Globalization: A Contested Concept and Definitional Framework

The concept of globalization is often seen as contradictory, especially following the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in $2001$ .
A central tension exists between secular, technologically advanced globalization and violent religious fundamentalism.
Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda serve as primary examples of how even those who denounce modernity are dependent on and shaped by the tools of globalization.

Student Question: 'I understand that "globalization" is a contested concept that refers to sometimes contradictory social processes, but how can you say that the TV image of a religious fanatic who denounces modernity and secularism from a mountain cave in Afghanistan perfectly captures the complex dynamics of globalization? Don\'t these terrible acts of terrorism suggest the opposite, namely, the growth of parochial forces that undermine globalization?'
Response: Globalization is evident in the bin Laden case through the use of high-tech equipment, real-time information access, and global communication networks. The phenomenon of "hybridization"—the mixing of different cultural forms—is seen in bin Laden’s attire (Russian military fatigues over traditional Arab garments) and his choice of equipment (Russian-made Kalashnikovs and a Timex watch from an American multinational corporation).

Network Interconnectivity: The $7$ October statement reached a global audience of billions through the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera network, which collaborated with news providers like CNN (owned by AOL-Time-Warner), Reuters, ABC, BBC, and the Associated Press.
Technological Speed: The Bush administration attempted to "rein in Al-Jazeera," but the message was already accessible online to anyone with a computer, peaking at over seven million daily hits.
Global Commodities: Al Qaeda used weapons like the AK- $47$ , with over $70,000,000$ manufactured globally, and commercial technology like Timex watches, products of a multinational corporation with $7,500$ employees across $4$ continents.

Globality: A social condition characterized by global economic, political, cultural, and environmental interconnections that render traditional boundaries irrelevant. It is an indeterminate state that may evolve into other formations, such as "planetarity."
Globalization: A set of social processes that transform the present condition into globality. It is a dynamic "unfolding" or "development" that involves shifting forms of human contact and changes in the perception of time and space.

Creation and Multiplication: The emergence of new social networks and activities that transcend traditional boundaries (e.g., global news channels).
Expansion and Stretching: The extension of social relations and interdependencies, including financial markets, global terrorist cells, and non-governmental organizations like Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International.
Intensification and Acceleration: The speeding up of social exchanges through technology, leading to "time-space compression" where local happenings are shaped by distant events.
Global Consciousness: A subjective plane where people become aware of the growing interdependence and the receding importance of geographical distance.

Uneven Process: Globalization affects different regions differently, often concentrating interconnections in the global North while excluding segments of the global South.
Multidimensionality: The process involves multiple domains including economics, politics, culture, ideology, religion, and the environment.
The Elephant Parable: Globalization researchers often mirror the blind scholars in the Buddhist parable, mistakenly reducing a complex, multidimensional phenomenon to a single domain (e.g., purely economic or political) based on their specific expertise.