Globalisation: A Study of
Traditional Communities in Change
It has been argued that social changes in the contemporary world have resulted in local communities not being sustainable in its traditional form. Globalization has been a leading component of this social change that has accelerated in recent times. Hawkins (2006) has defined globalisation as a process by which the world’s societies and cultures are becoming increasingly interconnected and interdependent. Whilst this process has helped to narrow social hierarchies in certain respects, in other ways the process has widen structural gaps in life chances. The very speed of these changes has been problematic for communities trying to adapt to and resist change. In this essay I will …show more content…

According to Giddens, (1990) as people begin to feel less secure, they are less likely to relinquish any unfair social advantage they might have, and communities start becoming more fragmented and less cohesive than ever before. Individuals tend to become more insular, tend to develop more selfish and conflicting attitudes, and less able to depend on one another. Internal competition and a heightened sense of individualism reduce the social bonds and obligations within the same household. Mars (2007) notes that globalisation allows for multinational organizations to move capital and production around the world, another frequent source of job instability. Skilled workers who seek employment abroad deprive their own country of human capital, as well as disrupt social hierarchies of the communities left behind. The end result is that ties and bases of mutual support that links extended families are weakened. Cultural issues involving language have also created significant gaps as the dominance of western-based languages, in particular the English language, has severely disadvantaged the large majority of people who do not speak the language. Many people who feel that the growth of these trans-planetary connections threatens values that are precious to them look for ways to express their concerns and