Baumans (post)modernism and globalization

Geographical Approaches Wouter de Vries Anne Visscher

Don Misha Gerritsen 1-12-2005 5929 wrds

15 pgs

Contents

1. Introduction Page 3 2. (Post)modernism Page 4

3. Baumans (post)modernism Page 7 4. Baumans globalization Page 8 5. Baumans glocalization Page 12 6. Conclusions page 14

7. References Page 16

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Zygmunt Baumans (post)modernism and globalization W. de Vries A. Visscher

D.M. Gerritsen

Abstract The subject of this paper is the view on modernism, postmodernism and globalization according to a prominent thinker regarding these issues: Zygmunt Bauman. Modernism is a way of thinking in which society is based on rational knowledge. Other important issues of modernism are aesthetic self-consciousness, simultaneity and juxtaposition and the demise of the centred subject. Postmodernism is seen as way of thinking contrasting modernism. From that perspective there is no universal truth. Hence, the world is socially constructed. In this paper Bauman is seen as a postmodernist. In his opinion the most visible characteristics of this modernity are institutionalised pluralism, variety, contingency and ambivalence.

Baumans ideas were applied to the concept of globalization, and referred to his conception about Harveys time-space compression: decreasing distances in time and space. The human consequences of globalization are examined. Another important concept is glocalization. According to Bauman glocalization is implied as a restratification of society based on freedom and movement. It leads to the annihilation of the nation-state. This annihalation can be explained with two species of pressures on the nation-state. Firstly: pressures from below such as substate nationalism and a large economic difference between the core and periphery. Secondly: pressures from above such as economic intergration. These pressures can described as globalization.

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1 Introduction Modernism can be seen as a cultural movement regarding fields of art and architecture, music and literature emerging in the decades before 1914, as artists rebelled against late 19th century traditions. In relation to this, postmodernism can be seen as a wide set of developments in critical theory, philosophy, architecture, art, literature, and culture, which are generally characterized as either emerging from or in reaction to the cultural movement of modernism. Both of these terms are hard to define, because of their ambivalent history and plurality of related opinions. Globalization is a word thats often used for widely spread occurring processes, also called world-binding processes. This paper tries to make connections between these mentioned issues.

In this paper, several aspects related to globalization will be exposed. Next to that, these processes will be connected to the ideologies of a prominent thinker regarding these issues: Zygmunt Bauman. Bauman has elaborated many works in sociology, psychology and geography. He has written many provocative and scientific books, papers and documents. For his typical way of thinking, Bauman is seen as a postmodernist himself. The subject of this paper is Zygmunt Baumans approaches to modernism, postmodernism and globalization. The main goal is to relate postmodernism, modernism and Baumans interpretations of these issues, to have a better insight in the way with which developments these terms came into existence.

In the first paragraph both modernism and postmodernism are exposed. The second paragraph assesses the differences between the two ideologies and the approach of Bauman concerning these ways of thinking. The effects of globalization are mentioned and investigated in the third paragraph. Baumans approaches to globalization are examined in the fourth paragraph. The results of this examination are poured in a practical application of the concept glocalization in the fifth paragraph. The application gives insights in nation state and its aspects like pressures from above and pressures from below.

2 (Post)modernism 2.1 Modernism In this paragraph the modernistic ideology is exposed.

The modern movement emerged in the late 19th century, and was rooted in the idea that traditional forms of social organization, art, literature and daily life had become outdated, and that it was therefore essential to reinvent culture. It encouraged the idea of re-examination of every aspect of existence. The power of science, rationality and industry promised to transform the world for the better.

Modernism can be seen as a way of ordering the social world and making decisions based on a rationale, a calculability and an adherence to the rules of expert knowledge1. It is an attempt to establish the scope and the limits of the faculties of reason, knowledge and judgement. The emancipatory project of enlightenment reasoning was to lead to certain and universal truths. A universal truth for all people at all times. This would lay the foundations for humanities progress2.

