Reli 312 Essay Exam

Allissa Nicodemo
7399316
Reli 312
February 18th, 2015

Take Home Essay Exam

In my essay I have decided to first begin with basic definitions of Globalization, Westernization and Neo-liberalism while also explaining the connection between Globalization and Westernization. Later I start with a general introduction and I present my thesis, I then discuss the readings in the order that they are in the course pack in order to further my points. I have decided to format my essay into small paragraphs because it helps me stay organized and on topic.
What is Globalization? In Campbell’s essay Globalization is defined as “a complex web of social processes that intensify and expand worldwide economic, cultural, political, and technological exchanges and connections.” (Campbell, 4) Globalization intensifies global interdependencies and exchanges, increasing global awareness about international issues and constantly creates connections between countries close and distant.
What is Westernization? Westernization is defined as a “process whereby non-Western countries and societies adopt social, legal, dietetic, religious, technological, linguistic, political, and economic ideals and norms of countries in the Western world- Western Europe and US.” (Campbell, 4)
The idea of Globalization as a way to forward international connectivity is not Western but often times Globalization is used to advance western ideas. Although Globalization is not inherently western, currently globalization is acting as a vehicle to advance westernization. To understand how Globalization is used to advance Westernization it is important to note the definition of neoliberalism, a Western ideology that is being spread and encouraged by the United States. Neoliberals “argue that deregulation and privatization of state-owned enterprises and limited government involvement in the economy [are] the best ways for countries’ economies to grow and individual freedoms to flourish.”(Campbell, 12) Neoliberalism fights for privatization, deregulation of the economy, reduced taxes, the expansion of international markets and the removal of barriers to global trade. Overall, based on the texts we have read in class, I do not believe that Globalization is inherently good or bad but I do believe that currently Globalization is doing more harm than good. Globalization can be seen as helpful because it helps advance technology, increase global economy and promote consciousness of the globe. While on the other hand, it can be seen as problematic because globalization promotes western values that are secular and not everyone supports these values and there are instances where globalization only benefits those who are already wealthy.
Thesis: Globalization can be seen as advancing westernization because the USA as the leading superpower is spreading their secular values throughout the world through their brand name products, technological advances and neo-liberalism. Globalization can be helpful in connecting nations but often it is problematic to countries outside of North America.
Scholte- examination of globalization
Scholte describes Globalization as international connectivity, space and time are no longer defined by territory. (86) Globalization advances global communications and technology and this technology changes lives in a positive way. People can interact with others around the world without changing location because technology has gone beyond territory. Another aspect of Globalization is travel, as technology advanced people began moving around the globe, creating diasporas from India and China to the tropics and movement from Europe to the Americas. (92)
With this growing connectivity of communication and travel came a period of growth for international commodity markets and global brand names. (93) This is where we can begin to see globalization as advancing westernization. Western views entail secular values and globalization advances these western views through spread of brand name products, and an open-market economy. With the advancement of technology American brand names companies such as Heinz, Coca-Cola, Campbell’s soup and McDonald’s were able to spread their products across the world.
Furthermore, Scholte makes the important point that globalization also promotes consciousness of the globe for example global warming, because the world is seen as one entity, this becomes everyone’s problem and people must work together to fix it. (90) This global consciousness led to the creation of International organizations that aim to solve these issues.

Going Global- Campbell
Campbell talks about the post World War Two, geo-political situation. During this time the USA invested money into countries such as Japan and Germany to prevent communism. This allowed for these countries to become economically strong. During this period there were bi-polar super powers, the USA vs. the Soviet Union. Later on with the collapse of the Soviet Union came changes to the geo-political map. The USA became the leading super power, leading them to become the Hegemon. With this came the introduction of the nation state and the problematic issue of neo-liberalism vs. the welfare state of which I will touch on later with Antonio’s text. We have already discussed the global market and products but Campbell elaborates on this when she discusses how the US as the leading super power was able to spread their western values through products and technological advances. The issue with this is that not everyone wants American products. “Other people see it as a threat to cultures around the world. Some critics of cultural globalization describe Western culture as a homogenizing force that is erasing local cultures, replacing cultural differences with a single world culture based on American Values.” (Campbell, 19) Western culture and American values that are spreading across the globe involve “the pervasiveness of American fast food, Western business suits, Hollywood movies and the English language.” (Campbell 19) This spread of western culture transforms societies, erases some differences between countries and creates homogeneity. (Campbell, 18)

