Abstract
Contrary to the commonly accepted view, human beings were global (i.e., migratory and without borders) to begin with and then localized as they started to reduce hunting and gathering and got into agriculture and animal husbandry. When they were migratory, humans exchanged genes, tools, cultures – in effect, they were already globalizing. In the second part of this commentary, I analyze the contemporary conditions of globalization. I suggest that today we are experiencing a market centered iconographic culture; and the possibilities for richer and more inclusive symbolic cultures exist, and need to be cultivated.
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Recommended Citation
Fırat, A. Fuat
(2017)
"Orbits of Contemporary Globalization,"
Markets, Globalization & Development Review:
Vol. 2:
No.
3, Article 3.
DOI: 10.23860/MGDR-2017-02-03-03
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Author Bio
A. Fuat Fırat is Professor of Marketing, University of Texas—Rio Grande Valley. He co-chaired the originating International Conference on Marketing and Development (ICMD) that led to the formation of the International Society of Markets and Development (ISMD). He is a past president of ISMD. His scholarship interests span relations among culture, markets, and marketing. He won several best paper awards with colleagues N. Dholakia, A. Venkatesh, L.T. Christensen and J. Cornelissen. His books include Consuming People: From Political Economy to Theaters of Consumption, co-authored by N. Dholakia. He is a founding editor of Consumption, Markets & Culture.