edu

1. Reading around globalisation
and interdependence

2. © Geographical Association, 2021
Getting started
This presentation is a collection of articles from the GA’s journals. It is
designed to broaden your knowledge and deepen your understanding of
geography, for example to extend your reading for interest, to prepare for
exams, or thinking forward to university.
You could:
• read the articles and make notes, or use graphic organisers to jot down
your thinking
• use the reflective questions to help focus your thinking.
You can view these slides:
• as a slide-show or to follow links
• in ‘normal’ view if you want to add call-outs or extra slides to make notes,
paste images, answer questions.

3. © Geographical Association, 2021
The rise of the BRICS in the global economy
In this paper Peter Lowe argues that
the BRICS have emerged as a
powerful force in the global
economy, with the potential to
significantly change the current
world order. However he also
suggests that the BRICS still have a
long way to go to reach world
dominance.
Reflection
• List the countries that make up the
acronym BRICS. For what reasons did the
global economist Jim O’Neill, develop this
acronym?
• Summarise the key features of the BRICS,
and any differences.
• Figure 3 illustrates the dominance of
China within the BRICS grouping. What
are the prospects for this group of
countries to become successful global
economic powers in a similar way to the
G7 countries?

4. © Geographical Association, 2021
Containerisation – the unsung hero of
globalisation
• What connections does the
author see between the technical
development of containers and
port facilities, changing economic
geography and globalisation?
• How useful is the idea of time –
space compression in
understanding these changes?
In this paper Robert Morris
discusses the development and
impact of the shipping container,
and how it facilitated globalisation
in the 20th century.
Reflection

5. © Geographical Association, 2021
Globalisation: a brief exploration of its challenging,
contested and competing concepts
This article by Graham Butt
introduces the foundations of
globalisation, the different
aspects of globalisation and
analyses how these can be
contradictory. Focus on pp.10–13,
and pp.15–16.
Reflection
• List or draw a diagram showing
globalisation’s different linked aspects.
Can you identify any unifying themes
or ideas?
• Find examples to illustrate the
statement: ‘For geographers … the
spatial aspects of globalisation
regularly come to the fore’.
• Consider: ‘what ought to be taught to
young people about the global’?

6. © Geographical Association, 2021
Geographies of interdependence
Watch these three short GA
videos by Joe Smith on the theme
of interdependence:
• Interdependence
• An interdependent world
• Time, interdependence and
modern industrial practices
You can find Joe’s full paper for
geography here.
Reflection
1. How do you think the idea of
interdependence helps to:
▫ make sense of global processes of
change and interconnection?
▫ think about the boundaries of
politics, ethics, responsibility
▫ understand globalisation?
2. Think of ways that interdependence
links to the big geographical concepts
of place, space, scale, and
environment.

7. © Geographical Association, 2021
Global governance and place making: India,
internationalism and empire in 1930s London
This article by Stephen Legg
introduces India as a key site in British
history, arguing that we can
understand large-scale processes like
globalisation through small sites of
place-making, such as the Round
Table Conference sessions of 1930–
32, which brought Indian leaders to
London.
Reflection
• How is India represented within
the sources of evidence cited in
the article?
• Who was responsible for each of
these and why do you think they
wished to represent the country in
this way?

8. © Geographical Association, 2021
Links
Awarding body Topic
AQA 3.2.1.1 Globalisation
Eduqas 2.2.1 Globalisation, migration and a shrinking world.
Edexcel Globalisation is a long-standing process which has
accelerated. 3.2 Political and economic decision making
are important actors in the acceleration of globalisation..
OCR 1.c Globalisation is changing the food industry.
WJEC 3.2.1 Globalisation. Migration and a shrinking world.
CCEA Unit AS2 3b-c Reducing the development gap, emerging
markets.

9. © Geographical Association, 2021
Acknowledgements
This presentation has been written by John Hopkin, formerly
Head of Accreditation for the GA.