BOOK REVIEW : The Globalization Syndrome: Transformation and Resistance

This article is a scholarly review of the book "The Globalization Syndrome: Transformation and Resistance" by James H. Mittelman. The reviewer provides an overview of the book's main contribution, which is a critical analysis of the multifaceted process of globalization and the various forms of resistance it has generated. The review highlights the book's key arguments, including its conceptualization of globalization as a complex "syndrome" of interconnected transformations and its focus on the counter-movements and forms of resistance that have emerged from civil society. The reviewer assesses the strengths of Mittelman's analysis, his theoretical framework, and the empirical case studies he presents. The review concludes by affirming the book's importance as a significant and nuanced contribution to the critical literature on globalization.

This article offers a critical review of James H. Mittelman's influential work, "The Globalization Syndrome: Transformation and Resistance." The review begins by positioning the book as a key text in the critical, post-neoliberal scholarship on globalization. It summarizes the author's central concept of the "globalization syndrome," which views globalization not as a simple or benign process of integration, but as a complex and often-contradictory set of transformations that have both positive and negative effects. The reviewer discusses the key themes of the book. This includes Mittelman's analysis of the major drivers of globalization, from multinational corporations to international financial institutions. A central focus of the review is on the second half of the book's title: "resistance." It highlights how the book provides a rich and detailed account of the diverse forms of counter-hegemonic globalization, from the transnational advocacy networks of NGOs to the grassroots movements of workers and environmentalists. The review would praise the book for its balanced perspective, which avoids both a simplistic boosterism and a blanket condemnation of globalization, and instead offers a nuanced analysis of its dialectical nature. The review would conclude that "The Globalization Syndrome" is an indispensable resource for students and scholars seeking a critical yet sophisticated understanding of the most powerful transformative force of our time and the ways in which people around the world are actively shaping its trajectory.