Chapters 22, 27, and 33

 These three chapters did really well at explaining that globalization is heavily influenced by powerful organizations.  In Chapter 22, the author does a really good job at explaining an example of how the U.S. has been such a major on a global scale, and specifically how it's compared to wealthy countries around the world, such as China.  The chapter explains how much the U.S. is in control, despite not needing to have a desire in what it's impacting around the world.  Their impact on globalization isn't only due to their impact on trade either, it's also caused by their prominent monetary footprint due to the Federal Reserve.

    Chapter 27 focuses specifically on the positives and negatives of globalization, and how people around the world feel about it.  One of the things that I found particularly interesting was when they talked about the negative impact investors can have on a developing country.  When investors invest in countries, but then suddenly pull out, it can leave that place in economic devastation.  In the IMF'S early years, they would often blame the countries instead of controversial policies. They explained that developing countries weren't being extorted or taken advantage of by these policies, but instead were being punished for pursuing poor economic policies.

        In Chapter 33, the focus is put on the IMF and its strategies.  The IMF's main goal has been promoting economic growth in developing countries, but hasn't been incredibly effective.  In fact, IMF programs could have in fact have had a negative effect on economic growth for these countries.  However, the IMF has had a success in assisting in issues relating to balance of payments.  In other words, the IMF has been good for insuring economic exchanges, but has heavily struggled when it comes to trying to help developing countries become integral parts of the world stage.

Chapters 22, 27, 33

In these 3 chapter readings, I learned that globalization is forged by powerful organizations and institutions to create what it is today. However, the effects are felt differently and are widespread throughout the globe.

In Chapter 22, I learned that the US is influencing global grade amongst many other nations. As the US continues to dominate China's economic growth, it maintains the key global systems that it controls. Some of which include tech and innovative systems, financial reserves, and cultural/market systems. All of this allows them to shape how international trade is being run. The United States is also referred to as the country that has the "sticky" economic superpower, as referred to in the title of the chapter. This is letting other economists know that they retain the general control of the global economy. 

Chapter 27 of 'The Globalization Reader' provides us with the idea that not all parts of the globe feel satisfied with how globalization is unfolding. Certain areas, like East Asia, are benefiting, while other areas, like Latin America and Africa, are being harmed by globalization. A lot of East Asian countries, such as South Korea and Singapore, have a lot more control over global markets and government involvement. They also got to control the pace and terms of Globalization in their countries. Countries like Argentina, Zambia & Ghana have been hit hard in the late 1900s and early 2000s from social spending cuts,  capital-market exposure, and little control over anything. 

We are presented with different views and opinions in Chapter 33 on IMF programs. IMF loans are helpful to some, as they can aid in preserving a country's payment balances. Though the chapter did talk about some cons. Some studies show that the IMF frequently fails to promote sustainable economic growth. Other research even shows that it has reduced countries' economic upswing. 

22, 27, 33

     Reading this section of the the textbook, I saw how the different world organizations which came about because of globalization helped to both build the modern world, due to their role in the global economy and their role in global peace. The quote " If anything, globalization has helped to increase the number of such problems" made me think about how globalization isn't always a good thing. Even though I believe that globalization is a good thing the majority of the time, it occurred to me that some of the world's issues came about or maybe got worsened by globalization. One instance of this is climate change, which was worsened by the world's plunge into an industrialized society. This only got worse when the revolution was brought to the entire world, exponentially making the issues that came from it much worse. Many of the organizations that help to boost the world's economy market themselves as being saviors to everyone they touch, but many smaller nations with smaller economy's tend to suffer because of them and get the shorter end of the stick in these situations. I like the quote of "This issue still afflicts the United Nations, for example, because it often does the bidding of powerful members rather than promote common interests" because it really does say what I am thinking, with all the good that these organizations bring they don't always create a fair outcome and tend to prefer the interests of wealthier nations that have larger voting power within these organizations. I can also see that some of the environmental organizations tend to favor larger nations who can afford to follow their regulations. As much as I support everything these organizations do and I am on their side, it would be unfair to not look at the fact that these regulations can harm the economics of smaller nations who do not have the capital to cater to these regulations.  

Under Armour globalization - TYLER PRIVLER

Under Armour is a company that was started in 1996 by former college football player Kevin Plank. He started the company for a specific reason—he hated how cotton T-shirts became soggy and heavy during practice and other athletic activities. Plank wanted a shirt that would keep athletes dry and comfortable, so he created a moisture-wicking compression shirt designed specifically for performance. At first, Under Armour was a small operation and mainly focused on football players in the United States. The brand grew slowly through word of mouth and by supplying gear to college teams and professional athletes who were looking for better performance apparel.
Under Armour really began to take off in the early 2000s once it gained visibility through major sports leagues like the NFL and NCAA. A major turning point came when Under Armour gear appeared in the movie Any Given Sunday, which helped introduce the brand to a much wider audience. As the company grew, it expanded beyond football into other sports such as basketball, soccer, and training. This growth helped push Under Armour into international markets and gave it a much larger presence outside the U.S.
Globalization played a big part in how Under Armour became so successful. Manufacturing was outsourced overseas to reduce costs and increase production, while global marketing and athlete endorsements helped spread the brand worldwide. Under Armour also adjusted its products for different climates and sports cultures, which helped it grow outside the U.S. Overall, Under Armour’s growth shows how a small idea can turn into a global brand because of globalization.

Walt Disney Globalization

 According to the Walt Disney website their mission is, “The mission of The Walt Disney Company is to entertain, inform and inspire people around the globe through the power of unparalleled storytelling, reflecting the iconic brands, creative minds and innovative technologies that make ours the world’s premier entertainment company.” The company mentions the globe or the world twice just within this mission statement, this does an incredible job of showing not only how global they plan to make their company but how global they already are. Another statement they make on their “about us” section of their main websites states, “is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise” This shows a LOT about how this company sees themselves or wants to portray themselves to the world. In their own words they spread diversity, creativity, and technology. Not to spoil where my project on this company might be going but I know already that these statements they make aren’t inherently and wholly true. The company has had many scandals about diversity and censorship. They have also been criticized on the moves they made to become such a global powerhouse and are often accused of buying out other companies to get rid of competition and create a monopoly. The company itself definitely is not putting this past of theirs in the limelight and is trying to create a different reputation for themselves as helping others with their global reach, money, and power instead of putting others down with it.

