In this light, globalization is expressed through regionalism.
Regionalism can also be seen as a response to globalization. As different regions around the world start to share similar views and become cooperative with one another, regional loyalties and models become more accepted and promoted.
In some ways, globalization seems to drive regionalization. For example, globalization is widely blamed for diminishing the American dollar, which means that imports are no longer as attractive. While this is no so good for America, a long-term decline on the dollar will drive local suppliers to develop new capacities. In addition, as the price of oil and fuel rise due to transportation, local, pricier suppliers suddenly do not seem so expensive, as companies are starting to accept the real price that is paid for a good or service.
Globalab (2007) argues that there is no direct causal relationship between globalization and nationalism, but that the two phenomena are still related. According to the site, "their interplay is mediated by the field of identity-construction, and only indirectly affects the way individuals operate in relation to their social environment." According to Castells, identity is 'the process of construction of meaning on the basis of a cultural attribute,...
For a given individual, or for a collective actor, there may be a plurality of identities,... [but these are] a source of stress and contradiction in both self-representation and social action' (Globalab, 2007).
Even if globalization does not cause nationalism, it likely alters the way people relate to their own national identity by redefining things like their relationship with territory and space, which are the founding blocks of nationalism. As a result, it changes the way people behave politically, reinforcing their national identity.
Bibliography
Bhagwati, Jagdish (2004). In Defense of Globalization. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.
Breuilly, John. (1993). Nationalism and the state. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Brym, R.J., ed. (1986) Regionalism in Canada. Toronto: Irwin.
Kacowitz, Alex. (December, 1998). Regionalization, Globalization, and Nationalism. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.
Globalab. (March 16, 2007). Globalization and nationalism: the missing link. Retrieved from the Internet at http://globalab.wordpress.com/2007/03/16/globalization-and-nationalism-the-missing-link/.
