Globalization in Practice

The concept of globalization has become ubiquitous in social science and in the public consciousness and is often invoked as an explanation for a diverse range of changes to economies, societies, politics and cultures - both as a positive liberating force and as a wholly negative one. Whilst our understanding of the politics, economics, and social resonance of the phenomenon has become increasingly sophisticated at the macro-level, this book argues that globalization too often continues to be depicted as a set of extra-terrestrial forces with no real physical manifestation, except as effects. The essays challenge this dominant understanding of 'globalization from above' through explorations of the mundane means by which globalization has been achieved. Instead of a focus on the meta-political economy of global capitalism, the book concentrates on the everyday life of capitalism, the not-so-'little' things that keep the 'large' forces of globalization ticking over. With its eye on the mundane, the book demonstrates that a series of everyday and, consequently, all but invisible formations critically facilitate and create the conditions under which globalization has flourished. The emphasis is on concrete moments in the history of capitalism when these new means of regular reproduction were invented and deployed. Only by understanding these infrastructures can we understand the dynamics of globalization. In short, punchy essays by distinguished researchers from across a range of disciplines, this book provides a new way of understanding globalization, moving away from the standard accounts of global forces, economic flows, and capitalist dynamics, to show how ordinary practices and artefacts are crucial elements and symbols of globalization. Contributors to this volume - Peter Adey, Reader in Cultural Geography, the School of Physical and Geographical Sciences, Keele University. Andrew Barry, Reader, Oxford University. Geoffrey C. Bowker, Professor of and Senior Scholar in Cyberscholarship, the University of Pittsburgh iSchool, and Fellow, the AAAS. Roger Burrows, Professor of Sociology and Head of the Department of Sociology, the University of York, UK. Nick Clarke, Lecturer in Human Geography, the University of Southampton. Franck Cochoy, Professor of Sociology, the University of Toulouse, Member, CERTOP-CNRS, France, and Visiting Professor, the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Stephen J. Collier,The Program in International Affairs, the New School, New York, USA. Catelijne Coopmans, Imperial College London. Martin Dodge, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, the University of Manchester. Rebecca M. Ellis, Research Officer, the Department of Sociology, University of Essex. Jurgen Gerhards, Professor of Sociology, the Free University Berlin. Nick Gill, Lecturer in Human Geography, University of Exeter. Stephen Graham, Professor of Cities and Society, the Global Urban Research Unit, School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, Newcastle University. Christopher Hall, Durham University. Christian Heath, Professor, King's College London. David Holley Alex Hughes, Senior Lecturer, the School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University. Tim Ingold, Professor of Social Anthropology and Head of the School of Social Science, the University of Aberdeen. Adrian Johns, Professor of History, the University of Chicago. Nino Kemoklidze. Lucy Kimbell, Associate Fellow at Said Business School, University of Oxford. Rob Kitchin, Director of the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, and Chairperson of the Irish Social Sciences Platform. Wendy Larner, Professor of Human Geography and Sociology, and Research Director for the Faculty of Social Sciences and Law, the University of Bristol. Eric Laurier, Senior Research Fellow, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh. Michael Levi, Professor of Criminology, Cardiff University. Celia Lury, Goldsmiths, University of London. Donald MacKenzie, Personal Chair in Sociology, the University of Edinburgh. Peter Merriman, Senior Lecturer in Human Geography, Aberystwyth University. Vijay Mishra, Professor of English Literature and Australian Professional Fellow in the Department of English and Creative Arts, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia. Annemarie Mol, Socrates Professor of Social Theory, Humanism, and Materialities, the University of Amsterdam. Harvey Molotch, Professor of Sociology, New York University. Daniel Neyland, Senior Lecturer, the Department of Organisation, Work, and Technology, Lancaster University. Kris Olds, Professor of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Thomas Osborne, Professor of Social and Cultural Theory, University of Bristol, and Head of SPAIS (School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies). Barbara Penner, Senior Lecturer in Architectural History, The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Sue Peckover. Jocelyn Pixley, Professional Research Fellow, the Global Policy Institute, London Metropolitan University, and Senior Research Fellow, the Department of Sociology, Macquarie University. Sharyn Roach Anleu, Professor of Sociology, Flinders University Susan M. Roberts, Professor and Chair, the Department of Geography, University of Kentucky, USA. Paul Routledge , Reader, the Department of Geographical and Earth Sciences, the University of Glasgow. Helen Sampson, Director of the Seafarers International Research Centre (SIRC), the Cardiff School of Social Sciences, Cardiff University. Mimi Sheller, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for Mobilities Research and Policy, Drexel University. Elizabeth Shove, Professor of Sociology, Lancaster University. Timothy J. Sinclair, Associate Professor of International Political Economy and Associate of the Centre for the Study of Globalisation and Regionalisation, the University of Warwick. Gerard Toal, Professor of Government and International Affairs, the College of Architecture and Urban Studies, Virginia Tech. John Urry, Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Director of the Centre for Mobilities Research, Lancaster University. Helen Verran, Reader in History and Philosophy of Science, University of Melbourne, Australia. Sumei Wang, Assistant Professor, the Department of Journalism, National Chengchi University in Taiwan. Michael J. Watts, Class of '63 Professor of Geography, and Director of Development Studies, the University of California, Berkeley. Janine R. Wedel, Professor in the School of Public Policy, George Mason University. Jackie West teaches in the Department of Sociology, University of Bristol, UK. Sue White. Alexandra Woolgar, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, the Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Australia Caitlin Zaloom teaches in the Department of Social and Cultural Analysis, New York University. Ragna Zeiss, Assistant Professor in Science and Technology Studies, Maastricht University, the Netherlands.