globalisation and society for asc-mku edited

7/30/2019 Globalisation and Society for ASC-MKU Edited

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UnderstandingSociety in the

Era ofGlobalisation

R. KUMARAN

Assistant Professor

Department of Sociology

Gandhigram Rural University


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What is Globalisation?Globalisation is when I eat what I dont

produce, and when I produce what I dont eat

(Brazilian Farmeranonymous).


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Primarily Economic

It has far reaching implications for

society and culture

Whether we like it or not We are in it

It affects us in known and unknown

ways

It is important that we make sense of it


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Features of Globalisation Interconnectedness (Giddens)

Space-time compression (D.Harvey)

Speed (D.Harvey)

Multi-linear Flow of people, culture,capital, technology and media (Arjun

Appadurai)

SupraterritorialityAll-encompassing? (UNDP, IMF)


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Major Instruments

ICT IFIs (WB, IMF and WTO)

MNCs & TNCs


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Three Positions

Neo-Liberal (Friedman)

Neo-Structuralist (Stiglitz)

Social-Democrats (Alvares,Vandanashiva)


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What Position You will take

and Why?

Neo-Liberal?

Neo-Structuralist?

Social-Democrats?


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Now, Society!

Sociological Imagination

To Understand Society, let us

connect our biography(personal) and history (public)

Personal issues socialproblems


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To have sociological

imagination is to give moreimportance to meanings than

facts


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Beyond Humanism


imagination is to believe in the

jointness of humanity, and thejointness of all species (flora

and fauna)


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Beyond Binaries (Opposites)


imagination is to believe in the

jointness of humanity, and thejointness of all species (flora

and fauna)


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Sociological ImaginationAn Exercise:

Write a Short story on the

following Pictures


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Family in Globalisation Times

As Individuals, the first social

institution we relate and encounteris family


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Centrality of Family

Family as occupied central stage in humanreflection for long time

The form and structure of family hold mirror tothe wider society


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Changing Family

Family has been the most responsive

institution to social change

Joint Family Agrarian Society Nuclear Family Industrial Society

Single Parent Family- Post- Industrial Society


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The Irrelevance of Family:

Demographic Shift

Agrarian Society- All were at home

Industrial Society- Father Left Home forwork

Late-Industrial Society Mother andFather Left home for work home

Families became Week-end (orWeakened) Families

Soon Week-end families are replaced bySummer-Vacation Families


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Outside families

Simultaneously

Kind-Based friends and

relatives are replaced bytransitory relationships


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Challenges for Us

We are now exposed to the vagaries of life

with out protection and comfort of families

Building and breaking relationships are tobe handled alone

So are the stresses and joys to beexperienced alone


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Quest for Family Continues Differently Virtual Families

The very forces (technologies) that underminedfamilial ties are now offering scope forreestablishing ties

Now families though distanced can be accessed

selectively and virtually

Mobile phone, broadband internet, webcam, allkeep members of the family together virtually

But it i


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Family Inevitable?

The family as unconditional resource is nolonger accessed as it involves obligations

All that family offered is offered elsewhere,may be for a price but without obligations

Families are becoming more, transitory,

contractual and functional in nature


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Future?

This phase, may be viewed positively asheralding the true birth of absolute individual

But can we trust the subsisting institution?

Are they adequately substituting?

What about the reassertion of caste-based

religion-based collectivities?

Will families to reassert themselves?


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Religion and Globalisation


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Death of pure Spirituality vs Materiality

Certainty Vs. Uncertainty

Ritual togetherness Vs Secularized rituals(Shopping, drinks party and sports)

Pilgrims (we went to gods) Vs Virtual pilgrims

(god comes to us TV, live telecast)

Arrival of spiritual gurus who thrive on our

fears and sense of uncertainty


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BECAUSE OF

The disruption of traditional communities,

The economic marginalization Political repression of peoples, and

The offensive thrust of secularism and

liberlalism Mental stress and spiritual problem.


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Community Life and Globalisation

Community to Associations

Sentimentality to Contract (Love as Contract)

Exchange Culture

Instrumentality

Death of social and privacy assertion of parasocial

now it is possible to fulfill all our needs without

meeting others

including political The Birth of prosumer

Brutalization and Violence


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A world controlled by Media Non-sense gets more

attentioneverything is spectacularised

Information overload

Teachers note this

Knowledge winning quiz and crorepathi programmes

Consumerism

identity shaped by what you have notby what you arebeauty, peace, friendship, love,

motherhood all can be bought


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An increasingly lonely worldculture is

dead? So remix, remake

So many media to communicate but no

meaningful message to communicate

Fracture Self - Our relationship with our body

has changedThanks to medical and cosmetic

industries

ever sick, ever ugly incomplete

persons


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Globalisation or Ghettoisation

A world reserved for resourceful consumer fit

to consume

The rich and powerful live separate world

without ever meeting the poor and resourceless

If you do not have money or power, you are

invisibilised, criminalized and custodialised


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WAY OUT

Belief in community life

Learning to listen

Valuing inner peace Changing the way we communicate

Changing the way we relate to others and

children Spirituality over materiality

Believing in Garden metaphor


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Thank You

globalisation and society for asc-mku edited

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