"Technology is not good or bad nor is it neutral…globalisation is not good or bad, nor is it neutral".

Manuel Castells

Is globalisation a hollow term? Is the large civic movement misguided or is it a progressive social movement, similar to other periods of great change in the past? What is unique about our present time in history in terms of globalising forces and what can we all learn from a greater historical contextualisation?

Some of our historical thinkers, community leaders and everyday people respond.

What is globalisation? At the start of the 21st Century, this is the question on everybody's lips. Is it American cultural homogenisation and corporate greed, is it the Internet and the rise of the much hyped information society? Globalisation is a term that is as large as the world in which we live and is often interpreted through a monomaniac discourse that absorbs and explains everything from declining sea turtle numbers to third world poverty. How can historians and other intellectuals contribute to the greater understanding of our present time? What contextual historical frameworks can we convey to our public to help explain this international civic unrest? Topic could include subjects such as labour relations, the free trade movement, international relations, community history, the notion of nation-state decline, prosperity and inequality and the impact of technology.

Please contribute articles HERE in any format. Articles, comments and photos will all be published with the sense of urgency that they deserve.

HERE is an article by Guy Rundle written for the Sydney Morning Herald (September 2) on the Philosophy behind S11

"In 1994, the Zapatistas formed a rural guerilla army as per tradition, but they also started a Web site, which ensured that millions across the world had direct access to their message and could be updated on military moves against them".

HERE is an article by James Goodman of UTS that explains the background of the World Economic Forum and its agenda.

"The WEF aspires to be an agenda-setting Forum. It is, in its own modest opinion, 'the foremost global partnership of business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society committed to improving the state of the world'.

HERE is an article by Jen Couch who is a PhD Candidate (responses to globalisation) and Lecturer in Community Development at VUT University.

"In Seattle, Zapatista graffiti is everywhere. A remnant of the anti free trade demonstrations that took place there last year. The word Zapatista, EZLN and Ya Basta! (Enough) adorn the walls of numerous buildings. Various political leaflets, advertising everything from teach ins, to upcoming protests and seminars portray the image of a ski-masked face of Zapatista. It is obvious the movement for global justice loves the Zapatistas".

HERE is an article by Craig Bellamy (Site Facilitator) who is a PhD Candidate (Understanding Globalisation in an Inner-city Community in Melbourne) and soon to be Fellow at The University of Virginia. www.milkbar.com.au

"The great danger with this period of globalisation is not homogeneity, but closed global networks. These networks may be closed through technological means, such as access to bandwidth, or other technological mediated forms of cultural and social exclusivity".

HERE is some of the research done by Alan Griffith from the Victorian World Trade Organistion (WTO) watch. The research is on how the WTO affects Local Government and Culture. There is also a WTO briefing pack that he produced for a Federal government public inquiry. There is some excellent research here. These are four information sheets in total. They include LOCAL GOVERNMENT, CULTURE, PARAMETERS FOR INQUIRY and WTO BRIEF.

"Like a majority of WTO members, Australia has so far refused to fully deregulate its audiovisual and cultural sectors. The information here explains why".

HERE is an article by Phil Graham, Lecturer in Communication, Graduate School of Management, The University of Queensland. This paper concentrates on the defeated Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) and the reemergence of "neo-liberal" 19th Century notions of free-trade.

"There is little evidence, historical or otherwise, to suggest that the needs of people and societies change greatly over time. Whilst acknowledging the benefits of the many recent technological innovations that are part of the contemporary milieu, I am reluctant to see such advances as sufficient rationale for the dismantling of the social contract between a government and its citizenry".

HERE you will find a link to the People's Health Assembly provided by Dr Ken Harvey, Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health, La Trobe University, Bundoora. There is one article that has been posted so far titled "Health in the Age of Globalisation: From Victim to Protagonists"

"Electronic networking for change needs, wherever possible, to be exploited more decisively as a useful avenue for dialogue between grassroots groups engaged in popular struggles. Currently, however, computers and the Internet are available to only 1% of the world's population"

HERE is an essay by Emma Pearce that she produced at The University of Adelaide whilst doing the course The Political Economy of Globalisation.

"A key element of the discourse about globalisation is the belief that globalisation is inevitable and irresistible. Examine the politics of the discourse about globalisation Who promotes this discourse and what are its effects?"

HERE is an article by Rob Durbridge, Federal Secretary of the Australian Education Union, 120 Clarendon Street, South Melbourne, Vic, 3205

"An event like the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Melbourne September 11-13 attracts all the spin doctors for every interest, often obscuring real issues.  For educators the issues may seem remote but a closer look shows that services like public education could be dramatically affected by the unfolding agenda of global trade liberalisation"

HERE is an article by Brian Jenkins of the WA Environment Centre

"On 19 July, 1999, The Australian Quarantine Inspection Service (AQIS) alarmed conservationists, anglers and domestic salmon growers by ending a 24-year ban on imports of uncooked salmon. The ban was supposed to keep fish diseases out of Australia. It must now be replaced by increased watchfulness by AQIS scientists"

HERE is an article submitted by David Jones editor of New Dawn Magazine. The article is by Susan Bryce and is titled Globalisation and Who's Who of the New Ruling Elite.

