Overview
George Ritzer theorizes in his provocative new book, The Globalization of Nothing, that the "grand narrative" or social story of this period is a movement from "something" to "nothing." Building on but going beyond his renowned Mc Donaldization thesis, Ritzer contends that societies around the globe continue to move away from "something," defined as a social form that is generally indigenously conceived, locally controlled, and rich in distinctive content. He argues that we are moving toward "nothing" – that which is centrally controlled and conceived and relatively devoid of distinctive substance. It is in the movement toward the globalization of "nothing" that "something" is lost. More than likely, that "something" is an indigenous custom, a local store, a familiar gathering place, or simply personalized interaction. Thus, the central problem in the world today is defined as "loss amidst monumental abundance (of nothing)."
The Globalization of Nothing takes the subject of globalization in new directions, introducing terms such as "grobalization" (the growing influence of, for example, American corporations throughout the world). This book is structured around four sets of concepts addressing this issue: "places/non-places," "things/non-things," "people/non-people," and "services/non-services." By drawing upon salient examples from everyday life, George Ritzer invites the reader to examine the nuances of these concepts in conjunction with the paradoxes within the process of the globalization of nothing.
The Globalization of Nothing is ideal as a primary or supplemental text for courses in sociology, anthropology, communication, business, and related disciplines. This book is also recommended for anyone interested in the critical study of contemporary social phenomena.
Synopsis
The title is only an entry to the discussion, warns Ritzer (sociology, U. of Maryland). In fact, he explores two types of globalization, one with three subtypes; their relationship to something as well as to nothing; four basic types of nothing and something; and five continua to differentiate among and between them. He also warns that many of his arguments are counterintuitive, counterfactual, and sometimes deeply troubling. The treatment can be used as a textbook for social science courses. Annotation ©2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Editorials
Savannah Jones
"Readers will come away from this revision with not only a new way of looking at globalization but also a sense of the problems posted by the globalization of nothing and the need to find ways to deal with its pernicious aspects. "—SIRREADALOT.ORG
Victor N. Shaw
“The author does an excellent job in describing and explaining nothing, something, grobalization, glocalization,
globalization, and their interrelations. Examples are drawn closely from life.
They are touchable and powerfully illustrative. The discussion flows well and the text is highly readable.”
Douglas H. Constance
“The book will make a valuable contribution to literature. . . . This book continues the trajectory of Mc Donalization by providing a more sophisticated analytical frame to interpret globalization.”
Steve Zehr
“The book’s strength is that it takes a look at the big picture and is not timid in developing a case for the nothing/something continuum and the increasing globalization of nothing. We have an insufficient number of books in sociology that take on big agendas.”
Hernan Vera
"The Globalization of Nothing is a brilliant essay that develops revolutionary ideas based on sharp, penetrating observations. This book is truly the product of a
"sociological eye." I do no exaggerate when I use the term
"revolutionary." The author presents a phenomenon—or set of phenomena—that stretch sociology's phenomenological field. . . . After you become aware of nothing, you need to rethink the world and the way you look at it."
Douglas Kellner
“George Ritzer’s The Globalization of Nothing provides a highly original take on globalization that illuminates aspects of globalization neglected in standard works. Ritzer produces a wide range of categories, some original, to delineate how globalization produces
massification, homogenization, and standardization of consumer products and practices and thus produces a worthy successor to his books
The Mc Donalization
of Society and Enchanting a Disenchanted World: Revolutionizing the Means of Consumption.”