Globalisation

Globalisation – a contradictory process

Within the globalisation debate there is often discussion of supporters and opponents, winners and losers, opportunities and risks as well as advantages and disadvantages. This binary division lets us understand globalisation as a contradictory process.

Whether it is the constant availability of food from around the world, increasing environmental degradation and climate change, inhumane working conditions for workers in low-wage countries, or the paradox that national borders are becoming increasingly unimportant for the highly skilled and rich while low-skilled workers, the poor and refugees, however, find them increasingly insurmountable, or it is the potential for international organizations and NGOs to agree on global environment policy, social standards, tax laws and real democratic participation or it is the increasingly unequal power relationship between the economy and politics, all of these illustrate these contradictions. The fact is that not all people and countries benefit from globalisation to the same extent.

Now, by using the following three examples get to grips with each of these contradictions of globalisation and global inequality:

• World maps
• Quotations
• Song

Sources

Fechner, Julia (2012): Internationale Politik II: Globalisierung. Schwalbach: Wochenschau
Böge, Wolfgang/ Kiefer, Franz (2011): Globale Herausforderungen 1: Bausteine für Unterricht und außerschulische Bildung. Bonn: bpb (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung)
Böhm, Wolfgang/ Lahodynsky, Otmar (2008): Globalisierung. So funktioniert die weltweite Vernetzung. Linz: Veritas