1 Mourad (1997) 2 Enpsychlopedia (2005)

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According to the French (postmodern) philosopher Lyotard, modernism was based on three starting points3:

- economic rationalisation: subjection of and total control over nature - political rationalisation: subjection of and total control over politics - scientific rationalisation: the possibility of gaining objective knowledge

Modernists argued that the new realities of the 20th century were permanent and imminent, and that people should adapt to their worldview to accept that what was new was also good and beautiful4. According to Johnston et al5., Lunn identifies four major preoccupations of aesthetic modernism in the early twentieth century that provide a useful series of formal coordinates6: Firstly, the aesthetic self-consciousness. Modern artists often draw attention to the media or materials with which they are working, Lunn argues, and in doing so establish the status of their work as a fiction in the literal sense of something made: they thus seek to escape from the idea of art as a direct reflection of the world7. Secondly, simultaneity and juxtaposition. Modernism often disrupts, weakens or dissolves temporal structure in favour of an ordering based on simultaneity, different perspectives are often placed side by side within the same frame. Thirdly, paradox, ambiguity and uncertainty. Modernism often explores what Lunn calls the paradoxical many sidedness of the world. Modernist writers may deploy multiple, limited and partial vantage points from which to view events. Fourthly, the demise of the centred subject. Modernism often exposes and disrupts the fiction of the sovereign individual or the integrated subject8.

These shifts did not emerge in a vacuum, and many commentators treat Modernism as both a critique of and a response to a series of major crises within capitalist Modernity at the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Its historic-geographical characteristics include: the explosive growth of modern cities and radical transformations of their built forms, economies and cultures; the restructuring of European capitalism, especially through the Agricultural Depression at the end of the nineteenth century and the intensified technical changes brought about by a new round of industrialization; the aggressive advance of European colonialism and imperialism and also the turbulence of the first World War and the Russian Revolution9. Even in such an abbreviated form, this cultural mapping has three implications of direct relevance to human geography. First, these episodes brought with them significant changes in conceptions of time and space in the west10. This also had dramatic repercussions on far beyond the shores of Europe and North America11. Secondly, modernism was connected not only to experimentation in the arts but also to philosophical reflection and the formation of the social sciences, including the critical inquiries of the Frankfurter Schule12. 3 Mourad (1997) 4 Enpsychlopedia (2005) 5 Johnston et al. (2000) 6 Lunn (1985) 7 Johnston et al. (2000) 8 Ibid. 9 Timms and Kelley (1985) 10 Kern (1983) 11 Rabinow (1989) 12 Pippin (1991)

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2.2 Postmodernism This paragraph, the Postmodernistic ideology is exposed.

As a reaction on modernism, postmodernism emerged in academic studies in the mid-80s of last century. It can be seen as a worldview that emphasizes the existence of different worldviews and concepts of reality, rather than one correct or true one. Whereas modernism emphasized a trust in the empirical scientific method, and a distrust and lack of faith in ideologies and religious beliefs that could not be tested using scientific methods, postmodernism emphasizes that a particular reality is a social construction by a specific group, community or class of persons.

A definition of postmodernism is given by Knox and Marston: Postmodernism is a view of the world that emphasizes openness to a range of perspectives in social inquiry, artistic expression, and political empowerment13.

Postmodernism accepts that reality is fragmented and that personal identity is an unstable quantity transmitted by a variety of cultural factors. Society was said to have moved into a new phase which left many of our old assumptions behind14.

The main feature ascribed to postmodernism is the permanent and irreducible pluralism of cultures, communal traditions, ideologies, or awareness and recognition of this pluralism. Things which are plural in the postmodern world cannot be arranged in an evolutionary sequence, or be seen as each other's inferior or superior stages. Neither can they be classified as right or wrong solutions to common problems. No knowledge can be assessed outside the context of the culture, tradition, language, et cetera which makes it possible and endows it with meaning. Hence no criteria of validation are available which could be themselves justified out of context. Without universal standards, the problem of the postmodern world is not how to globalize superior culture, but how to secure communication and mutual understanding between cultures. Observations are steered and selected, coloured and organized by the ideas and expectations of the observer.