Link to about me page of the website I got their mission statement from: https://thewaltdisneycompany.com/about/

GM Globalization

 General Motors is an automotive company that was founded in Detroit in 1908. They primarily serve the American market, but currently have an ongoing partnership with some Chinese companies that enables them to tap into the Asian market as well. Historically they have had a significant impact on the European market as well, since they acquired both Vauxhall and Opel in the 1920s. During the second world war, Vauxhall made tanks for Britain and Opel made tanks for Germany, meaning GM vehicles were on both sides of the war, for better or for worse. GM also owned the British company Lotus for a while, as well as Saab, a Swedish company. They acquired Daewoo, which was a Korean automotive company, before the brand was phased out. The former Daewoo facilities now produce Chevrolet vehicles. GM also owned a subsidiary in Australia called Holden, which operated in Australia and Asia for many years before it too closed. GM India was a branch that operated in the Indian market until 2017. Buick is a brand under GM that has primarily been in US markets for most of its history, but recently has been doing very well in China as the brand has shifted towards more luxury vehicles. GM also has manufacturing facilities in countries outside of the US such as Canada, Mexico, Argentina, and Indonesia. GM vehicles have also been praised very highly by countries around the globe like Germany. Germany has given its "luxury car of the year" award to Cadillacs in two consecutive years, with the LYRIQ in 2025 and the VISTIQ in 2026.

WWE’s Use of Globalization

 WWE (short for World Wrestling Entertainment) is a sports entertainment company owned by TKO, who specializes in live and televised professional wrestling shows. WWE began with only a limited American market as a promotion in Connecticut. The company spread throughout the 1970s, buying up smaller local promotions and becoming the largest wrestling promotion in the world by the mid 1980s. In 1985, WWE had its first international broadcast for ‘Wrestlemania’.shortly followed by their first international event in 1986. They held pay-per view event ‘Summerslam’ (considered one of their big 4 events of the year) in London, England in 1992 which was a large part of their early attempts to create a more globalized fanbase. By the 2000s, WWE had included Spanish, French, German, and Japanese commentators for their international broadcasts. In the mid 2010s, the WWE held multiple tournaments which featured international talent (including one of all wrestlers from the United Kingdom) and held a show in Japan. In the 2020s, WWE has held numerous shows in Saudi Arabia in an attempt to expose the product to the Arab world and create pathways for Arab talent in the WWE.

Nintendo's Use of Globalization

 Nintendo is a company founded in Japan all the way back in 1889 making Japanese toys and card games, eventually moving to what they are known for now, video games, with the Game & Watch in 1980. This was the company's first big success in the West, with over 30 million units sold overseas. This helped Nintendo take itself out of debt and start earning more than ever before. Since this major success, Nintendo has been making sure their name is known all over the world with countinued video game releases, from Donkey Kong in the arcade to Pokemon Legends Z-A on the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo Of America was created in 1980, made specifically to market their products to Americans, which caused consumers in the US to have very different experiences than those in Japan. Commericals were more aggresive and loud, characters seen as cute like Kirby were changed on the box art to look angry instead, and certain games were given new names or even completely changed when brought over the ocean. This globalization seems to have gone back to Nintendo in Japan as well, with the company seeming to have more global views than usual for japanese companies. They have benefits for gay employees even though Japan still doesn't recongnize gay marriage, and in the recent Tomodachi Life release trailer, there are options to make your characters non-binary and the option to chose what gender they are attracted to. With their goal to have their games played all around the world, globalization plays a big part in how they conduct their buisness.

NBC's use of Globalization

 NBC is a highly globalized media company, and the front page of their website clearly displays such.    The front page is equally divided into many different sessions, such as "The Olympic Games" and "Team USA", demonstrating that there's a completely separate section to focus on global events like the Olympic Games.  NBC is not only displaying a variation of stuff to watch on the website directly, but also provides links to partners such as Peacock.  Peacock is a big part of NBC's brand in the last few years not only in the U.S., but also in places like Europe.  It's been part of a huge major push as to NBC gaining a more globalized outreach recently.  The promotion of the Olympics is also proof of NBC's global reach.  With it being the first set of slides on the front page, NBC is (rightfully so) leaning into the fact that they're the main providers of the 2026 Winter Olympics.  They even have the Olympics symbol next to their emblem on the bottom corner.  NBC has also promoted in another major way, which is through their news outlet.  While it's not directly displayed on this page specifically, NBC News has been able to promote their international news channel, "NBC Universal", quite well, creating global outreach through their network.

McDonalds Globalization

McDonalds is one of the most well recognized fast food chains in the world, and gives a perfect example to the idea of globalization. Originally from the United States founded in 1940, locations are now operating in over 100 countries. When going on McDonalds website and looking at the sections they have on their impact I saw that they talk about how they source their major ingredients locally. This gives opportunity for the local communities and farmers to profit from their major corporation they have built, by providing a steady flow of demand for the locally sourced ingredients. This gives a good example of the reliance they have on the global economy which supports the ideas globalization is centered around. Another way they rely on the global market and support foreign development is by having franchises, where their locations are owned and operated by local business owners offering jobs at high levels across the globe. Also throughout the world McDonald's offers small tweaks to its menu to better support local cuisine, but still keep their major staple items like the Big Mac. I think that them doing that shows the willingness to adapt to different cultures while globalizing their brand.

