From Walmart to Al Qaeda

Book excerpt: From Walmart to Al Qaeda explains the fuzzy, complex and seemingly incomprehensible concept of globalization. What is globalization? What are the core topics, theories and competing ideologies? Are we walking towards homogenization or towards a global collision of cultures and identities? The potential risks and challenges for the global economy, corporations and political regimes are acknowledged by most but not fully understood. This book provides a refreshing new look at how society is being shaped by globalization and how these apparent destructive patterns can be both explained and potentially remedied.Globalization is both a concept and a cliché. It is a term that is used to explain an economic system or the state of the world. David Murillo sets out the questions and identifies the interrelationships of different disciplines to both understand the issues and also find solutions. The book discusses globalization and current attempts to conceptualize and measure it. There are theoretical and ideological debates on whether globalization is inevitable and the various alternatives for interpreting how the world works.Accompanying Teaching Notes are available on request with the purchase of this book.