Postmodernism claims that there are no universal philosophical foundations for human thought or action and all truth is culture bound. Truth can only be a degree of social agreement from within a particular tradition. There are no longer any universal terms of reference for people to make sense of their lives. Any postmodern thinker could say: We are no longer bound by the conditions of modernity. We can no longer judge on the grounds of truth and knowledge and justice. To set any sort of ethical criteria in order to criticise the practices or beliefs of others is wrong, because we can not apply our own values to others15.

Regarding postmodernism, the French Philosopher Lyotard argues that all aspects of modern societies, including science as the primary form of knowledge, depend on grand narratives. Postmodernism then is the critique on these grand narratives, the awareness that such narratives serve to mask the contradictions and instabilities that are inherent in any social organization or practice. In other words, every attempt to create order always demands the creation of an equal amount of disorder, but a grand narrative masks the constructedness of these categories by explaining that disorder really is chaotic and bad, and that order really is rational and good. Postmodernism, in rejecting grand narratives, favours mini-narratives, stories that explain small practices, local events, rather than large-scale universal or global concepts. Postmodern mini-narratives are always situational, provisional, contingent, and temporary, making no claim to universality, truth, reason, or stability16. 13 Knox and Marston (2004) 14 Ibid. 15 Best (2005) 16 Klages (2001)

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Figure 1 gives an overview of modern- and postmodern issues and related ways of thinking. Postmodernism Modernism (Inter)subjectivity, discourses Objectivity, facts Identification, experience Rationalisation Relativism Absolutism Deconstruction (what becomes) Discover, representation (what is) Practices, interactions, strategies Structures, systems Hybrid Categories Heterotopia Utopia Reasoning from foundation upwards Multiple factors and levels of reasoning Universal scientific optimism Scientific realism of limitations Parts comprise the whole The whole is more than the parts Language is referential Language has meaning in social context Figure 1: comparison between modernism and postmodernism 3 Baumans (post)modernism

Zygmunt Bauman is described variously as one of the foremost sociologist of postmodernism. He was a leading contributor to the postmodernism debate. Bauman has published a series of books that sketch out a postmodern turn in society, theory, culture, ethics and politics. modernity can be understood as the socio-cultural experience of life under the wings of modernization, which, above all, means to live in a world where everything that is solid melts into air17. For Bauman, modernity is a 'movement with a direction18', a direction driven by universalization, systemisation and rationalisation. That is to say, modernity is a way of organising society which is geared towards resolving the problem of order. This suggests that for most people life is nasty, brutish and short, unless they have order imposed on them by the state19. This works on people to bring about the homogenisation of individuals, who are expected to share similar values, attitudes and beliefs- share fashions and passions in accepted ways. He says that modernity is a form of society which has 'disqualified any uncertified agency'. Every attempt is made to preclude any activities which may destabilise society in its struggle for survival20.

There is a firm belief that progress can only be sustained by the state ignoring the judgements of individuals and acting in what is believed to be its own interests. For Bauman, within modernity there is a movement by the state towards the uniformity of its residents, achieved through erasing differences between them (termed by him as 'a state administered universal identity21), the outcome of a planned, managed and rational set of state actions.

Modernity is seen as being about destroying the meaning of life. Modernity is a social totality.