ExxonMobil's use of globalization

     ExxonMobil is a major energy giant which mainly focus's on it's extracting of oil and gas. This leads to many people looking at it's practices in a negative light, due to people thinking it leads to negative changes in the environment and also to the shady business practices these energy giants are known to use. This leads ExxonMobil to market in a very specific way. They focus on the scientific research and discoveries that the corporation in involved in finding and funding. The main page of ExxonMobil has links to articles about "carbon capture and storage", "hydrogen energy research" and "lower emission fuels". These articles are things that both the corporation and the general public are interested in furthering. The corporation also proudly sports its impressive stock price with a it in a bold green to show how it's going up. This shows me they advertise how the company is a large money maker for both the top CEO's all the way down to the small time investors that throw $500 into the stock. They explain their practices as "fueling the world" and like to imply they helped build the modern world. They also have a large focus on pushing how sustainable they are, whether or not you agree with that or not is up to you, but they seem to fully believe they are and push that with every chance they get. In conclusion the ExxonMobil Corporation likes to focus on how they help built and now change the modern world while also creating wealth for many people.

Globalization with National Geographic

National Geographic is a non-profit organization founded in 1888. Its focus on science, education, and storytelling connects back to Globalization. It's global media network, alongside its magazines, that allows the institution to thrive within the globalized world. When you first enter its website, you're greeted with its top/latest stories along with a 'subscribe to the latest NatGeo stories. As I scrolled, they encouraged me to subscribe to their magazines and advertised some of their TV specials. A lot of the stories they publish are about nature and the environment, but they go out and explore way beyond the United States and North America. By participating in lots of research globally and publishing stories, National Geographic exposes readers to diverse cultures, global issues, and how people and the environment are connected across the world. Having lots of partnerships with other organizations, such as the Walt Disney Company and the UNESCO World Heritage Center, helps them conduct more research, support international conservation, and strengthen their role in globalization. These collaborators help with local expertise and other resources that Nat Geo can utilize in the field to share with the global audience. Another reason they are considered highly globalized is the high-quality photography that they acquired early on. The organization uses the images to tell a story through a different lens, by giving viewers a visual representation of what they talk about in magazine or article text. Photography is also a powerful tool for sharing global issues, global perspectives, and cross-cultural communication.

Chapters 1, 2, 8 -- Wyatt Rambo

 While reading through chapter one, I felt like I was reading things I already was aware of, and the book was giving an overview of what globalization actually is. While reading though, a line stuck out to me on page 19. "Is globalization really a new Western curse?" The author then says that it is neither new nor Western, seeing as this type of thing had been going on for quite a long time before the term had been coined in the 20th century. The quote / question really stuck out to me, because globalization + Western = "Westernization", a term coined beforehand. Westernization to me feels like a subset of globalization, and is generally associated with a slightly more negative connotation, as it is seen as a culturally diminishing notion. However, historically, Westernization had only really come about at roughly the time of the Industrial Revolution. A much older for / subset of globalization, coined "Southernization" was prominent in far further back history, where the Southern portions of Asia were spreading their ideas around the then whole world, which is where we get out modern numerical system, and more.

(Will add more on later)

Chapters 1, 2, 8

Chapter 1 of the textbook sort of reiterated a lot of what I already knew about globalization, but it was still informative nonetheless. One line in particular that stuck out to me was the line "globalization makes us richer – or makes enough of us richer to make the whole process worthwhile." This line stuck out to me because it acknowledged the main thing that comes to mind whenever I think about the impact of globalization, which is the inequalities. Often times, these globalization efforts happen at the expense of poorer communities, and that imbalance is definitely one of the biggest critiques of globalization. However, that's not to say that globalization should be rejected entirely. After all, if certain territories were to close themselves off from embracing globalization, it would disconnect and isolate them from the rest of the world, which would inevitable worsen the inequalities in poorer regions. This is something that I guess I never thought of before, because when I originally thought of the term globalization, I thought of it as something that erased traditional systems and negatively impacted individualism and other cultures. I never thought of how that could negatively affect various regions from an economic perspective. 

The term, neoliberalism is relatively new to me, and now that I know what it means, I'm realizing that a lot of what I considered to be just capitalism is actually better described as neoliberalism. Seeing how overtime, the economic development of countries such as the US and UK influenced the economic development of other countries, some out of "coercive pressures" is quite interesting because it explains how business climates began to change in the 20th century, and interconnect with one another. 

Chapter's 1, 2, 8 - TYLER PRIVLER

This week's reading (Chapters 1, 2, and 8) helped me understand more about globalization (which sounds pretty obvious, though, I guess). Before doing the reading, I mostly thought of globalization as something distant and abstract, like trade agreements, major corporations, and countries interacting on a level far removed from my everyday life. I didn’t really connect it to things I experience personally. What really stood out to me was how much globalization actually affects daily life in ways we don’t even notice, and how those effects can be completely different depending on where someone lives, their economic status, or their role in the global system.

Chapter 1 made it clearer what globalization actually looks like in practice and how involved governments really are in shaping it. I had always assumed globalization was mostly driven by corporations or the free market, but this chapter showed how much power governments still have when it comes to trade, regulation, and global influence. That was something I hadn’t really thought about before. Chapter 2, How to Judge Globalism, showed how people see globalism in really different ways; it surprised me because I wasn’t aware to what extent and how those opinions have changed over time, especially in Western societies. I thought it was interesting how attitudes toward globalization aren’t fixed and often depend on historical context, economic conditions, and access to technology. The chapter also showed how technology has changed how people think about and react to globalization, making the world feel more connected but also more divided in some ways.

Chapter 8 shifted toward the history of neoliberalism, explaining its political and economic roots and how it eventually became dominant on a global scale. It was interesting to see how neoliberalism didn’t just appear overnight, but instead developed through specific policies, leaders, and global events, while also facing criticism and resistance along the way. In the end, the readings made me realize how closely politics, economics, and ideology are connected; we don’t usually think about them and believe we are immune but they overlap in our everyday life.

Chapters 1,2, and 8

 Throughout the intro and first chapter we get a solid base introduction into the subject of globalization. This early portion alone makes it clear that this book is going to look extensively at the economic factors related to globalization. It approaches the topic with a nuanced stance to begin with, making it clear that the outcomes of globalization and the ways in which cultures have adopted it are not uniform but instead widely varied. Chapter eight goes more into the specifics of how these outcomes differ between nations.

