Runaway World [Paperback]

Having bought and read a number of books on the subject of 'globalization', I found Anthony Giddens' 'Runaway world' brought the subject to life in simple and most comprehensible terms. Giddens lack of the usual pretentious diction that has become synonymous with Sociology texts, truly enhances the enjoyment and interest in the subject.

The book is made up of a series of lectures on a variety of issues surrounding the impact that globalization has had on everyday ideologies. Runaway World deals with globalization, risk, family, tradition and democracy in a most unpretentious way that makes reading enjoyable and an equally enjoyable learning experience. It is aimed at people who are able to form their own opinions of how globalization is affecting our lives, but at the same time, it doesn't assume that we are all experienced sociologists. This book has been my greatest investment since my globalization studies began and I would reccomend it to anyone who finds the whole concept of globalization a difficult one to master.

Runaway World provides a précis of Giddens' views concerning the impact of globalisation on tradition, family and democracy. Worked into his comments throughout is his interpretation of risk and how this concept has only recently become an element in human decision-making. Giddens argues that risk "unlocks some of the most basic characteristics of the world in which we live" (p.21). I do not think this argument is particularly convincing in the way Giddens historicizes risk (or lack thereof in pre-modern times), nevertheless, it is a useful concept that helps to tie together some fundamental changes in the areas Giddens explores as mentioned above.

I feel that Runaway World has merit in its illustration, with examples, of the changes that can be attributed to globalisation. I do say this advisedly, however, for it is unlikely to satisfy those who are involved in theorising globalisation in any intense way. On the other hand, it does allow those new to globalisation or in need of a quick selection of arguments that illustrate the impacts of globalisation an authoritive source of views. For both types of reader there are some wonderful 'quotables' such as where Giddens says "I would see addiction as frozen autonomy" (p.47). By using the surrounding text this kind of quote can be developed into a whole thesis on the issue.

I would hope that Giddens could expand on some of the themes of this book in the near future: the book is far too short [it is an outgrowth of the 1999 BBC Reith Lectures]. There are certainly interesting threads he draws together but they do need to be approached later with a view to completing the 'tapestry'. Hence the 4-star rating.

There has been a considerable amount of research and theorising into globalisation and its consequences over the past decade, yet little of this has filtered down to students of A level Sociology. This article aims to address this by summarizing Anthony Giddens' views on globalisation and its consequences for culture and identity in the West, focusing on the two core themes of risk and detraditionalisation. This article is written with the new AQA AS module in Culture and Identity in mind, and should be useful to any student who wishes to better understand how Globalisation affects daily life.

Giddens illustrates how two consequences of Globalisation, namely the rise of a `risk consciousness' and detraditionalisation, undermine the ability of institutions such as the Nation State, the family and religion, to provide us with a sense of security and stability. These institutions are no longer able to offer us a clearly defined norms and values that tell us how we should act in society. This situation has far reaching consequences for how individuals experience daily life and for how they go about constructing their identities.

Globalisation, manufactured risks and risk consciousness

The title of Giddens' accessible modern classic `Runaway World' immediately suggests to the reader that he perceives globalisation as an unpredictable, destabilsing process. In Giddens' own words: "We are the first generation to live in global society, whose contours we can as yet only dimly see. It is shaking up our existing ways of life, no matter where we happen to be. This is.... emerging in an anarchic, haphazard, fashion... it is not settled or secure, but fraught with anxieties, as well as scarred by deep divisions. Many of us feel in the grip of forces over which we have no control" (Giddens 2002).

One aspect of globalisation is the emergence of `manufactured risks' which are man made, having arisen as a result of new technologies developed through advances in scientific knowledge. Many of these new technologies, such as nuclear and biotechnologies bring about risks which are truly global in scope. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986, for example, resulted in nuclear fall out spreading thousands of miles to several countries, while the burning of fossil fuels in the United States may lead to flooding in Bangladesh.

According to Giddens, we have little experience of how to deal with these new threats as they have only been in existence for the last half a century. He argues that there is a "new riskiness to risk" in that these new technologies could have catastrophic consequences for humanity, yet we do not yet know all of the consequences associated with them. We cannot be certain, for example, of the possible effects that modifying the genetic structure of our basic food stuffs will have, and we do not know exactly how much of global warming is due to human influence.

Many of the above problems require international action, as well as co-coordinated local action; and in this context, Nation States appear ill equipped to deal with such global problems. In addition, in the context of imperfect knowledge, competing expert voices emerge, such as with the debate over whether Britain should build more nuclear power stations, or whether or not we should support Genetically Modified crops. As a result, the experts employed by politicians become just one voice amidst a field of experts citing different evidence that point to different courses of action.

