Throughout chapter eight, the audience is exposed to different examples of globalization. Globalization is referred to as “a contemporary form of cultural and economic integration facilitated by electronic media, international financial institutes, trade agreements, and national immigration policies” according to Gwyn Kirk and Margo Okazawa-Rey (Kirk and Okazawa 2013,G-3). In other words, globalization is how different nations interact, exploring each other’s cultures, and sometimes adopting their customs. This sharing of ideas is made possible by migration, which is defined as “huge movements of people mainly according to the needs and priorities of dominant nations” (Kirk and Okazawa 2013, 364). An example of such a movement took place during the seventeen and eighteen hundreds when 12 million West Africans were migrated to the “New World”, and other parts of the world as slaves (Kirk and Okazawa 2013, 364). Towards the end of this era, the United States was also gaining industrial power, causing a large migration of European immigrants who were seeking better economic opportunity and a more fulfilling life. With the abolition of slavery, the United States saw workers of many ethnic backgrounds begin to migrate in to fulfill the new need for laborers. However, it is important to note that not all globalization is a result of mass migration; globalization can occur a number of other ways. We will discuss three such movements which take place across and within national borders including transracial/transnational adoptions, tourism, and trafficking (Kirk and Okazawa 2013). Transnational adoption is when families adopt a child from a foreign country (Kirk and Okazawa 2013). Due to media glamorization in cases such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, many people view transnational/transracial adoptions as a gracious act. The idea being sold is that the adoptive parents are giving the child a better life. What some people tend to overlook is that these children are sometimes forcefully removed from their birth mother and expected to adapt to another country’s culture. This can cause internal struggles as the child tries to develop a sense of identity and belonging in a foreign country. As they struggle with these issues, some children may choose to reconnect with their biological family and embrace their culture of origin. These transnational relationships and sharing of culture help to increasingly globalize our world, connecting cultures, customs, and traditions across national borders. Another important movement is tourism. Tourism is when people travel to other countries for the purpose of exploring their culture (Kirk and Okazawa 2013). Individuals can go about this through study abroad programs or using extra money they have to travel. With tourism, tourists are exposed to other people’s cultures, but it often happens in an artificial way. Often times tours are made to seem exotic and intriguing, when in reality they are just for show and do not depict an accurate representation of the culture of the local community. In addition, tourism can often have a negative effect on the local community. Large international and national chains harm local small businesses, and the work they offer is often temporary and low-paying (Kirk and Okazawa 2013). The last movement to discuss is trafficking. Human trafficking, according to Lora Jo Foo, Gabriela Villareal, and Norma Timbang is, “the recruitment, harboring, movement, or obtaining of a person by force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of involuntary servitude, debt bondage, or slavery”(Kirk and Okazawa 2013, 367). In simpler terms, people from poorer countries are sent to wealthier more powerful nations in order to do work. Both men and women are trafficked for their labor in industries such as “agriculture, domestic service, restaurants, hotels, manufacturing, construction and the sex industry” (Kirk and Okazawa 2013, 367). Trafficking takes place within nations, and over international borders, playing
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Speaking of women working in the sex trade, Biemann states in her article, “unless they go out with the customers and provide personal entertainment and sexual services, they will not earn a living”(Biemann 2013, 403). Driven by a need for survival, women around the world are forced into prostitution and can become victims of sex trafficking. While it is morally wrong to use a women for sexual pleasure for money, it is a common way women are brought across borders, in order to make a living and benefit the
Speaking of women working in the sex trade, Biemann states in her article, “unless they go out with the customers and provide personal entertainment and sexual services, they will not earn a living”(Biemann 2013, 403). Driven by a need for survival, women around the world are forced into prostitution and can become victims of sex trafficking. While it is morally wrong to use a women for sexual pleasure for money, it is a common way women are brought across borders, in order to make a living and benefit the