In chapter eight Neoliberalism is touched on in more depth, with a proper explanation of what it means. Prior to this reading I mainly associated neoliberalism with the politics of the Democratic Party specifically, viewing it as a middle ground between the desired positive life outcomes of socialism and the free markets of capitalism. After the reading I realize that neoliberalism is a much broader topic, not bound to any one party, and my view on it was very inaccurate. The text even brings up republican president Ronald Reagan as an example of neoliberal policies being enacted while in office.

2/4 Readings

 After reading these three chapters I gained a better understanding of what globalization is by seeing how complex it can be depending on who is defining it, and how it is being looked at. Globalization can vary from immigration to business which in my opinion makes it difficult to give one clear definition to. In chapter 2 examples are given to why globalization may be seen as a negative thing to many, with the idea that the goal is to spread western ideology and for strictly monetary gain which often comes at an expense to the less fortunate. I think that this shows how difficult understanding how globalization works because it affects things all the way from the ground up to work. In Chapter 8 we can see the idea of neoliberalism brought up where some may look at it as unfair in a work sense. The main idea of this neoliberalism is to promote free markets and trade with limited government interference. These policies have faced scrutiny over the years which ties back into the earlier chapters that we can just define globalization as one thing really when there is so much involved.

Ch. 1, 2, and 8

 Chapter 1 opens by defining globalization, which is made helpful through the plethora of examples listed after each point. While I'm not familiar with what each reference is, they are all real-world events that can make understanding the concept easier. This chapter puts the idea of globalization in a positive context, made stronger by acknowledging some of its downsides. Globalization does create gaps within and between societies, but it says that there is more good than harm in the grand scheme of things.

Chapter 2 expands on the inequalities that were briefly mentioned in Chapter 1, more specifically on the rich versus the poor. Since globalization is primarily an economic concept, wealth distribution in globalized nations is the best place to see the gaps that can form. In many cases the poor do benefit in some way, but that benefit needs to be compared to the gain for the other income classes as well. Otherwise, the poor may not have received their fair share of the spoils, and therefore their benefit is not really much of a benefit at all since the rest of the income classes will pull away even more. I think the inequalities subject will be the primary topic of debate and discussion going forward into the next few weeks as we keep getting a better grasp on gloablization as a whole. When it comes down to it, the real effect that all of us could feel is that unequal gap, and I think it will serve as a valuable gauge moving forward.

Chapter 8 discusses the concept of neoliberalism, which revolves around the idea that if markets were free from governmental control, they would yield more benefits to the economy. This includes the belief that government intervention in the economy would create a bias for benefitting the government rather than the people they serve. The concept of regulation is propped up on the belief that the free market would regulate itself without state involvement. The book discusses the historical rise of neoliberalism after the second world war, up until the present where it is a strong force. I think neoliberalism as a concept has benefits for economic growth because it stimulates the competitive forces within economies. I do think that over time it could lead to some issues as well. One that I could think of is resource management, specifically with environmental resources. These are typically finite in supply, and I worry about the potential lifespans of natural resources without government regulation.

Chapters 1,2,8

 Before reading these chapters, I mostly saw globalization in the cultural/immigration aspects, and not the trade and commerce sides. In chapter 1, it mostly talked about how globlization helped start taking power from the government and giving it to its people through free trade. We can now get the best products and not just what the government is pushing on you. Elites dislike globalization, since the more world that is accessible to people the less power you hold over them. Companies have the power in globalization, which brings both negatives and positives.

In chapter 2, it talks about how globalization is mistakingly seen as westernization, which while bringing certain benefits, is seen in a negative light. This association causes misconceptions about globalization as a whole. Most of the arguments against globalization is from local factors, not globalization itself. Capitalistic societies want the money from globalization, not the benefits like education.

And lastly in chapter 3, the book introduces the concept of neoliberalism, which is the concept that states should guarantee freedoms like free markets and free trades, but not to interfer with these markets beyond that. Most states adopted a form of neoliberalism, but usually not fully in every aspect.

Chapter readings 1, 2, and 8

 The intro and the first chapter felt pretty straight forward to me. Globalization can mean many different things from the economy to technology to immigration. Globalization also affects people in many different ways, some good and some bad. Globalization isn’t inherently either one, it is more what you do with the globalization that affects people than just what globalization is. An example Lechner makes is that the WTO is just as much an example of globalization as FIFA is. These things are inherently two incredibly different things but share globalization in common. This just goes to show how large of a topic globalization is and how complex it can get.

With the second chapter I appreciated the acknowledgement that there are a lot of issues with globalization that are directly related to imperialism. In the same vein, this chapter talks a lot about the inequalities that happen when globalization happens. Once again this isn’t inherently because of globalization but because of how the benefits of globalization are dispersed among people and places. There is a heavy emphasis in this chapter about giving a fair share and opportunity to everyone within the global market and when that doesn’t happen is how inequalities form.

Chapter eight is when neoliberalism is explained. I found this chapter a bit harder to get through as I do not have a strong background in this topic or similar topics but I think I was able to understand a majority of the information. Neoliberalism is the idea of having a free market and that a free market is the best way to keep a stable market. It is believed that any type of government involvement will hurt the market. The book specifically talks about Thatcher in the UK and Reagan in the US. Both succeed in privatizing some parts of their respective countries and I believe overall in the current day are looked down upon for a lot of the things they both did in office even though those things were in line with neoliberalism ideals.

Chapter 1,2,8

 Before reading these chapters, I really only thought of globalization in the economic sense. However, chapter 1 illustrated that community became more accessible due to the invention of the internet. This reduced the effect of the “tyranny of place” for many people (a term I learned in this chapter). I think chapter 2 did a good job of explaining how several of the drawbacks of globalism are due to institutional factors, and not globalization itself. Institutional reform is needed to ensure the poor benefit from globalization as much as the rich. I learned a lot about the people that get left behind when the rest of the world expands via globalization. Chapter 8’s summary of neoliberalism was useful to me as I wasn’t very familiar with the term.

