When you go to the mall to pick up a pair of jeans or a shirt, do you think about where they came from? How they were made? Who made them? Most consumers are unaware of where their clothes are coming from. All the consumer is responsible for is buying the clothing from the store and most likely have little to no knowledge about how it was manufactured, transported, or even who made the clothing item and the amount of intensive labor that went into producing it (Timmerman, 3). In my paper, I will utilize the book Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman and the textbook Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest to examine globalization in the context of the clothing industry.
Globalization of the clothing industry
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The term globalization varies from person to person. A consumer typically associates globalization with a store producing more goods, stocking inventory, and updating their styles, however; an anthropological definition of globalization is, “the worldwide intensification of interactions and increased movement of money, people, goods, and ideas within and across national borders,” (Guest, 19). Globalization of the clothing industry is about the “search of cheap, reliable labor to meet the industry’s tight margins,” (Timmerman 7). Timmerman suggests that globalization change our lives and can be for the good or for the bad (8). Globalization is often viewed as a mutual and beneficial process for those involved, because it is perceived as helping those out who are in poverty get a job and make money for their families. On the other hand, it is viewed as a horrific way to abuse individuals in different countries by paying them tremendously trifling wages, working in strident conditions, and overall being treated inadequately by the factory owners. United States corporations exploit different countries around the world such as, China, Indonesia, Mexico and …show more content…
Timmerman suggests that “We share little with the people who make our clothes nowadays. We’re divided by oceans, politics, language, culture, and a complex web of economic relationships. It doesn’t affect our daily lives if they are overworked and underpaid as it did during the turn of the twentieth century,” thus demonstrating the inadequacy of outsourcing and the relationships between the corporation, factory workers, and the consumer (180). The dynamic between the corporations, factory workers, factory owners, and middle-men is complicated and tense due to the interactions, communication, and duties differentiating between each group. For the factory workers, they suffer working in hard conditions, though the workers are happy to have a job, they would rather endure the harsh stipulations for the means of production to make money to send to their families than to protest against their factory owners (Timmerman 7). The factory workers are stuck in a complicated position where they are taken advantage of and exploited. While “exploitation occurs on any level” these factory workers do not have the opportunity to exploit others because they are the ones being exploited (Timmerman 7). Tension is created between the corporations, factory owners and workers, because the factory owners force the workers into harsh labor and intense working conditions that they were told
Globalization is the worldwide integration, development and expansion of international cultural, economic, and political activities. As people, ideas, knowledge, goods move more easily around the globe, and the experiences of people around the world become more similar. “The Noble Feat of Nike" by Johan Norberg shows us about how over the years, due to globalization around the globe, prominent, progressive and helpful foreign companies like the Nike shoe factory has made it possible for its employees in Vietnam to better their lives. If it was possible for all other third world countries, much growth and modernization would be a constant and overflowing part of everyday life. The author traveled to Vietnam to see the working conditions and the state of mind of the workers in the factories. He comes to the conclusion that these factories in fact have helped the economy over there quite a lot.
Jane Collins’ book Threads: Gender, Labor, and Power in the Global Apparel Industry is a presentation of the evolution of the industrial globalization of the apparel industry. Although the book presents some good information in regards to globalization of the apparel industry it is rather outdated now. However, this is due to the large number of campaigns bringing awareness to the problematic nature of sweatshops since this book was released. The book is heavily biased in regards to the presentation of the repressive nature of the apparel industry against women. This could have been the result of the expertise of the author making it hard to present a more balanced perception. However, the broad focus of the book makes it a good starting point for anyone who is looking to gain general knowledge into the apparel industry.
Naomi Klein’s No Logo states that corporations have been championing globalization using the reasons that globalization allows U.S. consumers to benefit from cheaper products produced abroad, while developing nations benefit from the economic growth stimulated by foreign investments. The generally accepted belief is that governmental policies should be established in favor of the corporations to facilitate the trickling down of corporate profits to the end consumers and workers abroad. Klein, however, contends that globalization rarely benefit the workers in the developing countries.
Globalization is nothing new and will continue to manifest itself in non-western societies and cultures throughout the world. Some cultures accept the changes that come with globalization. Most cultures bring and find both economic and cultural growth to be the outcome of accepting globalization. However, there is always the risk that globalization comes with the possibility of destroying rituals and unique cultural practices bringing about a decline or stoppage in the progress that a society was achieving. Globalization is an unstoppable force; while we are powerless to stop it, we must be responsible when introducing change, and strive to preserve the heart of the culture being effected by globalization. (Kim, 2009)
Globalization is a series of social, economical, technological, cultural, and political changes that promote interdependence and growth. Globalization raises the standard of living in developing countries, spreads technological knowledge, and increases political liberation. (Harris 5-23) The main cause of globalization is influence from other, more developed, countries. Globalization is a historical process that results from human innovation and technological progress. The social effects of globalization are clearly illustrated in Peru. Once a third-world country filled with poverty and oppression, Peru is now transitioning into a developed nation. In Peru, globalization has raised the human development index, empowered women, and created a stronger country. (Leon 90-91)
In this book, globalization is defined as “an internationalization of contractual hiring, exploiting even cheaper migrant labor” (page 231). Globalization is a cultural phenomenon process in which a business or an organization begins to operate their production on an international scale. In his book, we see how globalization affected corn farmers in Mexico. Globalization open the door to the system a free market trade. In Illegal People, U.S corn farmers sold their corn to Mexico, causing Mexican corn farmers to severely lose profit since American farmers were selling their corn way cheaper. An example of how globalization is seen on Sleep Dealer is how an American company privatized water in Memo’s rancho. By privatizing the water, the company sold quantities of water at unreasonable prices, leading Memo’s dad to struggle to maintain his corm field. The American company who privatized the water could this through the usage of technology. Technology is one of the factors that led to the rise of
The fashion industry is a global community which employs millions of individuals and has a half-trillion dollar revenue in the United States alone. For many years, as a result of the exposure of the fashion industry, several ethical issues within the industry have become apparent. The fashion industry has crimes of its own, and cultural appropriation has become one of the more significant misconducts of the business. Although cultural appropriation has always existed in the fashion industry, it has never been this extensive. In recent years, many fashion designers have taken inspiration from other cultures as a source of innovation to for new clothing trends. One of the most common cultural appropriations present in the fashion industry is
The world is not a large and strange place anymore. The world is a place that is interconnected and intertwined. The world has become from a place that each country and their peoples are separate and isolated to a place that each country and their peoples are part of a global network. Thanks to globalization this is occurring. Globalization is the ‘international integration” or ‘de-bordering’ – “a number of highly disparate observations whose regular common denominator is the determination of a profound transformation of the traditional nation-state” (Von Bogdandy 2). Globalization is connecting different people from different cultures and backgrounds together. More and more corporations are entering new foreign markets to sell their products to the native populations. But at the same time globalization is negatively hurting people and countries. Globalization is hurting workers and small countries. Workers are forced to work for low wages and small countries are being manipulated by large countries. Globalization is having a negative impact on this world and it outweighs any positive it produces.