For Bauman postmodernity is viewed as: - 'Modernity conscious of its true nature22' - A form of Modernity which is self-critical, self denigrating and self dismantling

17 Gren (1994) 18 Bauman (1992) 19 Klages (2001) 20 Bauman (1992) 21 Ibid. 22 Ibid.

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- The most visible characteristic of this modernity for itself are 'institutionalised pluralism, variety, contingency and ambivalence23' Bauman is particularly concerned with the issue of ambivalence. Ambivalence is characterised by action which takes place within a habitat where individual human agents have to choose between many rival and contradictory meanings- a situation where action is not determined by factors outside human control. In postmodern politics this ambivalence becomes the main dimension of inequality, as access to knowledge is the key to freedom and enhanced social standing. Postmodernity has its own distinctive features which are self contained and self reproducing, constructed within a cognitive space which is very different from that of modernity24. According to Bauman, changes in contemporary society and culture require new modes of thought, morality and politics to appropriately respond to the new social conditions. This requires a reconfiguration of critical social theory and new tasks for a postmodern sociology25. Bauman poses fundamental challenges to contemporary social theory and provides an original and provocative postmodern version of the sociological imagination, developing sketches of social and cultural changes of our time, and the ways in which theory and politics must be changed to creatively map and democratically respond to these questions. Bauman's critical reflections on modern theory and society, and his postmodern turn, require serious critical responses to his challenges to conventional wisdom and practice. According to him, postmodernism is a kind of reflexive experience of intellectuals in the historical/social context of erosion of global structures of domination, the redundancy of intellectual legitimation in

Bauman: The postmodern era can be said to be defined by the individual's quest for sublime happiness at the expense of security. Society has held to the concepts of beauty, purity, and order for centuries; now a new worldview has emerged with the individual at its nucleus26.

the presence of seduction and repression and the loss of control over culture. 4 Baumans globalization This paragraph introduces Baumans ideas about globalization. Firstly, it can be seen that time space compression and glocalization are important aspects. The second part consists out of the effects of globalization according to Bauman. With this, the spatial-, cultural- and political consequences of globalization will be examined. 4.1 Globalization according to Bauman To understanding Baumans ideas one must have a notion about time-space compression. Time-space compression is introduced by David Harvey in his book The Condition of Postmodernity27. Because this concept is an idea of David Harvey, its an important remark that time-space compression is not Zygmunt Baumans concept. Hence, his approaches to globalization are strongly related to Harveys conceptions on this point. But Baumans approaches about the effects of globalization differ from Harveys approaches. We will

23 Bauman (1992) 24 Best (2005) 25 Anderson (2001) 26 Bauman (1992) 27 Harvey (1989)

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examine the effects in the next paragraph. This paragraph is a general introduction to Baumans ideas.

Harvey uses the word compression because it characterizes the shrinking of space. It means that the world becomes smaller and smaller. The time in the world also declines. This means that the pace of the life has speeded up28. The reasons for this shrinking of space and speed-up are the modernization of the world in the beginning of the twentieth century, such as the increased mobility and internationalization of capital29. New technologies such as the computer, new communication technologies (mobile telephone) and new packaging technologies (just in time production) are responsible for this. Through these developments the world has become seventy times smaller between 1500 and 1960, with relation to the time needed for travelling. In the middle ages the most common vehicle used was a horse coach, with a speed of 16 km in an hour. At that time, one could travel only 100 kilometers a day. Nowadays, traveling around the world has become much easier. In one day its possible to fly around the world by a 1000 km/h plane30. Two of these developments are of particular importance. The first one is the increasing mass consumption of, for example, clothing, lifestyles and recreation. The second important development is the shift from a consumption of goods to an increasing consumption of services, such as education, health services and entertainment31. Another aspect of time-compression is the large global influence at one place. News items from anywhere in the world can reach you in fifteen minutes. Economically seen, theres a global world market with many global agencies such as global consumers and global producers. All these developments have their influence on the concept space. An important effect of this time compression is the annihilation or erosion of space32. Claire and Hartman call this the boundaryless space or release of gravity. When space and place is boundaryless a human being is loosing his identity. The megalopolis is a good example of this. The megalopolis is a result of time-space compression and globalization. It is a mix of different ingredients from the world surrounding any human being, called space. According to Kunstler, geography is nowhere33. The result of this is a lack of referentiality and orientation, loss of identity and senselessness. It also has a disorienting impact on the social, cultural and political world. The world is out of balance and it becomes a chaos34. Through this development a typical postmodernistic worldview comes into existence. 4.2 Effects of globalization in Geography This paragraph deals with the human effects of globalization. Zygmunt Baumans approaches regarding this subject will specifically be stressed. Bauman emphasizes social movements, socialism and class, critical theories on culture and modernism. He questions dilemmas with which society has to cope in the absence of a guidebook or instructions manual, searching for possible solutions. With these solutions on issues he tries to offer different opportunities in terms of freedom, politics and morality.

