The Globalization of Nothing

By George Ritzer

George Ritzer theorizes in his provocative new book, The Globalization of Nothing, that the "grand narrative" or social story of this period is a movement from "something" to "nothing." Building on but going beyond his renowned McDonaldization thesis, Ritzer contends that societies around the globe continue to move away from "something," defined as a social form that is generally indigenously conceived, locally controlled, and rich in distinctive content. He argues that we are moving toward "nothing" - that which is centrally controlled and conceived and relatively devoid of distinctive substance. It is in the movement toward the globalization of "nothing" that "something" is lost. More than likely, that "something" is an indigenous custom, a local store, a familiar gathering place, or simply personalized interaction. Thus, the central problem in the world today is defined as "loss amidst monumental abundance (of nothing)." The Globalization of Nothing takes the subject of globalization in new directions, introducing terms such as "grobalization" (the growing influence of, for example, American corporations throughout the world). This book is structured around four sets of concepts addressing this issue: "places/non-places," "things/non-things," "people/non-people," and "services/non-services." By drawing upon salient examples from everyday life, George Ritzer invites the reader to examine the nuances of these concepts in conjunction with the paradoxes within the process of the globalization of nothing. The Globalization of Nothing is ideal as a primary or supplemental text for courses in sociology, anthropology, communication, business, and related disciplines. This book is also recommended for anyone interested in the critical study of contemporary social phenomena.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0761988076
• ISBN13: 9780761988076
• Release Date: July 2003
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 3.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Ritzer's Best, by far

This is a thoughtful, rich, critical, engaging analysis. I was pleasantly surprised. I had major problems with his famous McDonalization of Society -- I thought it was pretty thin, extremely redundant, and gave short-shrift to the profit motive. Furthermore, Ritzer kept re-packing the same ideas in various publications. I was jealous of all the money he was making, but not impressed in terms of scholarly innovation. When I saw this book, I thought: oh, no, here we go again: slick title, slick cover....another money maker for Ritzer and shallow analysis for us. WRONG. Even picking this book up with enormous skepticism, I was totally engaged. This is great stuff. He not only explains his observations carefully, but his analysis of WHY the trend under scrunity is happening is solid. And he gives credit where credit is due -- to Marx, in this case. Good for Ritzer. Ritzer's argument is that products, places, and services that are locally constructed, locally controlled, and full of distinct and special qualities are vanishing. What are proliferating and ever-increasing are products, places, and services that are centrally constructed, centrally controlled, and lacking distinct or special qualities. But he goes beyond this observation and really tries to EXAPLIN it. His critiques of the profit-motive are strong and right on the mark. Sure, there were many things I disagreed with in this book, and things I would take exception to. But ultimately this was solid scholarship, piercing and profound social theory, and a great leap forward for one of sociology's most productive scholars.

A philosophical and clarion warning

The Globalization Of Nothing is an articulate economic thesis by Professor George Ritzer (University of Maryland) that articulately postulates the short and long-term effects of globalization. Claiming that societies worldwide are moving away from "something" (defined as unique and distinctive indigenous social forms), toward the "nothing" (globalized products that are centrally controlled and blandly the same worldwide), The Globalization Of Nothing warns that societies all over the world today are rapidly losing unique customs, local businesses, gathering places, even the hallmark of personal interaction. The Globalization Of Nothing is a philosophical and clarion warning regarding the creeping and homogenizing impersonality of severe economic forces.