ABSTRACT
The deepest meaning conveyed by the idea of globalization is that of the indeterminate, unruly and self-propelled character of world affairs; the absence of a centre, of a controlling desk, of a board of directors, of a managerial office. The widespread adoption of the term "the global" is symptomatic of the growing interconnection among universities, financial agencies, and consumer culture as flows of capital and transnational economic exchange increase on an international scale. Distinguishing the planetary from the virtual network of lines that constitute the framework of electronic capital, Spivak offers a visualization of the processes in action that are designated under the rubric of contemporary forms of globalization. The contrapuntal effects of criticism, organization, and activism may create conditions necessary for finding alternatives to the self-replicating and naturalizing processes of globalization. Historically, globalization has reinforced widespread neglect of non-written sources and demonstrated a predilection for works originating in dominant European languages.
