Globalization: A Very Short Introduction

Citation

Steger, M. B. (2023). Globalization: A Very Short Introduction (6th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Chapter Summary

This is a pocket-sized volume of about 150 pages in Oxford's Very Short Introductions series, with eight chapters. The publisher's description says that the sixth edition gives concise definitions of key terms and concepts, an accessible overview of the long history of globalization, and an examination of its economic, political, cultural, ideological and ecological dimensions. It also engages the contested question of whether globalization is, on balance, good or bad, and it covers recent developments: climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, resurgent nationalism, global social media, trade wars, China's growing global profile, Russia's expansionism and renewed fears of nuclear conflict. The summaries below follow the chapter titles and that description; the page numbers come from the contents list.

Chapter 1: What Is Globalization? (p. 1)

The opening chapter introduces the key terms and concepts and frames globalization as a contested idea. At about eleven pages it is the shortest chapter.

Chapter 2: Globalization in History (p. 12)

A longer historical chapter (about twenty pages) offers the overview of the long history of globalization that the publisher mentions, placing today's integration in a larger time frame.

Chapter 3: The Economic and Technological Dimensions of Globalization (p. 34)

The largest chapter, at about thirty pages, takes the economic and technological dimension. Among the developments the publisher highlights for this edition, trade wars, global social media and digital technology fall within this dimension.

Chapter 4: The Political Dimension of Globalization (p. 66)

This chapter turns to the political dimension. Resurgent nationalism and Russia's expansionism, named in the publisher's description, are among the political developments the edition addresses.

Chapter 5: The Cultural Dimension of Globalization (p. 83)

A shorter chapter (about twelve pages) takes up the cultural dimension; the publisher's introduction mentions online celebrity and the global influence of religious leaders as examples of the interconnected world.

Chapter 6: The Ecological Dimension of Globalization (p. 95)

The ecological dimension runs for about sixteen pages. The publisher's introduction mentions human alteration of the climate and the environment and the rapid spread of new infectious diseases as part of what globalization means.

Chapter 7: Ideological Confrontations over Globalization (p. 111)

About sixteen pages address the ideological dimension. The publisher says the book engages the hotly contested question of whether globalization is a good or a bad thing, and the chapter title points to the confrontations over it.

Chapter 8: Present and Future Trends (p. 127)

The closing chapter, running to the end of the main text, looks at present and future trends; the publisher's description of the edition's treatment of recent crises suggests where it draws its examples.

Key Concepts

Chapters 1–2

• Globalization: defined in Chapter 1 and treated as a set of processes with a long history.
• Key terms and concepts: the publisher stresses concise definitions as a feature of this edition.

Chapters 3–6

• Economic and technological dimension: the first of the dimensions the book separates.
• Political dimension: the second, covering the relation of states and global affairs.
• Cultural dimension: the third.
• Ecological dimension: the fourth, tied to climate change.

Chapters 7–8

• Ideological confrontations: the conflicts over how globalization should be understood and judged.
• Present and future trends: the closing look at where globalization is heading.

Critical Analysis

Strengths

• Short and structured. Eight chapters, one for each dimension plus an introduction, a history and a conclusion, make the argument easy to follow and the book easy to finish quickly.
• Several dimensions, not only economics. The separate chapters on economic, political, cultural, ideological and ecological dimensions help a beginner see that globalization is more than trade.
• Kept current. The sixth edition adds the pandemic, climate change, nationalism, trade wars and geopolitical conflict, so the book is useful as a recent starting point.
• Fits the series. The Very Short Introductions format is designed to help readers get started in a subject quickly, which suits the book's purpose.

Limitations

• Very little space per topic. With about 150 pages and eight chapters, each dimension gets a short chapter, so detailed evidence and theory must come from other books.
• Overview, not a theoretical argument. The publisher presents the book as definitions, history and dimensions, not as an original theoretical contribution, so readers wanting a systematic framework should turn to a longer study.
• Authorship needs checking. Open Library lists a second author, Paul James, for this edition while Google Books and the publisher's description name only Steger; the cover or title page should be checked.

Where It Fits in the Course

Within the globalization and development list, Steger is the shortest and most general entry point. Global Transformations by Held and his co-authors is a systematic and much longer study that sets out a framework for comparing the historical forms of globalization across politics, trade, finance, migration, culture and the environment; read it after Steger for depth. Development and Social Change by McMichael and Weber treats development as a historical project from colonialism to current crises, and Theories of Development by Peet and Hartwick surveys schools of thought critically.

Introduction to International Development, an edited textbook of about thirty chapters, covers the actors and issues of development, and Evans's Embedded Autonomy is a comparative study of states and industrial change. Steger's book gives the vocabulary of globalization that makes those works easier to place.

How to Use This Book

The site lists no prerequisites; the book is written for readers with no background in sociology, economics or international relations. It can be read in an afternoon or two.

A suggested plan: read Chapters 1 and 2 first to fix the definitions and the historical frame. Then read the dimension chapters (3 to 6) in the order that matches your course, and finish with Chapters 7 and 8 to see how the debate is framed and where it may go. Use each chapter's discussion as a prompt, then follow the further reading in the series for the area you want to pursue. Pair the book with one of the longer works above, for example a chapter of Global Transformations on the dimension you chose.