LEC. 2: Political Globalization

[Political Globalization] How is globalization defined in political terms?

A multidimensional, accelerated, interconnected reorganization of space & time across national borders.

[Political Globalization] What is emphasized in political globalization?

Postnational and transnational processes, with a heightened awareness of compressed space and time.

[Political Globalization] What are postnational processes?

[Political Globalization] What are transnational processes?

[Debates on the Nation-State] What does globalization literature often argue about the nation-state?

It highlights its decline under global pressures.

[Debates on the Nation-State] What new forms of politics emerge under globalization?

Transnational networks, de-territorialization, and re-territorialization.

[Debates on the Nation-State] Why do scholars disagree on globalization’s effect on the state?

Some see new emancipatory possibilities; others see loss of autonomy and fragmentation.

[Three Processes of Political Globalization] What are the three key processes shaping political globalization?

• Global geopolitics – distribution of global power

• Global normative culture – diffusion of norms (e.g., human rights)

• Polycentric networks – multi-sited, non-territorial politics

[Three Processes of Political Globalization] Example of political globalization through democracy?

Worldwide spread of parliamentary democracy since the fall of the Soviet Union.

[Three Processes of Political Globalization] What is Fukuyama’s “End of History” thesis?

Misinterpreted the global spread of democracy as the end of ideology.

[Three Processes of Political Globalization] What is “polycentric politics”?

Politics organized by global civil society, NGOs, grassroots activism, and transnational networks rather than just states.

[Nation-State, Nationality, and Citizenship] Why is the “decline of the nation-state” thesis rejected?

States are not vanishing; they are being transformed and embedded in global networks.

[Nation-State, Nationality, and Citizenship] Susan Strange’s argument on globalization and the state?

Global markets have usurped states; sovereignty is shared with global economic players.

[Nation-State, Nationality, and Citizenship] What are two decoupling processes globalization creates?

• Nationality vs. Citizenship – rights no longer mirror nationality.

• Nationhood vs. Statehood – states detach from nations, creating tensions.

[Nation-State, Nationality, and Citizenship] How does globalization affect subnational politics?

Global cities (Sassen) embody de-nationalization and rise of non-territorial politics.

[Communication & The Public Sphere] How did nation-states historically control communication?

Through education, media, national languages, and cultural symbols.

[Communication & The Public Sphere] How is today’s public sphere different?

Moved from national, centralized systems to global discourses (human rights, environment, security).

[Communication & The Public Sphere] What is “communicative political globalization”?

Politics increasingly shaped by global communication, media, and discourses.

[Civil Society] What is global civil society?

A civic realm of supra-territorial solidarity and activism (NGOs, advocacy networks, grassroots movements).

[Civil Society] Examples of global civil society organizations?

Greenpeace, Médecins Sans Frontières, World Social Forum.

[Civil Society] How does civil society shape politics under globalization?

By holding states accountable, resisting corporate/state power, and promoting cosmopolitan identities.

[Civil Society] What are the contradictions of global civil society?

It empowers solidarity but can also fragment, be co-opted, or reflect inequalities (Northern NGO dominance).

[Spaces and Borders] What is the “borderless world” idea?

Global flows transcend national borders, compressing distance (e.g., global village).

[Spaces and Borders] Why is this idea misleading?

Borders don’t vanish—they transform into new forms (security, immigration, surveillance).

[Spaces and Borders] Two key spatial dynamics (Castells & Beck)?

• Castells: Space of flows (networks) vs. space of places (territorial politics).

• Beck: Cosmopolitanization (globalization reshaping inside/outside boundaries).

[Spaces and Borders] What is debordering vs. rebordering?

• Debordering: Flows erase boundaries.

• Rebordering: New controls emerge (e.g., immigration, surveillance).