Globalizing Cities: A Brief Introduction

Globalization has been built upon, and maintained by, major urban centers. As the interconnections among these cities grow, more cities become involved as important global nodes, and globalization has an extremely strong influence upon the forms and functions of cities everywhere. This new textbook examines modern cities worldwide through two lenses: as the major nodes in the global economy, and as primary propagators of cultural ideas across the world.

Exploring the ramifications of the continuing penetration of global forces into smaller urban areas, this book clearly distinguishes economic, cultural, and political processes to demonstrate how global attachments are shaping many of the basic features of modern cities. Specifically, the book examines the way cities accommodate huge global flows of people, including migrants, tourists, and the managers of multi-national firms, and the effects this has upon the cultural, economic, and political forces associated with globalization in cities. The main features of the book include:

• a balanced emphasis upon how economic, technological, and cultural forces shape both urban and global developments;
• a highly interdisciplinary focus, incorporating major works and ideas from urban scholars writing in sociology, geography, anthropology, and politics;
• detailed case studies of events and activities within specific cities and regions that illuminate major trends;
• end of chapter reading lists of corresponding chapters in The Globalizing Cities Reader, second edition, edited by Xuefei Ren and Roger Keil and published by Routlegde in 2018.

Written in a clear and accessible style, Globalizing Cities: A Brief Introduction will appeal to advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students in both urban and globalization courses within sociology, geography, and urban studies.

Mark Abrahamson is Professor of Sociology (Emeritus) at the University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conneticut, U.S. He is the author of more than 20 books and monographs as well as dozens of research articles in major social science journals. Among his more recent book publications are Global Cities (2004), Urban Enclaves: Identity and Place in the World (2006), Classical Theory and Modern Studies (2010), Urban Sociology: A Global Introduction (2014), and Studying Cities and City Life: An Introduction to Methods of Research (2017).