Glocalization

Abstract

The term “McDonalization” of society introduced by Ritzer (1993) reflects the idea of a homogenized world that carries at best a cultural imperialism, and at worst a Western arrogance. Several sociologists thought that there is rather a hybridization or syncretism, or synthesis, or “mélange” when global products in application are customized to suit local tastes or interests (Pieterse, 2000). The idea was not to reject globalization as a phenomenon, but to argue that such a term did not reflect accurately the reality of localization. In fact, Giddens (2000) argued that globalization is “the reason for the revival of local cultural identities in different parts of the world” (p. 31). I am not sure this is completely accurate. However, I will concede that the Internet has facilitated the appreciation of local cultures by people from other cultures. Glocalization has been identified as the perfect term to express the connection between the global and the local (Robertson, 1992; Boyd, 2006).