(DE)GLOBALIZATION & THE NATION

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“Some of the most significant cultural phenomena of our time have to do with responses to and interpretations of the global system as a whole. More specifically, globalization involves pressure on societies, civilizations and representatives of traditions, including both “hidden” and “invented” traditions, to sift the global-cultural scene for ideas and symbols considered to be relevant to their own identities.” ~ Roland Robertson

“The global is the true state of affairs and the only adequate framework for the analysis of any part of the world, at least since the rise of the first commercial civilizations.” ~ Jonathan Friedman

“The paradox of the current world conjuncture is the increased production of cultural and political boundaries at the very time when the world has become totally bound together in a single economic system with instantaneous communication between different sectors of the globe.” ~ Linda Basch, et al.

“…in contrast with the nation, [global] mankind as source and object of morality suffers this deficiency: there is no constituted [global] society. It is not a social organism having its own consciousness, its own individuality, and its own organization. It is only an abstract term by which we designate the sum of states, nations, and tribes, which in their totality constitute mankind….Now, it would seem impossible to subordinate and sacrifice a group [i.e., the nation] that does in fact exist, that is at present a living reality, to one not yet born [i.e., a global state] and that very probably never will be anything but an intellectual construct….conduct is moral only when it as for its object a society having its own structure and character. How can humanity have such a character and fill such a role since it is not a constituted group?” ~ Emile Durkheim

“The initial problem with the concept of a ‘global culture’ is one of the meaning of terms. Can we speak of ‘culture’ in the singular?…we can only speak of cultures, never just culture; for a collective mode of life, or a repertoire of beliefs, etc., presupposes different modes and repertoires in a universe of modes and repertoires. Hence, the idea of a ʹglobal cultureʻ is a practical impossibility, except in interplanetary terms. Even if the concept is predicated of homo sapiens, as opposed to other species, the differences between segments of humanity in terms of lifestyle and belief-repertoire are too great, and the common elements too generalized, to permit us to even conceive of a globalized culture.” ~ Anthony D. Smith