Analyzing Globalization in the 21st Century

In present days there is a widespread agreement that unprecedented worldwide transformations are taking place. Whenever a massive transformation occurs, institutional shifts follow. Universities lie at the heart of the intellectual production process and they play a significantrole in adapting to the all-encompassing changes taking place in the world. They provide the necessary conceptual and practical frameworks for understanding the spirit of the times, and they equip students and scholars alike with the necessary tools to analyse, understand and provide solutions for the challenges the society is facing.
Over the last decade we have observed a mushrooming of inter-disciplinary and inter-continental programmes. The four-continental Global Studies Programme (Master of Social Sciences) being one of the first of its kind, completed in 2012 a decade of successful inter-university cooperation. In tha juncture it became essential not only to asses the contributions of the programme to the field of globalization, but also of the alumni now positioned in a wide array of professional environments including non-governmental organizations, state dependencies, international organizations and academic institutions.
Our mission as universities is to provide a channel for fostering dialogue, stimulating critical discussions and guraranteeing a much needed space for academic interaction in the quest to find common responses for intensifying global challenges. In that direction, the book seeks to compile relevant contributions made by young scholars, alumni and professors addressing key questions on Globalization in the 21st century from sociology, anthropology, cultural geography and international politics.