Twelfth Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Though the origins of globalization have been widely debated, the usage of the term can be attributed to the end of the cold war and the beginning of the twenty-first century. It signified the growing complexities of human and material interactions all across the globe- a phenomenon unprecedented in many ways. At this juncture, one finds the interplay between the sphere of the ‘global’ and the ‘local’. But what does it mean for envisaging the modern nation states? Does globalization erode state sovereignty and make borders redundant? What does it entail for defining ‘diversity’ among people and cultures? This paper seeks to argue that even today borders are still relevant in many regions across the world especially Asia and Africa in the light of various border disputes. In Europe and America, borders are often seen as measures to tackle new challenges brought about by globalization- mainly control of human flows and material goods. Though globalization has led to the shrinkage of time and space to a large extent, it has also brought new challenges and threats that multiply with people to people, capital and technological inter-linkages. The underlying issue now becomes how nation states respond to globalization and chart the future course of humanity.