Globalisation, Education and Policy Research: Globalisation Theory and Neoliberalism: A New Theory for New Times?

The chapter discusses the general nature of globalisation theory and identifies the key arguments. After that the chapter points out the centrality of media and communications in several noted globalisation theorists’ work, calling into question their preoccupation with new media technologies and their assumption that the impact of those technologies is historically so significant that it necessitates a complete renewal of social theory. A consequent point, developed in the final two sections of the chapter, is that at the same time as globalisation theorists have diverted attention to new communication technologies and networks, they have shown a massive disinterest in powerful political and economic forces that continue to shape the society. I will argue that this feature is not unrelated to the specific historical conjuncture in which globalisation theory rose to prominence, that is, the post-1989 period characterised by the collapse of the Eastern Bloc and the global triumph of neoliberal capitalism. Besides analysing the contours of globalisation theory, the chapter also addresses its political implications, namely the question of whether or to what extent neoliberalism, as a political ideology, has affected the focuses and ways of reasoning that are typical for globalisation theory.