Being Local in a Globalized World Is a Sign of Social Deprivation and Degradation

Being Local in a Globalized World Is a Sign of Social Deprivation and Degradation

  • Submitted By: aoifro
  • Date Submitted: 12/16/2008 3:34 PM
  • Category: Social Issues
  • Words: 2857
  • Page: 12
  • Views: 770

“Being local in a globalized world is a sign of social deprivation and degredation.”(Zygmunt Bauman)
Discuss.

“Being local in a globalized world is a sign of social deprivation and degredation”. In order to analyze this statement I feel that it is vital to understand what Bauman means when refering to a globalized world, what globalization is.
“Globalization reflects a widespread perception that the world is rapidly being moulded into a shared social space by economic and technological forces and that development in one region of the world can have profound consequences for the life chances of individuals or communities on the other side of the globe.” (Held et al 1999, p. 2)
The use of the words “deprivation” and “degradation” in relation to the social aspect of life implies that some people, i.e. people who are local in this globalized world, are looked down upon socially. I have two interpretations of this statement. My first interpretation is that the “local” who Bauman is refering to is the Ethnic minorities of indigenous peoples in different countries who try to hold on to their own culture and identity and not fit in with the globalized world. In this sence the local people are definitely degraded and deprived socially. However I have also interpreted this statement as the “local” being the people who are a part of the globalized world. If the people are described as “being local in a globalized world”, then surely they are the people who fit in in the globalized world and who reap the benefits of the globalized model. I completely disagree with this statement when analyzed from this angle. It is the people who are not local in this sense of the statement who are living a life of “social deprivation and degredation”. In my essay I will begin with arguments in favour of the statement. I will take a brief look at globalization in a historical context as well as the effect of globalization on local ethnic minorities. Later in the essay I will...

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