Emphasising the technological and cultural influences of globalisation, Giddens (2011) rightly points out how developments in communication systems dating back to 1960s have transformed our lives: “… the image of Nelson Mandela maybe more familiar to us than the face of our next door neighbour, something has changed in the nature of our everyday experience” (p. Technological innovations have annihilated geographical boundaries and promoted the penetration of Western commercial values into all spheres of life (Keohane & Nye, 2000 Morley & Robins, 1995). The third interpretation sees globalisation as a part of the significant transformation taking place in information and communication technology. Those theorists who view globalisation as fundamentally an economic phenomenon argue that it is the outcome of global capitalist formation and consolidation of the capitalist world order (for example, Gill 1995 Robinson, 2011). Globalisation as a cultural process has been seen as an extension of mass media and the consequent universalisation of western mores and culture (Brine, 1999 Hall, 1991 Morley & Robins, 1995 Olssen, Codd & O’Neill 2004). The authors argue, it is a process of becoming global, and can occur at multiple levels.Įxplanations of globalisation interpret the concept in one of three ways: (a) as a culture based process, (b) as global capitalist development and (c) as a consequence of the growth of information technology. According to O’Byrne and Hensby (2011), globalisation is “best defined as one particular form of contemporary global change” (p.
Giddens (2011) points out that we live in a globalised world that is being transformed at every level and is affecting every aspect of our life.
According to Edwards (1995), globalisation is the “compression of the world and intensification of the consciousness of the world so that people, services and goods are available to each other across the globe through a variety of means… and ways” (p. However, the discourse related to the concept remains abstract and without clarity. There are many explanations of this phenomenon that is affecting every aspect of daily life. Globalisation has become a salient feature of our age, coming to occupy a central place in contemporary social sciences and other disciplines of study. It is thus critical to understand this phenomenon and the transformations it has brought about. Globalisation is also responsible for the unprecedented mobilisation of people, drawing them into an economic, social, political and cultural centre. Globalisation has ushered vast historical change in terms of social relations, culture, politics and education. This paper explores different perspectives about globalisation and its implications for early childhood education.