"In the post cold war era, a New World Order is evolving by economic, as much as political means. As the aggressive scramble for global wealth unfolds, international banks and corporations are anxious to play a direct role in shaping financial structures and "policing" economic reforms"

HERE is a manifesto written by Susan Hawthorne who a PhD student at Melbourne University. "I'm sending you a manifesto I originally wrote back in 1993 which I am currently developing into a thesis. My thesis picks up on some of the issues covered in the Wild Politics Manifesto, but I think this still stands, in fact the more research I do, the more worried I get. My thesis title is Wild Politics: Feminism, Globalisation and Biodiversity".

"The New Economic World Order is the last of a long line of coercive methods of control. The process of industrialisation has been a process of ever-increasing interference in the lives of people - from structured and alienated work for wages to medicalisation of women's bodies and souls, now extended to interference with life processes."

HERE is an article submitted by Kevin Beck of Melbourne

"Australia is undergoing a period of high economic growth, a boom time, and yet this nation also has unacceptable levels of unemployment coupled with disillusionment, insecurity, apathy and alienation. Researchers are seeking to understand why"

Comment posted by Kevin Blackburn Humanities and Social Studies Education Nanyang Technological University Singapore 259756

"Is it just my impression or is there a trend that imperialism in history is now being interpreted as simply globalisation? I have sat through a number of seminars from luminaries, such as Anthony Hopkins and Nicholas Tarling, who seem to be reinterpreting imperial history as just what globalisation is today. Even a few of my colleagues working in imperial history are starting to parrot this reinterpretation of imperialism. It seems to interpret imperialism as little more than the opening up of closed economies. The European powers were rushing around the globe simply taking over countries that would were incapable of opening up their economies, and leaving indigenous governments alone that did open up their economies, eg Thailand, in existence. This reinterpretation tends to leave out many unsavoury aspects of imperialism, such as racism and the dispossession and subjugation of indigenous peoples. This is perhaps because these are hard to reconcile with contemporary trends in globalisation. Imperialism comes across in this reinterpretation as relatively benign. What is the state of this debate in Australia? I recall seeing a cartoon from Leunig of the Melbourne _Age_ that went with an _Australian Quarterly_ an article by Allan Patience in September-October 1998. It showed two British soldiers landing in Australia in 1788 walking up to an Aboriginal camp with guns ready to fire, saying "Hello there. Welcome to globalisation. Welcome to economic rationalism". The AQ article unfortunately never touched upon this reinterpretation of imperialism as globalisation, but perhaps there has been some debate on it in Australia if Leunig could use it as theme?"

more...

This comment was also posted on the discussion list H-ANZAU (History List of Australian and New Zealand History) which is the Australian branch of the International list H-Net. H-Net retains copyright.

Comment posted by Joseph Raso who is a PhD Candidate in Politics at Macquarie University

"In response to Kevin Blackburn's comments, I would suggest that the imperial revisionism is largely a concerted effort in mainstream academia and elsewhere to distance globalisation from imperialism. The term globalisation is regularly utilised in political discourse as a euphemism for contemporary imperialism. The exploitation of the Third World’s resources and labour by the ruling classes of the advanced industrialised countries has intensified in this current period of globalisation. Transnational elite institutions in service to corporate interests, principally the IMF, World Bank and WTO, are imperial instruments that further subjugate the Third World through debt payments, structural adjustment, privatisation and deregulation. In fact, economic globalisation is not a new development. Rather, it originally emerged five centuries ago with the brutal integration of the Western Hemisphere, Africa and Asia into a European-dominated world economy. Nor has contemporary imperialism abandoned violence as a method for maintaining Third World subordination. Direct colonial administration and military control by Western powers has been replaced in the past century by the more efficient use of proxy armies, namely local military and police forces. Massive US aid and training for Latin American and other Third World militaries during the past several decades is the prime example of this modern imperial arrangement. Perhaps that would explain the confusion over the distinction between the terms globalisation and imperialism; the hegemonic conception of globalisation refers to a phenomenon that should often be labeled imperialism".

more comments...

Here is three articles submitted by Martin Thomas. The first is titled Globalisation and its Discontents.

"Postal deliveries in London cannot be “outsourced” to workers in China. Hospital cleaning in Britain is in no market competition with hospital cleaning in Mexico. House-building, dock labour, bus and train driving, teaching, all have to be done on the spot and cannot be “out-sourced” globally. Very often, when bosses and governments cite “the demands of global competition” or “the needs of the new global economy” as cause for attacks on workers’ jobs, conditions and wages, the “global economy” is only a buzzword used to shift blame to the conveniently distant and intangible

The second article is titled Capital Writ Large and the third is by Chris Reynolds and its titled New Forces and Passions. They are all from the magazine Workers' Liberty.