2/4 Readings (Chapters 1 ,2 ,and 8)

 I think that beginning with a section that generally introduces a topic such as globalization is, at least for me, key to understanding what the topic really means.  It's also good in establishing a background so that it can be more easily understood throughout.  This is what Chapter 1 does particularly well, putting globalization into a real-world perspective. I found it really interesting in this chapter as well that there are so many ways culturally and economically that globalization can come into effect in our daily lives.  Free trade is talked about a lot in this chapter, and I think this chapter makes it really easy to understand for the reader.  I like how it discusses that globalization can not only impact how you live your life, but also can impact who you are as a person, and to sometimes gain the freedom to recreate your own identity.  I find it interesting that in Chapter 2, they explain globalization mainly as Western Civilization contributing to the rest of the world.  Now it may be true that it's a big component of globalization, but to simply say that that's how its plainly seen to a lot of people is something I disagree with.  The author makes a good point about antiglobalization as well, bringing up the point that we can't just simply ignore the ideas and issues they bring up.  It's important to understand both sides of an argument about a topic because you can get a better perspective, and that's what the author brings up here in this chapter.  In Chapter 8, I love that they bring up the fact that there is inequality that exists in neoliberalism.  This chapter in particular does a good job overall of pointing out issues.  It explained well that while countries were taking the turn into neoliberalism in the second half of the 21st century, it was clearly problematic, such as countries like the UK and the US.  The author is clearly very critical in both Chapters 2 and 8, and I think that's what makes these readings particularly interesting.

WEEK 2 - BLOG POST - Julia Cruz Santana

     These chapters brought me new concepts of globalization that I found very amusing. It started with different perspectives, what globalization is through the eyes of many people, and what this means for globalization. However, it seems clear that globalization is not just a social process, expanding places and ways, but especially an economic one, growing global markets and providing new economic choices. 

    Chapter 1, the term hidden promise showed me a positive idea of globalization. The individuals can become more free than before, now that geographic, traditional and government limits are not strong as they were. This made me think about people like Malala, that years before could not fight or would fight alone, but in our era could receive international support and today can live in a free country, different from before. 

    The chapter 2 then brings the questioning about if judging globalization as fully good or fully not is the best or by the evaluation of its effects. As many processes, globalization brings good things, like opportunity, freedom, but also bad things like inequality. I found it especial that the author emphasizes that globalization is not an idea from the West, but global trade, exchange of cultures and more existed for many years. Amartya Sen concludes that globalization can be a powerful resource, but with policies to reduce inequality. 

    Ending with chapter 8,  neoliberalism is presented. I have my reservations about this economic movement, but since we already live in probably the most neoliberal country of the world, I appreciate that the authors of this chapter recognize that the movement brings inequality and tends to ignore the social and individual well-being. It prefers a reduced state, and the US was leader in these types of policies. The global institutions like IMF would top the cake incentivizing even more this type of economies. 

Readings - Chapter 1,2 and 8

Before reading over these introductions and chapters this week, I honestly thought globalisation was mostly about trade, technology, and things moving faster around the world. It didn’t occur to me that things like global supply chains or football being popular everywhere was a clear and simple example of globalisation itself. Taking the time to read over these chapters from the textbook and do some additional research myself made me realise that globalisation is a lot more political and personal than I initially thought and in some scenarios more complex than it appears to be.

From the introduction and Chapter 1, it seems that globalisation is described more from the perspective of people and places becoming more connected with each other across a distance. I had never even considered globalisation to be something so clear to understand but Chapter 1 definitely helped my visual picture of it by using examples such as sushi becoming popular worldwide or FIFA organising global tournaments. These particular examples help to show how culture spreads. As well as this, global institutions like the WTO and WHO also help shape everyday life, even if most people don’t think about them. Chapter 1 seemed to push forward the idea that globalisation affects both daily life and identity, not just economies. Chapter 1 also argues that globalisation can increase individual freedom by allowing people to move, learn, and work beyond where they were born. Some of the examples of this that I remember reading about were people like farmers using mobile phones in order to access fairer prices as well as students studying abroad, something relevant to me, as this shows how globalisation can open up real opportunities. This is something I do partially agree with as in my case it definetly has. 

I would say that the cultural side of globalisation is definetly something I find more complicated than I expected. It was in chapter 2 I believe that Sen argued that rejecting globalisation because it is seen as “Western” is historically inaccurate and can actually harm poorer societies. This was something i had not thought about until reading over the chapters and it definitely opened my eyes more to different elements of globalisation and the complexity of it.

After reading chapter 1 and 2 my view on globalisation itself was quite positive I would say but then once I started to delve into Chapter 8 I started to acknowledge globalisation can also be seen as less positive. Harvey explains how since the 1970s, globalisation has been shaped by neoliberalism. I found it interesting how he argues that neoliberalism worked better at restoring power to economic elites than improving life for everyone else. This was definitely a confusing concept at first but I think it does help to explain why globalisation may feel so unfair to many people.

Overall, after analysing these readings, it made me realise that globalisation isn’t something you can easily label as good or bad. There is no one side to the story. Chapter 8 helps explain why neoliberal globalization has increased inequality but Chapter 1 really shows how globalisation can help expand freedom worldwide. It really got me thinking because there were pros and cons highlighted clearly across both of these chapters. I do agree with Sen’s argument though, that “the problem isn’t globalisation itself, but how it’s been managed.”

