ABSTRACT
Despite claims that, in the light of the twin events of September 2001 (hereafter 9/11) and 2008, ‘the age of globalization is over’ (Rosenberg 2005), globalization – whether illusory or real – remains one of the key buzzwords of the contemporary world. At its most basic, globalization refers to processes of increasing interconnectedness between peoples and societies such that events in one part of the world impact upon other peoples and societies far away. Expressing fundamental aspects of what Anthony Giddens terms ‘time-space distanciation’, it may be understood as ‘a process (or set of processes) which embodies a transformation in the spatial organization of social relations and transactions-assessed in terms of their extensity, intensity, velocity and impact-generating transcontinental or interregional fl ows and networks of activity, interaction and the exercise of power’ (Held et al. 1999: 16). Although no universally agreed defi nition exists, at the heart of the concept of globalization lies the idea of change. The world in which we live in is said to be in the midst of a profound economic, political and social transformation affecting every aspect of our lives, including our understanding of who we are: our identity. Globalization assumes that the world is becoming more global. Here global means connected with the natural habitat of humankind, our planet, Earth. It assumes that, until very recently, the concept of the global, as opposed to the international, national or even universal did not exist, or could not be imagined. In recent decades, however, as a result of advances in communications, it is possible to view images of the world from outer space. This has enabled us to visualize our common planet as a globe. Viewed from space, our planet has no natural borders or frontiers and human beings are merely one of the many different species of life living on it. The concept of globalization, therefore, assumes a progressive movement towards a global consciousness and ultimately a global identity. But is a global identity possible?
