Essay On Local And Global Space

Throughout the past decade globalization and human interconnectedness have grown at a rapidly increasing rate. However, as the world continues down the path towards global convergence the question of what affect this will have on global communities remains. More specifically, as the understanding of time and space continues to change as new technology and transportation advancements are made, what role will local and global space play within the new world order. Bridging the gap between the geopolitical theory of global governance and the human geography theory of Time-Space Compression, the affects of a continuously shrinking world can be analyzed from a cultural, economic, and political perspective. With those perspectives in mind, debate over whether local space has ceased to exist as global space emerges into the forefront or if local and global space can find balance and function simultaneously with each other as emerged. Ultimately, the role that local and global spaces play is a key determinate in deciding whether global convergence has the prospect of becoming an international reality or if the movement of global integration is limited in its power. As there is no general consensus among academics on whether or not we can maintain both local and global spheres as we continue to advance towards greater interconnectedness and globalization, literature from both sides of the debate will be utilized in framing the two positions of local and global spaces.

Looking first at the position that presents the argument that local space will cease to exist as the relationship between time and space continues to decrease, a wide variety of arguments are made from each of the cultural, economic, and political perspectives. Starting with...

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...wer accompanied by increasing human interconnectedness and the widening of the scope of emotional identification.” (Linklater, 172) Linklater further argues that this trend will result in a shift from an ideology of nationalism to one heavily focused in the global sense resulting in the ability of nation states to sacrifice sovereignty to guarantee the success of international organizations. All three academics contend that because the world is shrinking and becoming more interconnected the local space by default is ceasing to exist as the global space infiltrates every aspect of the local sphere. Cultural identities and communities are now bound by the parameters of local borders, local economies are inextricably tied to the global economy, and there is a historical trend that an increase in multiculturalism will result in increased demand for global organizations.