2/4 Readings

 Overall I think the readings did a good job explaining what globalization is, how it started to take place, and the impact it has on people and their countries. While reading the first chapter I got a deeper understanding of what globalization is and my new definition of globalization is, the process of countries and businesses deciding that they have to increase the amount of money that they are making and doing that by selling goods to other countries. This can be seen as a good thing because the countries and businesses are doing what they have to do in order to make money to survive, but there are problem this causes for the poorer people in those communities, which chapter 2 goes into. Chapter 2 explains why businesses and countries goin into the process of globalization at the cost of the poorer people in those areas. With businesses always reaching to make more money, they are making the gap between the people that have money and the people that don't bigger without realizing it. Chapter 2 also explains that some states and cities throughout the world have laws in place that mostly benefit the big businesses that are based in those areas. I think this is unfair to the people that live there because the responsibility of the state and city is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the people that live there, but their main focus is to make money. If their only focus is to make money, the cities and states put their people in a position to where they can't participate in the economy. While chapter 1 and 2 explain what globalism is and what it does to the people of those nations, chapter 8 goes in depth to what is being transferred through globalization. Chapter 8 explains that not only goods are being shared between nations, but nations are also sharing information, customs and a little bit of their religion through globalization. Chapter 8 highlighted that trade isn't the only way to spread information about a nation. Within the past 25-50 years information was shared through media like T.V shows and books. Chapter 8 had the idea that because the world has access to American T.V shows that America was trying to spread its ideologies when that was not the point of it at all. The main reason people had that idea was because people like the shows so much that they changed their own lives to fit what they seen on T.V. This idea was proved wrong by Len Ang. She said that these shows hold up a cultural mirror to the people watching and lets them decide if they need to change anything about their life or living situation. Overall The three chapters explained what globalization is, what information or goods are being transferred between countries, and what globalization is doing economically to the people that are less fortunate.

2/4 Readings

 Before reading these chapters, I mostly thought of globalization as something distant and abstract like trade deals, big corporations, and countries interacting on a scale way bigger than my own life. Chapters 1, 2, and 8 completely shifted that mindset. What surprised me most is how much globalization actually shapes everyday experiences, even when we don’t notice it, and how uneven those effects can be depending on who you are and where you live. In Chapter 1 we saw what globalization looks like in practice and highlighted the role of governments in shaping and influencing global interactions. Chapter 2, “How to Judge Globalism,” focused on the different perspectives people hold about globalism and how these views have evolved over time, especially within the context of Western civilization. We also saw how the rise of technology has reshaped people’s opinions and understanding of globalization in the modern era. In Chapter 8, the discussion shifted to the history of Neoliberalism, tracing its political and economic roots. This section examined how neoliberalism rose to global dominance and the numerous challenges it faced along the way. Overall, it was fascinating to see how interconnected politics, economics, and ideology have been in shaping the modern global landscape.

Thoughts on this week's readings

I really liked how this textbook began with the General Introduction section, which allowed me to understand the true definition and meaning of what Globalization used to be and is today in society. Some of the things I learned just from the introduction page were that Globalization means different things to different people, it is never a smooth path, the movement of people around the globe poses new health risks, Globalization has been happening for a long time now, and since post-COVID, it might have entered a new phase. In Chapter 1, we got to slowly dive deeper into what Globalization is in the real world. As well as how the government is involved with globalization. In chapter 2, the title says it all 'how to Judge Globalism. This chapter was mostly about how people see globalism and how it's evolved over the decades in the period of western-civilization. I feel that it was cool to see different people's opinions on what globalization has become today compared to older periods of time. (especially with the development and rising evolution of technology. Then, in chapter 8, we jumped right into the history of Neoliberalism, where we got to learn about politics and the economy, as well as how Neoliberalism dominated the world politically. It was fascinating to read all the challenges and struggles they had to face before becoming very powerful.

My thoughts on the first reading

     The first reading, in my opinion, offered a solid introduction to the meaning and inner workings to globalization and allowed me to begin to understand how it works. I liked how in the beginning it did solely focus on the economics of globalization and showed that it can relate to many other things like ideas and cultures. That being said, the sharp turn into neoliberalism shows just how dominated globalism is dominated by the economic benefits it creates. I don’t think this was always the case, I believe this only arose during the recent century, as corporations arose, went global, and merged to create mega corporations. This led directly to these corporations' attempts to bid for power around the world and gain more influence on people, which led to them taking over events like the world cup to advertise their products and to funding different projects to increase their public image. This whole system led to the fall of the movement of ideas in that sense of globalization, as corporations began to stop spreading ideas because they wanted to spread their views and culture but they instead started doing everything because of money. Now I see that this is only one part of globalization, as things like phones and the internet can still allow the spread of ideas and cultures without money being an incentive. But thinking about it, globalization seems to be dominated by the effect it has on economies.

Globalization - Philadelphia

 With Philadelphia being such a large area to write about Im going to focus more on the neighborhood I am from, Manayunk. Formerly in the early 1900s Manayunk was full of factories supporting global trade of wood, paper, and coal products that would go down the river to Philadelphia's major ports. Now most of those factories have disappeared and the neighborhood has changed a bit. 

There is a large working class immigrant population, between people working corporate jobs and commuting downtown for work, and those who come offering cultural experiences through opening restaurants and bars. This has globalized our food and cultural scene, from authentic Italian food to authentic Indian cuisine there is a large amount of different backgrounds that shape our neighborhood into what it is. 

On the corporate side of things, there's not many large corporations in our neighborhood other than the grocery stores, and fast food spots that may be seen globally. I think that the small mom and pop shops offer a more authentic experience to the globalization happening in my area compared to large corporations. 

Globalization in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil

     

Rio de Janeiro, the city where I was born and lived for more than 15 years, is a mark of Globalization from its beginning. It was the place where the colonizers from Portugal arrived in 1500, in a journey to discover new worlds. Then, they brought slave workforce from Africa, and they got mixed with the existent Portuguese and indigenous population. They all had babies and then Rio became one of the most mixed-race populations in the world. The politicians had other ideas, they wanted a sophisticated city just like Paris, so they kicked the poor from their houses at the Center of the city and did architectonic reforms and opened Rio for tourism. This are of the city is till today majority rich, white, and with the crescent Globalization, foreigners.

When I think of my city today, I can see the TikTok trendies, people making videos experiencing our food, or warmth, our sun and beaches. In the summer there are people from all the world, and the informal workers on the beach get their game up and learn how to sell in Spanish, English and even French. I was there in December, and I heard more English than Portuguese in the “elite” parts of the city. I even saw an ATM, not a Brazilian version, an American ATM just like the ones we have it here in U.S. I was shocked by the amount of AutoZone stores, and even a Sam’s club!

