Globalization and international migration Essay

Globalization and international migration - Essay Example The object of analysis for the purpose of this assignment is globalisation that can be defined as the spread and interconnectedness of the relationships of people, cultures and economic activities globally. Economic globalisation, in particular, is the spread and interconnectedness of technologies, production and communication. A similar description of globalisation is given by Giddens who states that globalisation is the intensification of global social relations that join or link distant localities in a manner that happenings in the local area are shaped by events taking place thousands of miles away even as local happenings shape the events that take place thousands of miles away. International migration, on the other hand, simply refers the movement of people across international borders, either within a region or overseas/across continents. In the contemporary world, international migration is a core aspect of globalization. However, it is evident that international migration is rarely considered in the current discussions of globalisation, and even if it is, the debate is limited to a residual category. This shows that the contribution made by migration globally in the intensification of relations in the fields of labor and economic activities, cultural affairs and values, and social and political links has been ignored. International migration is a central factor in the achievement of economic, social, political, and cultural transformation, their spread and interconnectedness.... Many countries also trace their experiences of economic, social, political and cultural transformations and interconnectedness to the colonial and post colonial times. Colonisation involved massive international migration where the colonialists moved to various parts of Africa and America conquering societies and colonising them. In some cases, it also involved forced labour migration in the form of slave trade. Although many of the colonised nations suffered at these times, colonisation can be said to have been crucial in bringing about globalisation in these areas, which led to drastic, economic, socio-cultural and political changes in them. At these times, the colonial governments helped to establish important transnational networks which facilitated the flow of labour, goods, finance, technologies ideas, and practices between the colonies, the colonisers and other political establishments. In respect to the above discussions, the present scenario of globalisation is paradoxical. Currently, the world is interconnected more than ever. Technological, trade and financial flows have been liberalised, but contrastingly, the mobility of individuals across borders runs up against the stringiest ever barriers which restrict it. Tapinos and Delaunay (48) observe that international migration seems to be completely excluded from the current globalization process. This exclusion is the greatest contrast between the new trends in the global economy and the two great previous globalization periods. By leaving out the factor of human mobility, this narrow view of globalization raises a threefold question of economic efficacy, ethics, political realism, and the question relating to the long-term sustainability of the world development