Globalization means different things to different people, so there is no one set definition. It is generally considered to be the spread of cultural, religious, political and economical systems, and symbolizes an increase of global communication, flow of ideas, and transfer of knowledge. Is also the spread of capitalism and Westernization. Globalization creates new opportunities and benefits, yet it can also bring suffering. Each region of the world—within continents, countries, and towns—experiences globalization in a different way. While one country may experience prosperity another may experience marginalization and impoverishment. This is because access of power is selectively given to certain groups. Globalization tends to produce success for the powerful at the expense of the
Globalization impacts world economies in more positive ways than not. It opens doors for entrepreneurs and for people with the drive to create a better lives for themselves whether in their own countries or in a different one. On a local level, globalization creates jobs, stability and freedom for people to start their own businesses and get a better education, thus increasing capitalism and growth for the economy. In Poverty, Inc. there was a representation of what poverty stricken communities need to succeed: legal protection from theft and violence, justice in the courts, legal title to one’s land, freedom to start a business, and links to a wider circle of exchange. Without globalization and the expansion of international trade and manufacturing,
Globalization, the acceleration and strengthening of worldwide interactions among people, companies and governments, has taken a huge toll on the world, both culturally and economically. It’s generating a fast-paced, increasingly tied world and also praising individualism. It has been a massive subject of matter amongst scientists, politicians, government bureaucrats and the normal, average human population. Globalization promoted the independence of nations and people, relying on organizations such as the World Bank and also regional organizations such as the BRICs that encourage “a world free of poverty” (World Bank). Despite the fact that critics can argue that globalization is an overall positive trend, globalization has had a rather negative cultural and economic effect such as the gigantic wealth gaps and the widespread of American culture, “Americanization”; globalization had good intentions but bad results.
When the term “Globalization” is discussed, most academics, scholars, professionals and intellectuals attempt to define and interpret it in a summarized fashion. My main concern with this approach is that one cannot and should not define a process that altered decades of history and continues to, in less than 30 words. Global Shift is a book with remarkable insight. Peter Dicken rather than attempting to define the commonly misused word, explains Globalization in a clear and logical fashion, which interconnects numerous views. Dicken takes full advantage of his position to write and identify the imperative changes of political, economic, social, and technological dimensions of globalization.
Globalization is a term that is difficult to define, as it covers many broad topics in the global arena. However, it can typically be attributed to the advancement of economic, social, and cultural interactions among the companies, citizens, organizations, and governments of nations; globalization also focuses on the interactions and integration of countries (The Levin Institute 2012). Many in the Western world promote globalization as a positive concept that allows growth and participation in a global community. Conversely, the negative aspects rarely receive the same level of attention. Globalization appears to be advantageous for the privileged few, but the benefits are unevenly distributed. For example, the three richest people in the world possess assets that exceed the Gross National Product of all of the least developed countries and their 600 million citizens combined (Shawki and D’Amato 2000). Although globalization can provide positive results to some, it can also be a high price to pay for others. Furthermore, for all of those who profit or advance from the actions related to globalization, there are countless others who endure severe adverse effects.
Globalization’s history is extremely diversified and began during the beginning of civilization. Now we live in a world that is constantly evolving, demanding people to use resources in locations that are very difficult to obtain certain resources. This could make it completely impossible to operate in these specific parts of the world. However, globalization allows people across the world to acquire much needed resources. Globalization creates the opportunity for businesses to take advantage and exploit the ability to take part of their business to a different country. Nevertheless, globalization is part of today’s society and will be involved in virtually all situations.
Globalization is the increasing interconnectedness of people, places, and cultures throughout the world today. The effects of this homogenizing process that we call globalization can be seen in all aspects of life. From McDonalds being in almost every country, to the majority of North American clothes being made in periphery countries, to the technological ability that allows us to instantly communicate with people anywhere in the world, the effects are everywhere. Economically today, globalization has had both positive and negative effects around the world, with many similarities to colonization. Globalization has also led to increased poverty amongst the global periphery, and a specific group of winners and losers within this process of globalization.