ABSTRACT
The sociological study of globalization and social change can take multiple shapes. Sociologists study economic and political world systems, the emergence of a global risk society, the dynamics of colonization and cultural imperialism, and the growing environmental interconnectedness of the globe, to mention only a few of the approaches to the general topic. In keeping with our attention on popular music, in this chapter we focus on the globalization of music and the social changes it brings about in everyday life experiences. Rather than discuss globalization or social change in terms of abstract political, economic, and cultural transactions among multinational entities, we will focus on the processes through which these concepts are made meaningful to people at a micro, interactional level. To begin clarifying what we mean by globalization and social change, let us introduce an example that will serve to illustrate our focus and perspective.
