Introduction: Globalisation and Transnational Uncivil Society

In contrast to recent literature suggesting that the world economy might be experiencing sustained de-globalisation, this introduction to the volume puts forward the case for thinking of the current conjuncture as one in which the “dark side” of globalisation, inherent in this very process, has simply become too visible to be ignored any longer. Such an argument is rooted in the transnationalist approach in International Political Economy (IPE), which sees globalisation as a double-edged process, which necessarily involves phenomenal technological developments and economic marginalisation, the rise of hyper-integrated regional economies and the widespread de-industrialisation and pauperisation of entire regions of the globe. By taking systematically into account the economic, political and social repercussions of globalisation, its winners and its losers, within and beyond national borders, the book that this chapter introduces contributes to the recent literature that sees the global financial crisis and the rise of “populism” as part of the same historical process. In other words, while the global financial crisis undoubtedly played a role in precipitating the crisis of the liberal global order, the roots of the current anti-globalisation forces are to be sought in the dark side of globalisation.