Globalisation, Risk and Identity

So what are the consequences of this situation for self identity? On the one hand, we have identity politics and on the other, we have apolitical apathy. Those who are concerned about the global problems mentioned above and who perceive the government as being ill equipped to deal with these new global risks, have gravitated towards New Social Movements such as the green movement. At the more radical end of these movements, one's whole lifestyle, one's whole being and identity is oriented towards addressing global problems, at the local and international level, through protesting globally and acting locally.

However, such radical action is only undertaken by the relative few, and many remain apathetic towards global risks. Political apathy can also be easily justified in the context of imperfect knowledge, in which no one can ever be certain of the full extent of these global risks.

Detraditionalisation

A second major theme of Giddens' work is that of detraditionalisation. Giddens argues that "For someone following a traditional practice, questions don't have to be asked about alternatives. Tradition provides a framework for action that can go largely unquestioned... tradition gives stability, and the ability to construct a self identity against a stable background.

Globalisation brings this to an end as local cultures and traditions are exposed to new cultures and ideas, which often means that traditional ways of acting come to be questioned. As a result of globalisation, societies and cultures go through a process of detraditionalisation, where day to day life becomes less and less informed by `tradition for the sake of tradition'.

A good example of an institution undergoing this process is marriage. Although the tradition of marriage remains, a couple is much less likely to get married simply for the sake of marriage, either because it is `what people do, or what their parents did'. A typical couple today will discuss whether they should get married or not; they will think about whether it is right for them, and if they do decide to get married, they will then discuss where they should get married, and a whole range of other aspects associated with the marriage ceremony itself.

This theme of Detraditionalisation is to be found in many other areas of life. If we think back to the example of identity politics as expressed through New Social Movements, this tells us that traditional ways of political engagement are changing. Giddens also argues that globalisation has even lead to religions becoming detraditionalised, and there is plenty of evidence that he is right, as practices such as church attendance in Christianity and veiling in Islam appear to be more a matter of personal choice than of unquestioning adherence to tradition.

Cosmopolitanism and Democratisation

The positive side of detraditionalisation is the spread of what Giddens refers to as cosmopolitanism in which the individual is much less constrained by arbitrary tradition than in `traditional' or pre-global societies. In a cosmopolitan society, the individual has much more freedom to reflect on already existing cultural practices such as those associated with marriage, religion and politics, and to choose which aspects of these cultural practices suit him or her.

As a result of this, culture becomes something that is more fluid, more open to debate and more open to adaptations by individuals than ever before in human history. Culture, according to Giddens, becomes more democratic as more people have more of a say in how culture will inform their lives.

Detraditionalisation and self identity

Detraditionalisation also has consequences for self-identity. According to Giddens "Where tradition lapses, and life-style choice prevails, self-identity has to be created and recreated on a more active basis than before." Giddens further argues that individuals must engage in an ongoing process of reflecting upon their lives and adapting them in the light of new knowledge that arises in a rapidly changing, globalising world. This whole process of ongoing reflecting on one's life and changing accordingly is known as reflexivity.

Reflexivity is necessary because many of our institutions no longer provide us with a clear set of pre-given norms and values. Modern relationships, including marriages, no longer come with a set of clear norms and values, duties and responsibilities, instead, these need to be negotiated. Similarly, for those that are religious, the `meaning of `being Christian' or `being `Muslim' is much more open to debate than ever before, and for those who want to get political, this is no longer limited to union membership, or party membership and voting in general and local elections, one has to choose between a whole range of political activism. The individual is faced today with a situation in which modern institutions no longer simply tell the individual how to act, or how to `be', they no longer act as stabilizing forces that anchor individuals to society in clearly defined ways. Instead, we have to choose which aspects of tradition suit us, and be able to justify to others why we have made these choices.

Even once we have decided on what the rules of a relationship are, on what our religion means to us, or what kind of political action we should engage in, the rapid pace of social change, brought on by globalization means that we may well have to redefine our relationships and our religious and political identities over an over again. To give examples, a foreign firm relocating outside the United Kingdom may mean a career change, which could mean a renegotiation of the terms of a relationship; The recent decision of the government to build more nuclear power stations will lead many green activists to shift their political attentions to this issue, and the ongoing `threat of Islamic extremism', exaggerated or not, has lead to a debate over the meaning of what it means to be British and Muslim.

Reflexivity, expert systems and therapy

Giddens argues that this constant need to adapt our identities in line with global changes has lead to the emergence of `expert systems'. Read more ›