The Mythology About Globalization

Abstract

This paper challenges certain everyday, widespread assumptions about the meaning, evidence and evaluation of `globalization'. Both as a journey and a destination, of late this notion has taken on a life of its own. In this essay, seven myths about globalization— `Big Is Better', `More Is Better', `Time and Space Have Disappeared', `Global Cultural Homogeneity', `Saving Planet Earth', `Democracy for Export via American TV' and `The New World Order'—are critically explored in the context of globalization as a historical process and a normative goal. Using myth as a way of classifying sets of ideas about world history, politics, economics, culture, communication and ecology, the argument is made that they serve ideological as well as explanatory ends.