Power and Place in a Globalised World
The world we live in has become increasingly globalised in the last few decades, and is continuing to do so further. Globalisation has caused the study of Human Geography to become more important in today’s world. The topics of power and place are huge parts of this study. Globalisation has caused our world to become smaller and more accessible. However, globalisation has led to an uneven development across countries. The idea of power is highly concentrated in well-developed countries, but is almost non-existent in countries that can’t compete with the modern and fast-paced lifestyle in countries of Western Europe, North America, and Australia and so on. The world has in fact become a “global village”. Countries are well-connected and with global flows of goods and services and capital. This has caused a massive gap between the rich and poor. Although power is uneven and unfairly distributed across countries worldwide, the idea of place isn’t. Place is something unique and treasured in each country, regardless of how globally connected that country is. Globalisation has merely caused different cultures in various societies to be influenced by each other and caused merging of different traditions and customs. Each place however, is unique to its own.
The idea behind globalisation is to make the world become more integrated and connected. Although this is true for the most part, there is a clear uneven development of power across the world. There is a high concentration of power in well developed countries such as the United States, England, Japan and others. In order for a country to be considered global, they must have strong political, social and economic connections. Therefore, these global countries have power over these sectors. Ireland is among these influencing countries. As part of the European Union and having an ideal location, Ireland has become a first option for large multi-national corporations who wish to broaden their business and set up abroad. Large corporations that have set up base in Ireland such as Intel, Apple and others have increased our country’s economic position and social standing on a global scale. The gap between rich and poor countries is huge and is still increasing as powerful countries continue to strive. This causes less powerful countries to have very little say in global issues and little part-take in international trade. Major regions such as the United States primarily have say in global concerns or topics.
Power in our global world is mainly implemented through economic institutions, both governmental and private. A major aspect of power is capitalism. Karl Marx founded the idea that economic institutions closely linked with political institutions and exploit the working class. Power is undistributed both locally and globally. Economic globalisation and new political practises being invented has caused transformations socially and spatially, changing where power stems from. Countries with vast amounts of capital that are striving economically, hold higher power than those that don’t.
Place is a broad term that consists of the idea of merging people and space together into one. Space exists in our eyes, but place is imagined by people and is socially and culturally constructed. Globalisation has affected place in many different ways. For example, place is now influenced greatly by various different culture groups and is often mixed due to travelling and easy access to communication. Place is heavily defined by people. Tim Cresswell explains that “sense of place refers to the subjective feelings evoked by a place for both insiders (people who live there) and outsiders (people who visit)”. People give meaning to the place that they are in. Although one person, for example, might see the land as barren and empty, another might see it as sacred and special. For example, in New Mexico the landscape is mostly desert, as shown in Figure One. The sense of worth of this place was hugely different in the opinions of the Anglo-American explorers in comparison to the Navaho Indian settlers. While the Anglo-American explorers thought this place cold and barren, the Navaho Indian settlers had a strong sense of place and found the location sacred.

Figure One – The Four Corners, Colorado, New Mexico. Photograph by Irina Smirnova, National Geographic. The almost completely barren land is a landscape worshipped by the Navaho Indians as they believe the land is animate and sacred. A much different perception than the Anglo-Americans.
This idea can also be seen on a more personal and local level. For example, the Quad, seen in Figure Two, on the grounds of University College Cork is a place that many of the college’s students may have a sense of belonging and place that has been moulded through the years of studying here.

Figure Two – The Quad, University College Cork. Photograph by Shannon Moran, my shot. This image of the Quad was taken at night time in UCC. It is one of the most symbolic places in UCC.

This contrast in opinion is due to the difference in culture and society. Tuan stated, “Place incarnates the experiences and aspirations of a people. Place is not only a fact to be explained in the broader frame of space, but it is also a reality to be clarified and understood from the perspectives of the people who have given it meaning.” Because of globalisation, however, these opinions are being crossed and changed. Views from different societies are being exchanged. Globalisation has led to a more open-minded world and therefore more accepting world of place and belonging.
Place also shows the culture and the society that belongs there. Each country or city or even small town has something unique to their own. For Dublin, it may be the spire. For London, it may be the London Eye, or for Paris, the Eiffel Tower. Place is space that people have inhabited and shows their history and their culture. For example in the small town of New Ross, Co. Wexford, the quay displaying monuments as seen in Figure Three, shows the history of the town and the type of people that live there. It is a place distinct to that small town that makes it rare from others.

Figure Three - An image of the Emigrant Flame in New Ross, Co. Wexford. Photograph by Shannon Moran, my shot. The Emigrant Flame is a monument set up on the quay of the small town to commemorate those who immigrated to New York on the Dunbrody Ship, also located in New Ross.
Globalisation has impacted our concept of place. The world has truly become a global village. As Doreen Massey explains, “Your clothes have probably made in a range of countries from Latin America to South-East Asia. Dinner consists of food shipped in from all over the world.” The boundaries that once separated one place with another has become blurred as the world has become increasingly globalised. It is now easier for large multinational corporations to set up business in multiple cities across the globe, it is now easier for food to be shipped from one place to another. All these give us a variety and a taste for other cultures and places, making place less restricted. One street in a city, for example in Figure Four, can have numerous retail outlets from across the globe with a diverse range of produce from countless different countries, all at our fingertips.

Figure Four - Opera Lane, Cork City. Photograph by Shannon Moran, my shot. The bustling street shows consumers buying from top brand corporations such as Gap, Villa, New Look, and H&M among others.

Before globalisation, buying clothes from Japan was merely impossible, whereas now the idea is not even considered. Another example would be the English Market, County Cork (Figure Five). The market stocks fresh produce from around the globe daily, from countries as close as England to as far as Brazil. We don’t need to travel to faraway places to taste what they have to offer, further enhancing the idea that we live in a “global village”.

Figure Five - The English Market, Cork City. Photography by Shannon Moran, my shot. This image taken on a quiet evening shows the world renowned English Market, a market selling produce from both local farms and from across the globe.

The topic of power in a globalised world, in conclusion, highlights the issues between an increasing rift between rich and poor. Uneven distribution in economic trade and politics have caused power to be focused primarily in dominant, developed countries. However, place is an idea unique to each country. Every place has its own inimitable feature. This causes attachment to the place by its people. Space is worshipped and respected by the people who live there. Globalisation has caused these places to become more integrated and connected. Globalisation overall is a positive aspect of the world modernising and coming together as one. Although there are many complications in the movement of globalisation, it is a work in progress and is only going to increase and allow countries and cities to become further connected.

References
Cresswell, T. (2004) Place: A short introduction, Massachusetts: Blackwell, pp. 1-3.
Marx, K. (1857) The Grundrisse: Foundations of the critique of Political Economy, London: Penguin, pp. 538-539.
Massey, D. (1994) Space, Place and Gender: A global sense of place, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Smirnova, I. (2014) National Geographic. Available at: http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/road-trips/four-corners-southwest-road-trip/ , 15th, February, 2015.
Tuan, Y. (1977) Space and Place. The Perspective of Experience, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.