Abstract
Globalisation is presented by some as an inevitable force of history. However, it is very much the result of political and policy decisions made by powerful elites to advance their interests. Globalisation is not a benign, neutral process, but ideologically driven in the service of the rich and powerful. This ideology is neo-liberalism, which, in the name of ‘competition’ and ‘effi ciency’, pursues a world in which the ‘market’ reigns over society. The impoverishment of Africa is a consequence of processes begun by political decisions in international organisations in which the odds are stacked against the South. Because of power imbalances, rules are made that disadvantage poor nations. Thus, international agreements have unequal outcomes. This article examines the effects of such decisions through the prism of the decimation of the clothing industry in South Africa. The article concludes with an exposition on insecurity as the leitmotif of the era.
Highlights
This article seeks to unpack the power dynamics underpinning the phenomenon called ‘globalisation’
While globalisation is presented by some as unavoidable and inevitable, something akin to an irresistible force of history, this article argues that it is very much the result of political and policy decisions made by powerful elites to advance and defend their interests
The case study of the clothing industry reveals the functionality of insecurity in the neo-liberal system
Summary
This article seeks to unpack the power dynamics underpinning the phenomenon called ‘globalisation’. This is shown to be increasingly true as the private sector takes over more public sector functions, in determining defence policy in the USA (Galbraith 2004:33–34) Another paradox is that the neo-liberal project is made possible by the very power that it is seemingly seeking to subjugate: the state. The following section will explore the effects of the policy of ‘one-size-fits-all’ trade liberalisation on women working in South Africa It shows how political decisions at the national level are tailor made to fit the dominant international ideological paradigm with scant regard to national or democratic imperatives, such as the socio-economic rights enshrined in South Africa’s constitution
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