With the arrival of Carnaval in February, people come to see the samba, the music, the festivities, and with a tourist campaign and crescent social media participation, the hotels get all full and people experience the parties of their lives. But Rio is more than just tourist Globalization. We have great famous colleges that lead research internationally, we make movies that get Golden Globes and Oscars, singers that get Grammys, we are the city for politics assemblies like COP30, and much more. It is almost impossible to think about Rio without the global presence and the Globe without the presence of Rio.

Globalization in NYC

Globalization in New York City. The city itself is a factor of globalization. You see, when I talk about globalization I talk about the people who live in New York City. New York City might be the most diverse place in the United States of America. You have immigrants from all around the world. You have Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Ukrainians, Russians, Georgians, any Eastern European you think of, New York probably has it; moving on we have Jamaicans, Haitians, Chinese, Japanese, hell just put basically all of Asia in there. When America is described as a melting pot of cultures, New York is the best example of that. You can walk down one block in New York City and see a mosque, a synagogue, and a church all on the same block. It sounds outrageous but it's probably true. This is because there's so many different types of cultures and races and identities from all around the world. I also believe that's what makes New York City the best kind of city or place to have globalization. because with all of this you bring a different type of setting to anything around it. I play rugby and I've met people who live in New York City that are from the Netherlands, New Zealand, England, Georgia, and many many more countries. I believe people come to New York City because it is still seen as the land of opportunity. When people are talking about the land of opportunity in America they were mainly talking about New York the state, but that very quickly became the city itself. There's so many different types of areas in New York City; to elaborate there is little Italy, Chinatown, Koreatown, little Odessa, little Haiti, etc etc etc. I like to think of New York City as a City built by immigrants, for immigrants, and of immigrants. That is what I think of globalization when I think of New York City

Disscussion - Globalization in Leesport

 Leesport, PA is a small town with a population of around 2,000. Within those 2,000, the majority were born and raised in the united states and you can see that through your surroundings. There's a pizza place, a diner, and three different gas stations if you want something to eat. Globalization hit Leesport in a different way, two large companies building giant facilities in the middle of town. One only just opened, but Ashley's furniture has been there a while, and has brought jobs and lots of trucks into the neighborhood. 

As someone who works part time at one of the forementioned gas stations, Rutter's, Ashley's drivers are constantly coming in to get gas. Rutter's caters to truckers, so many other truckers come in from all over the country, Canada, and Mexico, which brings many different people from different parts of the world to our town, even if just for an hour. While both me and others don't particularly like having our schools being boxed in by two giant warehouses, I hope eventually this might cause more people to be interested in Leesport and bring lots of cultures to the town.

Globalization in Douglassville

 The only thing I can think off regarding globalization in my small hometown would be influx of people moving into my neighborhood during the past ten years. I remember when I could walk to the end of my neighborhood. The sidewalk would stop and the road would end in a pile of gravel. Beyond that was simply trees and dirt. Now, the forest that was once there is gone, replaced by large family homes with wide driveways and plenty of backyard space. I'm not sure what's so special about my town in particular, compared to all the other small towns surrounding us, but a lot of people move to Douglassville from Philadelphia -- likely for more space to start a family, as there are multiple school districts within the area. Because of all the new people in Douglassville, my local grocery store was remodeled and expanded. Personally, I hate the design. I no longer know where anything is, the lighting is all weird, and the space has a sanitized, corporate feeling compared to the raw warehouse vibe it had before. I understand the remodel was needed but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

Globalization in Coatesville

Globalization is a term that I am familiar with, but I never stopped to think about its impact on my hometown. I live in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, which is the only "city" in Chester County. Coatesville is home to the Lukens Steel Company, which played a big part in the steel industry by producing steel "tree" beams for the World Trade Center which were later returned in April 2010 and commemorated by the government. 

Nowadays, the steel mill isn't as prominent as it used to be. The downtown area, which used to have a lot of stores and businesses, is rather dry present day because most of those businesses migrated to the (now empty) Exton mall. There are efforts however to encourage people to return to the downtown areas with a new C-Town supermarket, and a handful of other small businesses and restaurants opening up. Additionally, an old middle school that was closed due to asbestos was torn down, and in its place, they are building a new elementary school. There is construction planned in the surrounding areas for new townhouse neighborhoods, so I imagine this will come in handy due to an influx of new kids. 

One of the biggest draws I'd also say that the downtown area has is the Coatesville Grand Prix. It's a newer event, I believe it started six years ago, but it's been a big draw for people both in and around the area of all backgrounds. They close off certain roads around town and set up a race track for vintage cars and motorcycles, and there's also a car show/vendor that takes up part of the street where people showcase there cars. All in all, these developments are relatively new, and I'd be interested to see how the new housing impact the businesses in the area overtime. 

Globalization In My life - Chris Walker

     I spent most of my school life and child hood and as a child I didn't know or even process how much globalization affected me. Thinking back on it now I see my entire friend group and everyone I knew was from someplace different. Globalization affected my everyday life because every new person I met was from a place out the country or a place Ive never heard of before. I've seen immigrants from D.R., Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Ecuador, Peru, Ghana, and a bunch of other places. Seeing the face that all of my friends are from different places I started to learn about their music, their food, their culture, and even some of their religion. looking back on that I now realize how different each and every one of my friends are and can recognize the way that came to be was because of globalization. When I moved to PA it was a similar situation as what's happening in New York but on a smaller scale. 

Moving to PA was a big shift for me and I was just trying to figure things out, but looking back I see that most of my friends were people that came the the New York, and New Jersey area(I also lived in New Jersey for about 2 years). Since I was a part of the population that was coming from New yor and New Jersey, I was basically the "immigrant" coming to a new place. While I was the new kid I was able to form my own group of friends that were also from the New York and New Jersey area. 

