Globalism: The New Market Ideology [Paperback]

Manfred B. Steger (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 074250073X | ISBN-13: 978-0742500730 | Publication Date: August 2001

Globalism: The New Market Ideology rejects the notion that we find ourselves at the end of ideology and that democracy has won. Instead, Steger argues that the opening decade of the 21st century will constitute a teeming battlefield of clashing ideologies. The chief protagonist is the dominant neoliberal market ideology Steger calls "globalism." Although globalism constitutes little more than a gigantic repackaging of old laissez-faire ideas, it deserves the label "new market ideology" because its advocates have been able to link their quaint free-market concepts with cutting-edge "global talk." At the same time, globalism has already encountered serious ideological challengers from both the political left and right. The anti-WTO protests in Seattle and the demonstrations against the IMF and World Bank in Prague are just the opening salvos of the coming battle over the meaning and direction of globalization. After identifying and evaluating the five central claims of globalism--including assertions that "globalization is inevitable," "nobody is in charge of globalization," and "globalization benefits everyone"--Steger offers an overview of the counterclaims made by anti-globalist forces. Since this ideological struggle will deeply influence the crucial political and ethical questions of the new century, this book seeks to provide readers with an understanding of how dominant beliefs about globalization fashion their realities, and that these ideas and values can be changed in a more egalitarian direction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Manfred Steger has made an important contribution to our understanding of globalization with this book. (New Political Science )

Manfred Steger presents a sharp critique of the ideology of globalism as a new legitimation of transnational capitalism while recognizing the benefits of a global society and culture. Showing the limitations of academic conceptions of globalization, Steger criticizes both apologists and one-sided left and right critics as he develops his own conception. (Kellner, Douglas )

This excellent study surveys the concepts and politics of pro- and anti-globalist alliances, and examines very carefully the 'Battle of Seattle.' Looking ahead to crucial struggles over the meaning of 'globalization,' Steger makes a good case that 'globalism' is ethically unsustainable. This is timely reading on an important subject. (Terrell Carver, professor of political theory )

Manfred Steger's new study of globalism offers a penetrating analysis of what he calls 'the new market ideology' and, quite remarkably, joins the virtues of a careful and scholarly examination of the academic and political debate over globalization with the virtues of a strong progressive critique of market globalism's consequences. Those who find the academic debate too remote from the moral and civic issues will welcome Steger's engagement in the politics and ideology of globalization; those who find the street protests too remote from judicious judgment and empirical research will welcome Steger's commitment to rigorous scholarship. This is undoubtedly the best of the scholarly surveys of the theory and practices of market globalism that has appeared in recent years. . . . Of equal value to students of globalization and those engaged in its practices--whether in classrooms, boardrooms, or the streets. (Barber, Benjamin R. )

A useful stepping stone towards capturing the nature of globalization. (International Affairs )

Here, at last, is a scholarly book about globalism. This first-rate guide to the globalization debate is highly recommended. (Choice )

This is an effective and valuable contribution to the examination of contemporary globalization and intellectual underpinnings. (Political Studies )

This is the best short book on the phenomenon of globalization. Clear, concise, and well-organized. (Stephen Manning )

Whenever someone casually tells you that 'critics of globalization are empty-headed ex-hippies,' or 'free trade creates prosperity,' hand them a copy of this book. (Tikkun )

The author writes passionately about the future of globalization. This is a thorough, academic, unsentimental, and enlightening analysis of the topic. (Race Relations Abstracts )

This book provides a clear and concise summary of some of the current debates and challenges around the issue of globalization. (Sage Race Relations )

About the Author

Manfred B. Stegeris professor of politics and government at Illinois State University, affiliated faculty member in the Department of Political Science at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, and academic director of the Globalism Institute at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Australia. His academic fields of expertise include theories and ideologies of globalization, comparative political and social theory, theories of nonviolence, and international politics. His most recent publications include Rethinking Globalism: The New Market Ideology; Gandhi’s Dilemma: Nonviolent Principles and Nationalist Power; Violence and Its Alternatives: An Interdisciplinary Reader; Engels After Marx; and The Quest for Evolutionary Socialism: Eduard Bernstein and Social Democracy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers (August 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074250073X
• ISBN-13: 978-0742500730
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,967,098 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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