Glossary

Alter-globalisation:

Alter-globalisation refers to the views of actors who oppose current trends in globalisation processes, but who do not oppose the idea of globalisation per se. They criticise aspects such as cultural homogenisation or the social exclusion induced by fragmentation. They usually claim that other forms of globalisation are possible.

Americanisation:

Americanisation is the term used to qualify the influence the United States of America has on the culture of other countries. As the main actors in globalisation processes are the so-called "Western" countries and especially the USA, the dynamics of homogenisation within globalisation are referred to as 'Westernisation' or 'Americanisation'.

Anti-globalisation:

Anti-globalisation groups - or the anti-globalisation movement - refers to the actors and group of actors who oppose the process of globalisation, either because they disagree with the erosion of nation-states' power and the greater connections and interdependence it implies, or because they dislike the direction that globalisation is taking, especially regarding how its benefits are distributed. The latter often prefer to be referred to as "alter-globalisation" groups.

Capitalism:

Capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits made in a free market. In a more political sense, capitalism refers to a social system based on the principle of individual rights.

Exclusion:

Exclusion refers to a process whereby some socio-economic groups are relatively – sometimes even absolutely – disempowered and pauperised by the globalisation process; those on the margins of the 'system' are increasingly left behind. The fact that they remain where they are means that in practice they actually lose ground and are increasingly excluded from the value- and wealth-generating processes happening at the core of the system.

Fragmentation:

Globalisation processes lead both to a global approximation and to a fragmentation of the world. New cultural and social differences can arise. There are political and cultural reactions, such as forms of fundamentalism, that refuse to accept a globalisation that subjects their cultures to foreign influences. However, not all fragmentation processes are a result of people's opposition to certain aspects of globalisation. The fact that certain groups of people are unable to participate in economic or social development can lead to fragmentation.

Fundamentalism:

Fundamentalism is generally used to refer to a religious movement or point of view characterised by a return to fundamental principles, by rigid adherence to those principles, and often by intolerance towards other views as well as opposition to secularism. Fundamentalist movements can be understood as an attempt to resist global cultural assimilation processes.

Glocalisation:

Glocalisation is a term that describes a convergence of scales that, on the one hand, are more global than the national and, on the other, more local. The term was initially used when a product or service with global distribution was customised to suit local laws or culture. In a wider context, it stands for a process by which global concepts and ideas are adapted to a specific local context.

Homogenisation:

Homogenisation refers to the claim that the processes of globalisation are leading to cultures and situations becoming increasingly alike. Through the influence of the media and the global economy, places and lifestyles are fast becoming, if not the same, then at least increasingly similar. Since the West, especially the United States of America, has a great impact on these processes, the world is said to be becoming 'Westernised' or 'Americanised'.

Imperialism:

Imperialism refers to a national policy of forming and maintaining an empire; it involves the struggle for the control of raw materials and world markets, the subjection and control of territories, and the establishment of colonies. Recently, the predominance of the United States on the international scene and the diffusion of their views of the world by economic, cultural and military means has led critics of the homogenising aspects of globalisation to qualify the latter as a new kind of American imperialism.

Inclusion:

Inclusion refers to those socio-economic groups that are empowered (and enriched) by the globalisation process. If we picture globalisation in terms of a gravitational field emanating from a core source, the groups closest to the centre of the field are becoming ever more tightly integrated, economically, politically and culturally.

International division of labour:

The division of labour is based on the fact that the different tasks necessary to produce a good or provide a service are divided up between different specialised units. In the international division of labour, these units are countries that specialise in particular tasks. Although there are differences depending on the branch or activity and also between countries, countries in the North generally undertake tasks that add value (such as research and development), whereas countries in the South specialise in tasks requiring a large amount of cheap unskilled labour, for instance assembling parts.

Neo-liberalism:

Neo-liberalism is an economic (and political) theory that rejects government intervention in domestic as well as international economical activities and favours competition between actors at all levels, from the individual up to the nation-state. It preaches free domestic market, free international trade, no restrictions on business activities and the protection of private property.

Observation:

Observation is a research method for data collection in which the researcher looks carefully at the object or subject of study in order to obtain relevant information. Observation is structured by the goals and the research questions, as well as the theoretical background, of the researcher. Observation is usually passive, in the sense that the researcher does not usually engage directly with the object or subject of study. However, the observer must always be aware that, when observing people, his/her mere presence already constitutes an engagement with them.

Participant observation:

Participant observation is a method of observation whereby the observer engages directly with the subjects he/she is studying. This engagement can range from attending activities with the subjects under study right up to living with them or even undertaking projects together with them.