Local Enclosures of Globalization. The Power of Locality

Abstract

In the discussion of globalization and localization, the mainperspectives are either to unveil how global issues are localized, or toanalyze local modifications resulting form global integration. Incontrast, a perspective from the local to the global is proposed to beable to point at local contents of globalization. Such a perspectiverequires an analysis of how locality is constructed locally. In much ofthe current discussion local stands for places, indigenous people,villages, cities, quarters within cities, factories, regions, nations orplaces. Following older research on ethnicity and recent studies ofmigrant cultures, locality is described as a social construction, whichconnects space, local knowledge and social organization. Locality isconnected to support among those belonging to the locality, interestsand the control of resources. Thus competition and potential conflict islinked to locality. Therefore, speaking of locality implies speaking ofpower-differentials. Whether a locality can assume a dominant positionvis-à-vis other localities and define its discourses as dominantor even as universal depends on its organizational and integrativecapacity for the mobilization and application of resources. Thoughcontrol of resources required by others, the respective local knowledgebecomes a necessity for gaining access to these resources. Consequently,global discourses can and often do have a local background. Accordingly,globalization in quite often global dominance from particular localcontext.