Glocalization as Globalization: Evolution of a Sociological Concept

This paper examines the evolution and transformation of the concept of globalization highlighting the tangled relationship between the discipline of sociology and globalization. The paper will also trace the history and the development of the concept of “glocalization”, which originated in Japan as a popular business strategy. Professor Roland Robertson, a sociologist at the University of Pittsburgh, introduced this concept to the Western social scientific discourse. Robertson was well aware of the changes of this concept in Japanese society. This paper will trace the roots of the Japanese concept and its use in sociological discussions. The paper will also examine in broad terms concepts, theories and paradigms in sociology. The paper will also touch on the problems of the application of the sociological concepts developed in the western sociological and social scientific discourses in the local contexts such as those of Singapore and Malaysia.