ABSTRACT

Few terms have evoked the range of responses, or been quite so used, and

abused, as the term ‘globalization’. It has been variously described as a

process, a period, a force and a condition. The resulting ascriptions and

attributions are diverse and invariably invite confusion. There are those who

would enthusiastically argue for globalization’s merits, setting it up as a

panacea to all the ills of contemporary political, economic and social orga-

nization. Others argue equally vociferously and convincingly that it has

done more harm than good, exacerbating and entrenching inequalities. For

still others, there is no point in arguing for or against globalization; ‘pro-

gress’ (and by implication the neo-liberal logic) inexorably leads us into

more intensely global settings, and we must either adapt to it and move

forward, or be left to languish by the wayside.