The Imagined Economies of Globalization

In their book The World Economy, Stutz and Warf (2005, 13) defined globalization as the ‘‘worldwide processes that make the world, its economic systems, and its society more uniform, more integrated, and more interdependent.’’ The world has become highly integrated and interdependent within the past two decades. The Asian tsunami disaster of December 2004, and the corresponding worldwide response, underscore the degree to which globalization has advanced. The global interaction between cultures and economies has generated tremendous interest within and outside academia. But what is globalization, and which processes drive it? These questions are often answered from disciplinary perspectives, and the two books reviewed here are no exceptions. Cameron and Palan’s book, The Imagined Economies of Globalization, examines contemporary perspectives on globalization and implications for state and corporate policies. Consisting of six chapters, the book is structured into two parts. Part 1 contains three theoretical chapters that explain contemporary positions within the academic and policy debates on globalization, the relationship between theory and reality as well as narrative and performance, and the process of sociospatial change within the context of globalization. Part 2 also consists of three chapters, and these focus on imagined economies. Understanding Globalization focuses on the role of globalization in transforming capitalism, state government, the media, and cultural identity. Chapter 1 deals with different perspectives on globalization. Chapter 2 examines the history and ideology of globalization through the approaches of Marxism, cultural theory, and the globalist perspective. The third chapter explores globalization within the framework of technology and information flow. Chapter 4 treats the effects of globalization on institutions and practices of capitalism. Chapter 5 analyzes the impact of globalization in transforming national states. Chapter 6 explores the relationship between globalization and culture. In Chapter 7, the authors examine the relationship between globalization and public sphere, which has given rise to Americanization or Westernization of public space. Chapter 8 focuses on the process of institutionalizing the global system. The different perspectives presented on globalization are the greatest strength of this book. Schirato and Webb maintain that these range from economic to human movement to the effects of power relations. The two other aspects of this book that are appealing are the relationships among globalization, technology, and the media. Comparatively, the two books offer similar but different perspectives on globalization. Whereas The Imagined Economies of Globalization focuses mainly on economic aspects of globalization, Understanding Globalization deals not only with the economic aspects of globalization but also with relationships among technology, media, and culture. Both books are excellent starting points for reading and research on globalization. The Imagined Economies of Globalization is more geographically oriented, whereas Understanding Globalization appeals to students of communication and cultural studies.