Introducing Globalization: Ties, Tensions, and Uneven Integration

Interdisciplinary, accessible, and comprehensive, this broad guide identifies and explores the major economic, political and social ties that comprise contemporary global interdependency. At the same time, it is designed to help students understand the way in which the word “Globalization” – and the struggles over its meaning – lies at the heart of debates between advocates of a “free market” and what critics describe as the damage and devastation of “market fundamentalism” and “neoliberalism.”  Topics explored in detail include the rise of transnational corporations and global commodity chains; the development of global labor markets and worker solidarity; the recent global financial crisis; transnational law and legal advocacy; the increasing influence of market forces over governance, both locally and globally; the development of global cities and the emergence of other new spaces mediated by market relations; global health challenges and policies; and emerging forms of global mobility and organization by both business elites and their critics. Enhanced throughout by numerous empirical examples, maps, tables, and other illustrations, the book includes a glossary of key terms, and suggestions for further reading and student research. Additional resources are available at www.wiley.com/go/sparke for readers looking to explore topics further.  Written by an award–winning teacher, Introducing Globalization outlines the empirical evidence about interdependency in detail and with historical sensitivity. It helps students to develop informed opinions about globalization, inviting them to become participants rather than just passive learners.

List of Figures List of Tables Preface 1 Globalization 2 Discourse 3 Commodities 4 Labor 5 Money 6 Law 7 Governance 8 Space 9 Health 10 Responses Glossary Index

Matthew Sparke is Professor of Geography and International Studies at the University of Washington, where he also serves as the Director of the undergraduate program in Global Health. He has authored over 60 scholarly publications, including the book In the Space of Theory (2005), but he is also dedicated to teaching about globalization as well as writing about it. He has multiple awards for his work as a teacher, including the lifetime Distinguished Teaching award from the University of Washington.