The Psychology of Globalization

The Psychology of Globalization: Identity, Ideology, and Action underpins the necessity to focus on the psychological dimensions of globalization. Overviewing the theory and empirical research as it relates to globalization and psychology, the book focuses on two key domains: social identity and collective action, and political ideology and attitudes. These provide frameworks for addressing four specific topics: (a) environmental challenges, (b) consumer culture, (c) international security, and (d) transnational migration and intra-national cultural diversification. Arguing that individual social representation and behavior are altered by globalizing processes while they simultaneously contribute to these processes, the authors explore economic, political and cultural dimensions.

"You have heard the old song that what the world needs now is love, apparently. What the study of globalization desperately needs now, however, is the masterpiece before us. I guarantee that, as with any book that has such a breath taking scope, you will encounter ideas and conclusions that will provoke you and some you may disagree with. I certainly did. I also guarantee that nowhere else will you find such a lucid and compact yet comprehensive treatment of the role of psychology in understanding the form of the world around us today: the world as we experience through our screens and on our streets and spend so much time arguing about. That success clearly rests on the intelligence of the observations of this brilliant writing team, people who have made important theoretical and conceptual contributions to the material they cover."—Craig McGarty, Social Sciences and Psychology, Western Sydney University

"This is an essential text for anyone seeking a scholarly and comprehensive analysis of the psychology of globalization. Drawing on the explanatory power of the social identity meta-theory, each chapter addresses critical issues about the ways in which individuals, communities, nations and business interconnect to mutually reflect, and transform, one another. It addresses difficult problems, problems that need to be addressed in the 21st century but which hitherto have evaded detailed, critical analysis of the form presented here. Authoritative yet accessible, it will change the way that you think about how you live your life in the 21st century." —Emma Thomas, Flinders University, Australia

"In this eloquent and stimulating book the authors skillfully tackle some of the big and burning questions of globalization: consumer culture, national belonging and immigration and climate change. They do so by teasing out in a systematic manner the interrelation between self and collective identity, attitudes and political ideologies, technological advances in communication, and contemporary forms of collective action. The book not only provides a surprisingly lucid and concise overview of main research and psychological models in question but also offers many critical insights as to how the concepts of identity and ideology matter (or fail to matter) for collective action. This book is simply a must for anyone (student, researcher, policy-maker) interested in the political psychology of contemporary global transformations!"—Danny Kaplan, Bar Ilan University, Israel, Author of “The Nation and the Promise of Friendship: Building Solidarity Through Sociability”