Here is a comment by Sim Berenyi who is a Lawyer with the Civil Air Union.

The OECD Economic Outlook analysis of tarrif and non-tariff barriers shows the following levels of protection in key economies:

• Australia - 0.7%
• Japan - 10.7%
• USA - 16.8%
• Canada - 10.4%
• European Union 19.1%

Makes the whole free trade argument look pretty spurious

HERE is an article submitted by Tony Le Nguyen who is the Artistic Director of Vietnamese Youth Media. It was first given at the Globalistion and the Live Performing Arts Conference, Organised by Circus Oz and Monash University Centre for Drama and Theatre Studies, North Melbourne Town Hall, 23-24 June 2000.

"When I hear of the word Globalisation, two things come to my mind.  The first thing is to do with the environment, something about protecting certain endangered species, either plants or animals.  We are lucky because we are living in a country that gives us many choices and options.  These choices are often at someone else's expense, in particular those living in third word countries."

Comment by Brad Parker Thought Generator - Instinctual Networks (Instinctual.Net)

Nice site, I'd like to get into a discussion with you about globalisation, I kind of disagree with you, I think I do anyway - globalisation is completely inevitable, the system that runs the world is capitalism, it has been for a while and I think it will be for the next few hundred years at least. Basically, the very structure and nature of capitalism NECESSITATES the creation of a global economy, there is no turning back the tide. All we can do is try to control the damage, we can't stop globalization (there you go - notice the z). You can be ideological about it and say that if we had a better system we wouldn't have to go down this path, but the fact is we are stuck with this system and we are going to live with it, for better or for worse, and hope that in a few hundred years we will see our mistakes and slowly a new age of "global" socialism will take over. Hey, the world has been fucked for a long time (try millenia) it is going to take at least another few hundred years to even start to clean up our act. Globalisation is not just economic or political, it is just as much technological and cultural in origin, the internet is breaking down national boundaries. There are lots of positive elements to globalisation, cultural aspects - too many to list in this email. that is it for now, I am going to the protest tommorow, hopefully to stay out of trouble, cheers

HERE is an article submitted by the Nation Magazine.

I beleive Mr. Greider has some inspired ideas for fundamental reforms. Americans cant keep shopping til they drop on their credit cards. Don Johnston thought this item from the The Nation Magazine would be of interest to you.

"The financial crisis that collapsed Asian economies in mid-1997 and then bounced around the world was a distant sideshow to most Americans until it reached Wall Street".

Here is an article submitted by Michael Coleman who is a Lawyer working for treasury at the Western Australian Government

"First, this debate is a lot more interesting than the capitalism vs
socialism rubbish we had to force ourselves through when we were young
idealistic kiddies. Socialism turned out to be an oppressive,
environmentally destructive, unattractive, mind-numbingly dull and
conformist crock of shit".

HERE is an article submitted by John Carew of The University of Melbourne. I think that it is about Globalisation and Techno music, although I am not really sure :)

"Electronic music, the noise of the integrated circuit, has thrown up its share of curious (non) rock stars. Of these cultural-workers Richard D. James aka Aphex Twin is one of the more ironic icons of this dispersed musical genre"

Also check out this wonderful contribution John and Gordon made; the (alternetive) S11 theme song.

Additional Overseas Articles on Globalisation

Here is an on-line Interview with Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, the authors of Empire, one of the more influential recent books on Globalisation and Colonialism.

"Imperialism as we knew it may be no more, but Empire is alive and well. It is, as Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri demonstrate in this bold work, the new political order of globalisation. It is easy to recognize the contemporary economic, cultural, and legal transformations taking place across the globe but difficult to understand them". (Amazon.com description)

I have reproduced this interview from the Nettine discussion list.

Canadian Security Intelligence Anti-Globalisation A Spreading-Phenomena

The following is part one of a Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) report on the anti-globalisation movement. This is a public report and caused quite some stir in Canada, because most if it has been taken from Naomi Klein's book No Logo and used out of context.

This is a comment by Professor Simon Biggs, School of Cultural Studies, Sheffield Hallum University

"The current processes known as globalisation are little more than the response of existent corporate and state forces to co-opt the dynamics of fragmentation occurring due to the impact of new communications technologies in order that traditional capitalist and imperialist hegemonies remain in place. As such, globalisation is a regressive and repressive force and should be resisted".

Some of the best papers explaining the function of World Trade Organisation (WTO) and world trade can be found at

Harvard University Centre for International Development, Global Trade Negotiations Home Page.

"... a one-stop resource for those interested in analytical, up to date information on the multitude of issues, debates, government positions, and organizations that surround international trade policy".

The University of California, Santa Cruz Centre for Global, Regional and International Studies

This centre in Northern California is one of my favourites. There are a number of excellent research articles that can be found on its web site. I note that many scholars of globalisation are intellectually generous as they offer their work on line to circulate in this 'free-economy'.

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