ABSTRACT
Kinnvall and Jonsson (2002) observe that the concept of globalisation is very difficult to define precisely as it appears to be an all-embracing catchword of the contemporary world covering everything from economic and political issues to the spread of Western culture to all points of the globe. Globalisation is nevertheless invariably discussed in terms of three processes: scale, speed and cognition. Scale involves a discussion of magnitudes and refers to the number of economic, political, social and human linkages between societies at the present which are greater than at any other time in history. Speed has to do with how globalisation is conceptualised in time and space and it is observed that this is not a new phenomenon but does involve a compression of time and space never previously experienced. Cognition refers to an increased awareness of the globe as a smaller place where events elsewhere may have consequences for our everyday political, social and economic lives which may significantly impact on our sense of individual being.
