utopia of sorts.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.4. Diversity in a Globalizing World
A more common view is that the world is becoming
blandly homogeneous as different places, peoples,
and environments lose their distinctive character and
become indistinguishable from their neighbors.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.4. Diversity in a Globalizing World
Yet, even as globalization generates a certain degree
of homogenization, the world is still a highly diverse
place. We can still find marked differences in culture
(language, religion, architecture, foods, and other
attributes of daily life), economy, and politics—as well
as in the physical environment—from place to place.
II. CONVERGING CURRENTS OF GLOBALIZATION
C. Exploring Global Connections
C.4. Diversity in a Globalizing World
Such diversity is so vast that it cannot readily be
extinguished, even by the most powerful forces of
globalization.
Diversity may be difficult for a society to live with, but
it also may be dangerous to live without. Nationality,
ethnicity, cultural distinctiveness—all are defining
expressions of humanity that are nurtured in distinct
places.
ASSESSMENT
LOOK FOR A SHORT NEWS ARTICLE ABOUT
GLOBALIZATION.
• IDENTIFY WHAT IS BEING DISCUSSED IN THE ARTICLE.
• ELABORATE THE ADVANTAGES AND DISAVANTAGES
OF THAT ARTICLE RELATED TO GLOBALIZATION.
• PRESENT YOUR ANSWERS THROUGH A DIAGRAM
YOU ARE GOING TO CREATE ON YOUR OWN.