In general, we can point at globalization as a technological decrease of temporal/spatial distances of human conditions. These conditions are not being homogenized, but rather they are being polarized35. Technological developments drive people more and

28 Harvey (2000) 29 Ibid. 30 Ibid. 31 Harvey (1989) 32 Harvey (2000) 33 Ibid (2005) 34 Harvey (1989) 35 Bauman (1989)

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more to set their minds and decisions on acts in space in short time notice. This pressure on human decision making tends to put consequences towards polarised outcomes.

It is obvious that the world is under a kind of process of new stratification, in the course of which a new socio-cultural hierarchy, a world-wide scale, is put together. 22 percent of the global wealth belongs to 80 percent of the world population. Similarly, the total wealth of the top 358 global billionaires equals the incomes of 2.3 billion poorest people which is 45 percent of the worlds population. Globalization has given more opportunities for the extremely wealthy to make money more quickly. These individuals have utilized the latest technologies to move large sums of money around the globe extremely quickly and speculate ever more efficiently.

Bauman states that globalization of the past quarter century is mainly caused by four important and inter-related factors36. These are: a new international division of labour; an internationalization of finance; a new technology system and a homogenization of consumer markets. Firstly the new international division of labour manifested from the 90s. For example United States involved more employment abroad, but also decentralised manufacturing production from core areas to peripheral countries. Secondly, the States noticed rising competitiveness of Japan and Europe as industrial producers. Moreover, new specializations of international division labour have emerged. Within the core regions of the world, high- tech manufacturing and producer services are increasing and enhancing productivity and efficiency of other firms. A second factor in the cause of globalization is the internationalization of finance. The idea of global banking and globally integrated financial markets is a directly related to massive increase in levels of international direct investments37.

Changes in destinations have also been influencing the globalization processes. Globalization of economic activities has also brought significant flows of capital into New Industrial Countries (NICs) such as Argentina, Brazil, China Malaysia, Mexico, Singapore and South Korea. The volume of international investment and financial trading has created a need for banks and financial institutions that can handle investments on a large scale, across great distances, quickly and efficiently. Nerve centres of these financial institutions are allocated in just a few places38. A third factor contributing to globalization is a new technology system. This system includes innovations such as solar energy, robotics, microelectronics, biotechnology and digital telecommunication and information systems. These new technologies insisted on a geographical reorganisation of core economies. Thanks to this reorganization an extending of the global reach of finance and industry are allowed a more flexible approach to investment and trade. In effect, the growth of consumer markets has increased.

In the first chapter of Globalization: the human consequences, Bauman often refers to Dunlaps work The celebrator of rationalizing modern enterprise. In this work, he states: The company belongs to people who invest in it not to its employees, suppliers, nor the locality in which it is situated39. He stresses that a war in the last quarter of a century has developed over the act of businessmen investing in local taxes. The companies of those businessmen felt no responsibility for invalids and other human waste40. By saying this, he illustrates the struggle of the worlds society over a narrow

36 Bauman (1989) 37 Ibid. 38 Ibid. 39 Ibid. 40 Ibid.

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conception of justice and equalities, such as equal wealth or well-being. At the same time it shows the struggle with fear of uncertainty for the future. In the book Globalization: the human consequences, Bauman examines this struggle. He questions whether it was created by a mixture of the mysterious forces of a new technology and the new global competitiveness or if it was a war planned in advance, declared and with its goals clearly defined. Furthermore, it could just have been a series of scattered and often unanticipated warlike actions. It is seen as the Great War of Independence from Space. Every individual seems to search for freedom of territorial impact. As for the shareholders in the company mentioned above, they have the power to move the company to a place where there are more dividends. Freedom of movement and other forms of mobility illustrate the newly developed hierarchies of the post-space-war. People around the world are more free to trade and disconnection of power from obligation leads to a decreasing awareness of free floating local capital. Certain class levels want to shed off the responsibility for the consequences of the dividing of financial flows.

