The Sociology of Globalization
Publisher: Polity Press
Published: 2010
Place of publication: Cambridge
Number of pages: 314
Description: This accessible and wide-ranging book demonstrates the distinctive insights that sociology has to bring to the study of globalization. Taking in the cultural, political and economic dimensions of globalization, the book provides a thorough introduction to key debates and critically evaluates the causes and consequences of a globalizing world.

In addition to topics such as America's changing position in the world under President Obama, the growth of China as a global power and anti-globalization movements, Martell brings to the discussion other aspects of world affairs that sociologists have sometimes not focused on so much. In doing so, he underlines the importance of economic motivations and structures, and shows how power, inequality and conflict are major factors in globalization. The book argues that globalization offers many opportunities for greater interaction and participation in societies throughout the world, for instance through the media and migration, but also has dark sides such as war and nuclear proliferation, global poverty, climate change and financial crisis.

This book will be an ideal companion to students across the social sciences taking courses that cover globalization, and the sociology of globalization in particular.

"The Sociology of Globalization is a masterful synthesis of the complex interaction of all the major dimensions of the vast subject of globalization. Luke Martell's exhaustive text is very well written, chock full of highly useful information, and does an impressive job of presenting the key debates on globalization. It will be particularly instructive to an American audience in offering fresh analysis, including excellent analysis of the United States' role in globalization."
Ken Cunningham, The Pennsylvania State University
Table of contents: title: Introduction: Concepts of Globalization; title: Perspectives on Globalization: divergence or convergence?
label: 1; title: The History of Globalization: pre-modern, modern or postmodern?
label: 2; title: Technology, Economy and the Globalization of Culture
label: 3; title: The Globalization of Culture: homogeneous or hybrid?
label: 4; title: Global Migration: inequality and history
label: 5; title: The Effects of Migration: is migration a problem or solution?
label: 6; title: The Global Economy: capitalism and the economic bases of Globalization
label: 7; title: Global Inequality: is globalization a solution to world poverty?
label: 8; title: Politics, the State and Globalization: the end of the nation-state and social democracy?
label: 9; title: Global Politics and Cosmopolitan Democracy
label: 10; title: Anti-Globalization and Global Justice Movements
label: 11; title: The Future World Order: the decline of American power?
label: 12; title: War and Globalization
label: 13; title: Conclusion