Aubri Paredes
Professor Mark Shirk
December 1, 2014
Throughout the years, there has
been an increase in the interactions of different nations. The countries that inhabit this earth are seamlessly
coming together in a sense where they are better equipped to interact with each
other. This change could be due to the progressions of the world as whole, new
technological advances that allow the world to more easily communicate with
each other, progressing realization that communications between nations make
many aspects more feasible, etc.
While interconnectedness is
steadily growing and an important aspect of globalization, nationalism seems to
withstand this growing sentiment as it also prevails in today’s society. In the
book, How Soccer Explains The World by
Franklin Foer, Foer speaks about the relationship between globalization and
nationalism, although these can be viewed as being contradictory. Foer mentions
that “the roots of Barca’s cosmopolitan nationalism run too deep. They are a
part of the national culture and part of the club’s founding spirit. In 1899, a
Swiss Protestant businessman called Joan Gamper joined with English expats to
launch FC Barcelona. It is stunning that a foreigner created what would become
a defining institution of Catalan nationalism.” This excerpt successfully mentions
how, although very different, nationalism and globalization are relatable.
Continuing on the above statement,
the Swiss businessman prosperously manages to use such a strong sentiment as
nationalism when he established FC Barcelona. On the other hand, this is a
prime example of globalization because Joan Gamper was a foreigner who was able
to construct a significant entity, which relies heavily on nationalism. He managed to have this entity prosper the way
FC Barcelona has throughout the years.
In the book when elaborating on
globalization Foer mentions that, “Barcelona became a great trading city deeply
entangled in the global economy, growing into an industrial giant.” This goes
to show the positive influences that globalization can have on a nation. It can
allow a nation to competently progress and be able to establish trade, etc.
which in the long run helps build a countries economy.
All in all, although nationalism and
globalization differ in definition, these two concepts were successfully
related and described by Joan Gamper in How
Soccer Explains The World. Foer also illustrates how globalization can have
a huge impact on a nation in the long run.
I think that Foer does an excellent job of, like you said, demonstrating the connection between nationalism and globalization. I believe that it is almost necessary for the two to coexist. Nationalism exists as a result of interaction with other nations because citizens have pride in their nation compared to others. Soccer brings countries together, contributing to globalization, but the competitive nature of the sport fosters a continued sense of nationalism.
ReplyDeleteI think you make an excellent point about the nature of and relationship between globalization and nationalism. While they are very connected and may seem almost opposite in definition, they do not vary inversely. Increased globalization can be helped by nationalism and vice-versa. This was an excellent blog post, interesting read.
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