What is Global Ideology?

The dominant ideology of globalisation (driven by national governments, the World Trade Organisation, the World Economic Forum, and a number of major corporations), is 'neo-liberal'. This is an ideology that claims that markets are driven by their own discipline and this is a 'natural' process and governments and communities should not interfere in this 'natural' process. For some, most notably the people that run our largest corporations, neo-liberalism seems to work, but for others, like people that believe in collective decision making, or create noncommercial culture, or work out side of the market sphere, it is dis- empowering. It is an ideology that is based on competition, individual consumption, and assumes that economic equality is self regulating, not something carefully managed.

However, there are alternative ideologies of globalisation; some are raw, some are inarticulate, most are subversive, and in a local community, they usually circulate via word of mouth, graffiti, or protest (or even through a trans-local Diaspora fostered by new technologies such as the Internet).

Can you determine some of the local ideologies in Fitzroy and how they may relate to larger global ideologies? How may deregulated markets impact upon people in a local environment; how do people combat these? How about the ideologies of an information society, how are people living with these or even utilising new technologies to disseminate alternative ideologies? Again, some of these ideas may not be directly stated, but may be implied or enacted. Can you see any themes?

What is Global Ideology?

The dominant ideology of globalisation (driven by national governments, the World Trade Organisation, the World Economic Forum, and a number of major corporations), is 'neo-liberal'. This is an ideology that claims that markets are driven by their own discipline and this is a 'natural' process and governments and communities should not interfere in this 'natural' process. For some, most notably the people that run our largest corporations, neo-liberalism seems to work, but for others, like people that believe in collective decision making, or create noncommercial culture, or work out side of the market sphere, it is dis- empowering. It is an ideology that is based on competition, individual consumption, and assumes that economic equality is self regulating, not something carefully managed.

However, there are alternative ideologies of globalisation; some are raw, some are inarticulate, most are subversive, and in a local community, they usually circulate via word of mouth, graffiti, or protest (or even through a trans-local Diaspora fostered by new technologies such as the Internet).

Can you determine some of the local ideologies in Fitzroy and how they may relate to larger global ideologies? How may deregulated markets impact upon people in a local environment; how do people combat these? How about the ideologies of an information society, how are people living with these or even utilising new technologies to disseminate alternative ideologies? Again, some of these ideas may not be directly stated, but may be implied or enacted. Can you see any themes?