Geography and scale
Scale is a central concept in geography and yet it is something which is often used uncritically. What do we actually mean by ‘global’? What do we actually mean by ‘local’? If we are to attempt to understand globalization we must appreciate the roots and implications of these terms. These are not esoteric questions – how we interpret scale affects how we construct the world, and therefore what we do in terms of policy. In this sense there is a politics of scale – both personal and institutional. For example, what do members of the anti-globalization movement mean when they say they are fighting a global force? What does the environmental movement mean by ‘think global act local’? What do transnational fruit companies mean when they advertise that they are bringing ‘local’ produce to the ‘globe’? What does a ‘global’ war on terror mean when these actions are concentrated in very specific locations such as Afghanistan or Iraq?