What is Transnationalism? Why should it bother you?

The new buzzwords around D.C. since Obama took office are many and confusing. One phrase is "Transnational Globalization Economy" . . . Try saying that five times real fast without biting your tongue!

Since I have absolutely no idea what it means, I looked it up on the Internet today and this is all I could find that I could actually make any sense out of.

This still leaves me scratching my head, so if any of my readers know anything more on this subject, PLEASE feel free to enlighten me and everyone else who is scratching their heads as well.


Transnationalism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

Transnationalism is a social movement grown out of the heightened interconnectivity between people all and the loosening of boundaries between countries.

The term was coined in the early 20th century by writer Randolph Bourne to describe a new way of thinking about relationships between cultures.

Transnationalism as an economic process involves the global reorganization of the production process, in which various stages of the production of any product can occur in various countries, typically with the aim of minimizing costs. Economic transnationalism, commonly known as Globalization was spurred in the latter half of the 20th century by the development of the internet and wireless communication, as well as the reduction in global transportation costs caused by containerization. Multinational corporations could be seen as a form of transnationalism, in that Multinational Corporations seek to minimize costs, and hence maximize profits, by organizing their operations in the most efficient means possible irrespective of political boundaries.

Proponents of transnationalism seek to facilitate the flow of people, ideas, and goods between regions. They believe that it has increasing relevance with the rapid growth of globalization. They contend that it does not make sense to link specific nation-state boundaries with for instance migratory workforces, globalized corporations, global money flow, global information flow, and global scientific cooperation.

Transnationalism designates a recent shift in migration patterns. Migration used to be a rather directed movement with a point of departure and a point of arrival. It is nowadays increasingly turning into an ongoing movement between two or more social spaces. Facilitated by increased global transportation and telecommunication technologies, more and more migrants have developed strong transnational ties to more than one home country, blurring the congruence of social space and geographic space.

Diasporas, such as the overseas Chinese, are a historical precursor to modern transnationalism. However, unlike people with transnationalist lives, most diasporas have not been voluntary. The field of diaspora politics does consider modern diasporas as having the potential to be transnational political actors.