Going off the Rails: Social Impacts of Crisis and Globalization

If the leading topic of debate in social science and policy in the 1990s was globalization, the theme emerging in the 2000s is imperialism. The relationship between the two terms is one of inclusion: globalization refers to the long-term historical trend of greater worldwide interconnectedness; imperial episodes are part of this trend, so empire is part of globalization Both terms are multidimensional and kaleidoscopic, therefore, they should be understood and dealt with in a kaleidoscopic manner. Our intention in the present paper is to include in our discussion not just the point of view of political science and international relations, but also of economic dynamics and global inequality, technological changes and military affairs, as well as cultural attitudes and discourses.