GNED 500

Critically Thinking About Globalization

Globalization and Its Ideological Roots

At first glance, globalization seems like a one-size-fits-all concept. Useful and relatively neutral. But upon closer inspection, we can see that globalization has its own ideological roots that need to be examined. All sorts of questions come to mind when trying to pinpoint the ideological underpinnings of globalization. Questions like:

  • When did globalization become a household name and why?
  • Who benefits most from a globalized world?
  • Who benefits least from a globalized world?
  • Are there alternatives to globalization?
  • How are capitalism and globalization connected?
  • Can we aim for a capitalism that cares more about the interests of Main Street (regular people) as opposed to Wall Street (rich people)?
  • How is it that individuals like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have grown their wealth by billions during the COVID-19 pandemic, but millions have been hit by poverty and joblessness?
  • The GameStop debacle, where a group of random people on the internet managed to make a big impact on the market, made a lot of rich people worried. Why? (Source: CNET, 2021)