An immense problem which shows every now and then is the irreducibility of difference, of otherness. The encounter with otherness puts us to a test. Every human feels the need to reduce the difference and inequalities by force. On the other hand this confrontation may generate the challenge of communication. Communication in these circumstances is a constantly renewed search.

For as far as freedom of movement and the self constitution of societies is concerned, Bauman states that Nowadays people are less restricted to life, work and recreation (to consume) in a limited amount of space. Acting in shorter time notice, time space compression becomes obvious. The world is at our feet! Like mentioned in paragraph 5, humans can undertake endeavours, using more space and less time. Because of this we are, in a way, forced to create and constitute our own societies quicker. Universal development of technical means allow us to make contact with different cultures and societies more often and faster. In a nutshell: rather than homogenizing the human condition, the technological annulment of temporal/spatial distances tends to polarize it. Information flows independently from its carriers. It shows the new weightlessness of power. Elite people travel faster and further than before. But the web they are spreading is not dependant on the travel. The power of their travelling is totally unimportant to that web.

In both globalization as well as unversalization lay the convictions of searching for a world order. Globalization is Jowitts new world disorder. The new definition of Globalization refers to the global effects, rather than to global initiatives and understandings. Why does this worldly image of a man made wilderness, according to the term globalization, emerge? Maybe it is because mankind is increasingly realizing its own impotency of controlling inequalities in mobility. The habitual, taken-for-granted agencies showed that pride of place throughout the modern era belonged only to the state. Only few states and their populations were able to create their own prospect of a sovereign state. Creating this sovereign state required the undermining of state formative ambitions of declining populations. Along with that the state lost military capacity, economic self sufficiency and cultural distinctiveness41. Global politics concerned itself with maintaining sovereignty over the states territories. Two power blocks in the African Unity were formations of states from almost fifty years ago. The blocks promoted coordination between the realm of Meta sovereignty and the economic and cultural insufficiency. Non alignment was the obstacle that held some African state from

41 Bauman (1989)

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sympathizing and taking over the state coordination. Sovereignty declined as these states had to seek alliances in order to retain their law and order policing ability. This means that the prospective of military-, social-, and cultural self efficiency was no longer part of reality. Although sovereignty was increasing throughout the world, it was its demise that made the idea of statehood gain popularity.

Global financial markets impose their laws and percepts on the planet. Globalization is nothing more than a totalitarian extension of the logic of these markets on all aspects of life. States can not withstand the power of globalization because of their lack of resources of freedom for the population. They are implicitly oppressed by processes of globalization. The world of economics and the world economy speak out a meaning: the area of the non-political. Any attempt of state to interfere with economic life is rigidly condemned by the world markets. However, the world market always keeps an eye on weak states. But they have to remain states in order to misuse this separation between state and the world of economics. The dominating way of thinking, thanks to the global market, is at the moment: releasing the brakes. Deregulation, liberalization, flexibility, increasing fluidity and facilitating transactions on real estate markets and labour markets. The stronger these thoughts are presented, the less power is in the hands of the agency that carries out that message. One of the most rapidly spreading consequences of the new global freedom of movement is that it becomes increasingly difficult, maybe impossible, to re-forge social issues into effective collective action. 5. Baumans glocalization An important aspect of Baumans approaches to globalization is the process of glocalization. In this part glocalization will be applied to recent geographical issues. In the first subparagraph, an exact definition of glocalization will be given. The second subparagraph analysis of a recent geographical issue with relation to glocalization will be exposed. 5.1 Glocalization In general the term glocalization is defined as The creation of products or services intended for the global market, but customized to suit the local culture42. This concept is a contradictory combination of the words globalization and localization. The term was first used in the 1990s by the British sociologist Roland Robertson. An important aspect of glocalization is the development of communication technologies. These technologies connect the global platform with the local platform. This can be exemplified by the use of a computer by a farmer in Africa. The use of this computer is customized in the local culture by decreasing its price (lower than the price in Europa or US) and the applications are modified to the knowledge of the farmer. This means that the applications of the computer are easier than in the Western world. The ideas of Bauman are in contradiction to the examined definition of glocalization. According to Bauman, glocalization implies a restratification of society based on freedom and movement43. It is also a combination of deterritorialisation and reterritorialisation. The first process is the increasing economical activities outside and over the level of the nation-state (as internationalization of capital) and the latter is the paradoxical claim to form new