Overall, I've experienced globalization all throughout my life. I've seen it happen within other people in my communities when I was younger and even "Being a part of globalization" when I moved from New York to PA. I've never thought about my life like this and it was a cool way to bring back some memories of the very diverse place known as Bronx, New York

The Effect of Globalization on my Hometown

 I grew up in the small town of Gilbertsville, about 40 mins away from Kutztown. The area that I grew up in was extremely small and only really consisted of residential areas for the entirety of the town. Thinking about my town I would put money down that the only new buildings that have been built are family housing, mostly just middle class houses but some larger housing projects and some town houses. 

    The only real examples I can see of globalization on my hometown are the few international corporations which reside along the main intersection in my town. One is a wawa which is easily the busiest and most profitable business in my area and it sees almost constant customers as everyone from my area seems to run on it. The other which is directly across the street is a cvs. There are a few small restaurants around my area. These are all either pizza parlors or bars. I would say there is a very noticeable Italian population which leads to many Italian restaurants and pizza parlors. I'd say that is the biggest piece of globalization in the area. There is also a large German population but that is not reflected by anything in my town. 

    I believe my area could very much benefit from an increase in globalization. One thing I could see the town doing is to set up an OctoberFest celebration. I know many of the surrounding towns have them and I could see this help increase both the German representation in the area and also bring in people from other areas which would increase "tourism" and increase profits at local businesses. I would like to say that we should increase the amount of international corporations but I as far as I know there isn't enough demand in my area for that to be a reasonable request. There are businesses in all the surrounding towns which are the primary places that people shop at, it's just a bit inconvenient because I am driving at least 20 mins to get to a Walmart or to get to a fast food restaurant. I think the town is only really meant as a residential area as there are no plans to build businesses anywhere so I think the best choice for the area is to celebrate the European roots many of its citizens have.

Globalization - Lancaster

     Globalization is definitely something that I’ve noticed around where I live for a while. Ever since I was younger, I’ve always liked to go on little trips and such to different restaurants, stores, etc., and just kind of look around to find inspiration and enjoy different things.  Throughout my life in Lancaster, I’ve definitely seen changes in my environment caused by globalization.

    As I’ve grown up and changed, looking around feels much different then when I was younger, as I’ve began to think more about how the outside world is affecting my local community.  Some stores or locations have been added, some new and some old, but a lot of them (especially restaurants and such), are of the chain variety.  Some have closed, and some have been replaced.  Some local locations have been opened, which represent different cultures around the globe, and I’ve been given opportunities to experience them without having to travel far and wide.  Even some worldwide branded industries have been brought nearby, promoting new industries and companies.

Globalization in Exton

 Globalization is a phenomena that has been working its way into our daily lives more and more. I live in Exton, and I have seen the effects shape and change my town as I have grown up. When I was little, there were not many foreign food places in town. We had our choice of the main staple fast food places, some small random mom and pop shops, but as I grew, more and more Chinese, Indian, and other stores have opened. Globalization lets good changes like this happen, where we have more choice and opportunities to explore other cultures. 

Globalization can also have negative effects on towns. At first, many of the foreign food spots were small businesses, owned by immigrants who brought their culture to us. However, the growing interest caught the attention of corporations, which began opening up chain restaurants, which led to the small businesses closing up shop.

Globalization -- Pottstown

When I think about globalization, my mind often goes straight to economics, trade, corporations, and financial connections between countries. However, globalization also appears in more subtle ways, especially through culture. While it is easy to notice globalization in large cities filled with international brands and businesses, its presence can be harder to identify in smaller towns. Still, cultural exchange can exist even without major global corporations.

Pottstown, Pennsylvania, is a small town in Montgomery County with a strong sense of local identity. While there are some chain stores and restaurants, much of the town is made up of locally owned businesses, historic buildings, and community spaces. On the surface, Pottstown does not appear to be heavily influenced by globalization, especially when compared to nearby cities like Philadelphia. Many parts of the town reflect a traditional, small-town atmosphere rather than an international one.

Pottstown, Pennsylvania, provides a clear example of how globalization affects economic development at the local level. Historically, the town’s economy was centered around manufacturing and industrial labor, which provided stable employment for much of the population. As global competition increased and manufacturing jobs moved overseas or became automated, Pottstown experienced economic decline, including factory closures and job losses. These changes reshaped the local labor market and forced many residents to seek work outside the town or transition into different industries.

In recent years, Pottstown has focused on economic revitalization and workforce redevelopment in response to these global pressures. Efforts to attract new businesses, expand the service sector, and invest in small enterprises reflect an attempt to adapt to a globalized economy. The labor market has shifted toward healthcare, education, retail, and service-based jobs, which are more closely tied to regional and national economic networks. This transformation shows how globalization directly influences local employment patterns and economic development, even in towns that may seem far removed from the global economy.

Hometown Globalization - Schwenksville

 When I think of globalization it usually pertains to economic ties between nations and cities. In a world so driven by economic resources it can be hard to peel back that wall and see globalization for its other characteristics, like culture. The typical signs of globalization are big businesses that have crossed international lines and have a presence around the world. Seeing those names in different places shows the effects of globalization. 

My hometown is Schwenksville, which is a little borough in Montgomery County Pennsylvania. We don't have any big chain restaurants or stores within the borough limits. The borough is made up of neighborhoods and some small businesses. There is a past office and a library, as well as an elementary school. If you drove through the town it is highly unlikely that you'd be able to find any distinct sign of globalization. 

The closest thing that I can think of that would symbolize globalization is that the borough is just next to the site of the Philadelphia Folk Festival in Upper Salford Township. The festival takes place in the summer and is visited by thousands of people each year, which makes Schwenksville very busy as people pass through. I used to work in the local supermarket, and I remember the week of the festival we would have all sorts of people coming through and driving our numbers up. The folk festival celebrates music from a lot of American styles, as well as international styles such as Celtic and Klezmer, which comes from the Ashkenazi Jews. The fusion of cultures and musical techniques from all around the world is a prime example of globalization because it displays how said cultures are interconnected.