Globalization as American Hegemony- Ikenberry
Ikenberry reinforces the idea of America as the leading super power at the end of WW2 and emphasizes that trade and investment post WW2 reinforced American-centered hegemonic order “America’s postwar system of security alliances and multilateral institutions facilitated the expansion of world markets and, in turn, the expansion of world markets fueled growth and transformed the Western order into the dynamic and triumphant epicenter of world.” (Ikenberry, 41) Ikenberry shares the idea of the Pax Americana “American Peace”, where the US was interested in an open global economy and less taxation. The Idea of American Hegemony was extremely present in Hillary Clinton’s public speech where she claimed that America “has no rival”. It is evident that in the future new hegemons could emerge, for example China could become a Hegemon for Asia but none will surpass America as the Hegemon for the globe.
The cultural Construction of Neoliberal Globalization- Robert J. Antonio
Neoliberalism is a Western ideology that focuses on free-market policy, deregulation and tax cuts. Neoliberals seek to minimize health, education, welfare, and other social spending in order to take the government out of the social service field. But who benefits from this? Those who benefit from these cuts are the rich, the elite, and those who have privilege. In Antonio’s article, he shares the view that globalization’s techno-capitalist, post-modern subjects lack moral sensibility. He describes them, “they are guilt free about “making money and spending it.”” (73)
This is an example of privileged consumerism.
In his text, Antonio talks about Social Darwinism, which is the “survival of the fittest”. Social Darwinism pits talent vs. privilege because while someone can be talented and excel in life another person who was raised with privilege may be able to excel further, not because of talent, but because of their privilege in life. In the end, those who have privilege will find it easier to survive.
Furthermore, Antonio talks about Friedman’s writings on the backlash on Capitalism and Globalization. He quotes Karl Marx “globalization knocks down “Chinese walls” and pulverizes the traditional world.” (76) This can be seen as problematic because it hinders culture. Friedman’s opinion on the backlash imply that those who are against Globalization 3.0’s political and cultural changes are “lacking discipline, courage, energy, imagination and skill to adjust to post-Cold War realities.” (76) I think that this is a perfect example of neo-liberalism only benefiting those who are already privileged.
Recognized and Violated by International Law: The Human Rights of the Global Poor
The last texts talks about the global poor, these are the people living in countries that are not as developed as western countries such as the US, Canada and countries in Western Europe. The global poor is not a new phenomenon, it can be traced back to national institutional arrangements in many less developed countries and also to present global institutional arrangements. In the text it is stated that half of all human beings live in severe poverty and about 50, 000 poverty related deaths happen every day. (31) The affluent nations of the world have a responsibility for these human-rights deficits and affluent nations have the responsibility to redistribute wealth. The affluent can exact high price for access to their capital, technology and markets and this means that the non-affluent can never catch up. Even though there are Human Rights and charters that promote these rights, they are not always upheld. In this case, globalization must be used to enforce the UDHR and decrease global poverty because they have the power to do so. (55) There is a conflict here because Western views follow neo-liberalism but the UDHR supports the welfare state. So because globalization is being used as a vehicle for westernization and Western values support neo-liberalism then the UDHR will not be upheld unless changes are made.
Tentative Conclusion:
While on the surface globalization can appear to be positive, it is clear that presently, globalization is mainly benefiting those who posses privilege. Those who support western values are the ones who benefit from the current globalization, while global poverty continues to be a serious problem. As stated by Pogge, the affluent nations must use their global power to redistribute wealth and end global poverty.