42 Enpsychlopedia (2005) 43 Hubbard (2004)

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nation-states44. An important aspect inside this process, is the creation of an identity (e.g. invented national traditions). These two processes mean a morcellement of the nation-state. Besides this, according to Bauman, glocalization also means: Globalization for some. Localization for others45. Another distinctive quote of Bauman is: Some inhabit the globe; others are chained to place46. This is the core of Bauman approaches to glocalization. It results in a worldwide re-ordening of society based on freedom and movement. The consequence of this development is a polarized world. The localized people are tied to space and have an inferior existence with less opportunities to develop. Because of the locality and the annihilated opportunities, people cant reach out of their dominion.

In the next paragraph we want to apply the consequences of a glocalized world with using the recent issue of the developing countries. 5.2 Applications of glocalization In this paragraph applications to glocalization will be defined and explained. There are different levels in which globalization occurs. For example, one can distinguish the European level, the national level or local level. Different aspects of the glocalization process are developing of socio-economic structures, cultural backgrounds and the development of languages, which play a great role. The term nation state can also be explained as sovereign state47. There are two main effects of glocalization that will be examined. Namely, pressures from below, in which local aspects of glocalization will be determined, and pressures from above, wherein global aspects will be described48. These effects cause an annihilation of the nation state. We prefer the term sovereign state because the effects of glocalization have influences on the sovereignty of the state49. This paragraph will expose these two pressures. 5.2.1 Pressure from below There are three general forms of pressures from below. These are sub state nationalism, language division and core periphery contrasts50. The framework in which these are elaborated is the subject glocalization. The most important thing is that these sub ethnical groups create and see their own identity. Bauman stated that glocalization is globalization for some, and localization for others. This means that many people are then locally orientated and, generally speaking, not very interested in the rest of the world because of their own concerns.

Sub state nationalism is the segregation of national identities into regional identities. Like the Basks in Spain, several people have tried to create their own independent political unity, together with possible cultural, social and religious backgrounds.

In various European countries, cultural and linguistic differentiation is strong. Belgium can be seen as an example. It is a country that constantly finds itself in a linguistic based struggle between the French- speaking part and the Dutch- speaking part. The very heart of this distinction lies in history, where Belgium began its struggle of independence from Holland. Large parts of the French speaking people, in South Belgium, wanted to be liberated from the nation state of Holland. This tension proceeded into a language border

44 Hubbard (2004) 45 Ibid. 46 Ibid. 47 Storey (2001) 48 Ibid. 49 Ibid. 50 Ibid.

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and several cultural differences, whereas in the early 19th century, the linguistic and cultural segregation was not so strong. Nowadays Flemish, Wallonians and people from Brussels live together in a still culturally divided Belgium. The segregation is not dominant anymore.

In the division of core and periphery, the economic aspects are examined. The spatial differentiation can be generally described as: the periphery is conveyed as less developed and strongly dependent on the core51. These can also be called core regions and peripherical regions. By being less developed, the urge to segregate from the nation state rises. In history, civil wars and political distress occurred because of this urge. 5.2.2 Pressures from above The process of globalization delivers a variety of effects. One notices political effects, economic effects and social and cultural effects. Art, music and clothing for example are things that have simultaneously developed in a kind of trend. Economical developments, for example communication technologies, have rapidly proved to be globally expanding over the last century. The European Union has played an important role. The regulation of currency and the nations by European governance has increased since the EU was founded. Consequently, nowadays the question of a European identity coming into existence is asked.

