Globalization, Protests, and Global Citizenship: Notes

Date of focal event: 05/25/2020. George Floyd, a Black man, killed by a White police officer in Minneapolis; the incident was filmed on a cellphone and uploaded to the internet.
Quick spread of the response: within hours, a mass movement of protests against police violence and systemic racism emerged, involving tens of millions of people globally, not just in the United States.
Global scope of the protests: examples cited include Latin America (Mexico City) and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with widespread images and participation around the world.
Personal note from instructor: references the memory of the events during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and online social media activity (e.g., on Twitter).
Core takeaway from this moment: it serves as a concrete illustration of globalization in action and a catalyst for discussing global citizenship.

Point 1 — Globalization and the erosion of local/global distinctions:
- The global interconnectivity fostered by the Internet and social media meant a single local incident could trigger a worldwide mobilization almost instantly.
- Local events (a racially charged police killing in a city in the American interior) were able to resonate and mobilize people across continents, with protesters on five continents marching in solidarity.
- This demonstrates how local happenings become global phenomena, and how global dynamics (information, memes, media, ideas) circulate with unprecedented speed.
Point 2 — Global citizenship and ethical obligation in an interconnected world:
- The interconnectedness allowed people from around the world to form a visible connection with a previously random individual (George Floyd) from a Midwestern city, recognizing shared humanity.
- Murals and expressions of solidarity appeared in Nairobi (Kenya) and in Syria, underscoring transnational empathy and shared concerns about systemic violence and oppression.
- This sense of common humanity carries responsibilities: to mobilize, protest, and resist injustices even when one’s immediate lived experience is far from the local site of injustice.

The interconnectivity that makes us complicit in global injustices also creates opportunities to act and a sense of obligation to respond ethically.
The realization that local events are connected to broader systems of violence and oppression reframes personal and collective responsibilities.
This transnational human connection underpins the global citizenship perspective, as it ties individuals to a broader human community with duties toward others.

The murder and the protests were not inevitable; they were enabled by decisions and actions of many actors at multiple levels of society.
The width and depth of the response show that social conditions can be reshaped; challenges to the status quo are possible when people mobilize.
The mass mobilizations reveal openings for thinking about how local and global decisions influence each other and how to reconfigure social arrangements.

First core theme: Global connections are greater and more intensive than ever before; goods, people, information, ideas, ideologies, memes, media, and art circulate rapidly across borders.
This phenomenon is what we call globalization, and it serves as a backbone for our analysis of interconnected societies.
Second core theme: Local-day-to-day decisions and actions have global implications; ethical and normative questions arise about how we ought to live and respond in an interconnected world.
The course uses these twin ideas to explore how people can and should participate in global life.

Two parallel components to understand this space:
- Localization as a complex phenomenon: examining how local conditions, contexts, and actions shape outcomes within a global framework.
- Global living: asking normative questions about how to act—ethics, norms, and responsibilities—within a connected world.
Related areas of inquiry:
- Normative ethics and moral philosophy: what should responsible actors do?
- Agency, power, and politics: who has the capacity to act and who is constrained?
- Structural limits: how existing social, political, and economic structures constrain or enable action.
- Identities and membership: how to understand ourselves as individuals and as members of communities within a global system.

The course will:
- Encourage critical thinking about globalization and global citizenship.
- Continuously turn the lens inward to reflect on personal and collective identity in light of global interconnectivity.
- Explore how to understand and respond to the conditions created by globalization in ethical and practical terms.
The teacher emphasizes an introspective dimension: what do these global processes mean for how we see ourselves and our obligations to others?

Whether the 2020–2021 protests achieved meaningful global change remains an open question; there is debate about the durability and scope of impact.
There has also been backlash and counter-movements, illustrating that globalization can yield mixed outcomes and complex political receipts.
The discussion will balance potential transformative possibilities with recognition of real-world challenges and constraints.

The instructor mentions an Economist article as a useful companion reading for understanding these dynamics; it is intended to complement the class discussion and provide real-world context for globalization and global citizenship.

Globalization: the intensified and rapid circulation of people, goods, information, ideas, ideologies, memes, media, and culture across borders.
Localization: understanding local phenomena in their complexity and in relation to global processes.
Global citizenship: a sense of belonging to a global community with corresponding duties and responsibilities toward others.
Interconnectivity: the web of connections that binds individuals and communities across the globe.
Transnational human connection: the experience of recognizing shared humanity across national or cultural boundaries.
Ethical obligation: the responsibility to act in ways that address injustices and contribute to systemic change when possible.
Agency and power: who can act to effect change and how power dynamics shape what is possible.
Normative questions: what should be done; how we ought to behave in light of interdependence.
Introspective dimension: examining how global dynamics affect personal identity and membership in communities.

In what ways did globalization facilitate or hinder collective action in the George Floyd protests?
How should individuals balance local concerns with global responsibilities?
What kinds of actions are most effective in translating transnational solidarity into durable change?
How can individuals navigate the ethical tensions between empathy and real-world constraints in an interconnected world?