Globalization is not a universal phenomenon52. There will always be people living in local circumstances, whether they have the opportunity to choose or not. Poverty and natural disasters seem to execute the phenomenon of globalization. Like Bauman states: glocalization: globalization for some, localization for others.

So, to deduce this writing on glocalization, one might say that both globalizing and localizing processes are intertwined globally. The nation state shows us that global as well as local processes maintain the phenomenon of glocalization. In spite of these developments, the nation state will continue to exist.

6 Conclusions

Finally, after exposing these issues, one can come to these conclusions: In paragraph two the definition of modernism was given. Modernism tends to order the social world by rational, calculable and adherent decisions. In modernistic views, science, rationality and industrialization promised improvement and change for the better. The enlightenment was supposed to lead to truth. Eventually this process turned into totality, a so called universal truth for all people at all times. Postmodernism is partly seen as a reaction on modernism and emphasizes on varying worldviews, as well as truth. Society shifted towards a postmodern phase in which modernistic assumptions were left behind. Recognition of pluralism in culture, communal traditions and ideologies were adherent to that reaction. The postmodern worlds query is how to secure communication and mutual understanding between cultures.

Our truth is relative. Our truth may not be accepted by other cultures. We can not make other practices or beliefs understand our truth by imposing it on them. The consequences of creating order, and so, imposing disorder elsewhere, is put behind a mask in grand narratives, suggesting that order is rational and good. Postmodern mini-narratives do not hide any theory behind masks and make no claim to universality. 51 Storey (2001) 52 Ibid.

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In the third paragraph, Baumans approach to modernism and postmodernism was conveyed. Bauman thinks that states, through modernity, attempted to achieve uniformity in society and its residents. He came to the conclusion that a modern, planned and rational set of state actions were sufficient for maintaining contemporary society. The erosion of global structures of domination and the opposite diversity of local mini narratives sketch the differences between modernism and post-modernism. Paragraph four dealt with the term globalization and Baumans approaches to it. Consequences were also discussed in this paragraph. Dealing with worldly matters, like in time space compression such as proximity of different cultures in less space and time, and the process of globalization were various important aspects discussed.

The influences on the concept of space have changed life radically. We now live in a world within reach of almost everything. Economics and communication systems have developed globally, through which we have a world wide access now. State control over society lost in post-modernism and so, there was no more homogenizing of a world order.

In paragraph four the effects of globalization on humanity were exposed. As we have discovered, the impact of the world economy in a global market has stressed Baumans approach of glocalization: Localization for some, globalization for others. The rich are only trying harder to make themselves wealthier, and create the conditions to do so. This is a typification of polarization. People are fed with the economic idea of world binding flows of goods and money in indoctrinating manners. In the end, Bauman questions whether globalization is comparable to universalization. Sovereignty, which can be something universal, cannot be achieved by globalization. In the 5th paragraph Baumans concept of glocalization is exposed and analysed. The term implies a restratification of society based on freedom and movement. Territory is reset by glocalisation. Baumans phrase: Some inherit the globe, others are bound to place, implies that the localized will barely have any chance of development. In the last paragraph an application of glocalization was discussed. Developing countries seem unable to create a better (in terms of wealth) existence by themselves. They are relying on the first world to aid. The danger of being exploited by the first world is unknown.

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Timms, E. and D. Kelley (1985), Unreal city, urban experience in Modern European literature and art. Manchester: Manchester University Press 'Postmodernism: Boundaryless Self in a Bounderyless World' (2005) Website: http://it.stlawu.edu/~pomo/mike/timespac.html

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Mourad, R.P. (1997), At the Forefront: Postmodern Interdisciplinarity.