Beyond Globalization to Local Regeneration

Even today, the vast majority of people struggle to meet their basic needs because of unequal patterns of world trade established in colonial times. The end of a colonial system of domination “in no way implies the end of world economic dependency” (Osterhammel, 1997, p. 71). Although post-colonial nations were essentially sovereign in the economic sphere, independence “was a long way from liberation from the networks and dependencies of the world economy that had been built up in lengthy processes”. Not a single post-colonial state possessed the conditions for “auto-centred” development independent of international "entanglements". Decolonization gave the ex-colonies freedom of action, but seldom the opportunity to exploit it to full advantage (Osterhammel, 1997, 117).

While it is true that the dramatic crises in the “majority world” cannot be attributed solely to the legacies of European colonial rule, the effects of colonization are ubiquitous.[1] “The post-colonial world has retained forms of manipulation, exploitation, and cultural expropriation, even if colonialism itself belongs to the past.” (Osterhammel, 1997, 119) Globalization is one of the more obvious manifestations of this social and cultural repression carried out by political and economic powers. The neat, apparently objective definitions of “globalization” mask this strategy of manipulation. The OSCE, for example, defines “globalization” as ‘a process through which markets and production in various countries become ever more dependent on one another because of the dynamics of the exchange of goods and services and through the movements of capital and technology’ (Perna, 1998, 19). This definition is misleading because it gives the impression that the world market is open to all those who wish to compete in it. Suffice it to say that multinational corporations are responsible for two-thirds of world trade and half of this is between different parts of the same corporation. (NI 322, 19). The 48 poorest countries of the world receive only 2% of international private investment (Perna, 1998, 161).

One of the most dramatic consequences of the manipulation, exploitation, and cultural expropriation in the post-colonial world is that work and nature have become the most disrespected of all “merchandise”. We go to such great pains to care for inanimate objects such as cars, computers, and electronic equipment, but we are indifferent to the marginalization and “massacre” of people, the destruction of forests, and the loss of biodiversity (Perna, 1998, 35).

Local Regeneration in the Mediterranean

In the era of “globalization”, more and more people are being left out. The gap between the "have" and "have not" is widening. Many of the “contradictions, threats and tensions of our age are concentrated in the limited space of the Mediterranean, with large-scale pollution and erosion of the environment, civil wars and armed conflicts, extreme nationalism, racism, religious fundamentalism, the denial of identity, ethnocentricity, arms dealing and nuclear proliferation, exclusion, economic dependence, the poverty trap, the destitution of street children, demography, and migratory flows that are out of control.” In reality, despite its aspirations to cultural identity, the Mediterranean is still “marginalized in comparison with the large regional groups which are officially recognized by States and Intergovernamental Organizations” (Antolini).

The civil society actors participating in the international workshop, “Beyond Globalization to Local Regeneration - Building Partnership for a Sustainable Future in the Mediterranean” held in Malta in April, 2000, reflected on two interconnected themes: the widening gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots' and environmental degradation in the region. By focusing on this double challenge in synergy the participants discussed ways and shared ideas on how to help create a counterveiling force to the processes that exploit and exclude people while respecting the resource base on which their livelihood depends.

The various experiences shared during the workshop prove that it is still possible to create a society which is more just and liveable, which respects the dignity of human beings and values the natural world. The economy of solidarity, fraught with difficulties and contradictions, is nonetheless alive and kicking, bringing together those who have been excluded from development and those who have suffered from over-development, all victims, in different measure, of the process of "merchandisation" on a world scale.

The credibility of such an international workshop lies in its ability to reflect in its mechanisms and internal dynamic the same values which it attempts to promote. Thus if such an workshop attempts to promote an alternative economy built on human dignity and relations as opposed to market forces and anonymity its mechanisms and internal dynamic ought to reflect the same values. The size of the workshop itself, with 20 full-time participants, permitted a human scale dimension to the proceedings. Participants not only discussed sustainability issues but also got to know each other and enjoyed each other’s friendship. If one of the negative impacts of globalization is the shifting of the balance of power from public to private interests a response at a local level requires a totally different approach to power. Not least this approach requires the constant exercise of cooperative values and the use of power to facilitate the self-development of all.

Sustainability in a post-colonial world

The success of the meeting will depend on how much the individual partners around the region will be able to promote concrete initiatives in favour of what Elisabetta Bottaro called “a social and economic development which is sustainable and balanced, aimed at the attainment of a basic objective: to create a zone of shared prosperity that respects human and material resources”.

Because of its holistic approach and its ability to provide answers to economic, environmental, and cultural problems, fair trade is one way to ensure a sustainable future in any region. This workshop set itself the task of promoting fair trade in the Mediterranean, with Malta as the central point of reference. Another effective tool to ensure a sustainable future is ethical finance which provides the necessary financial facilities for small-scale, disadvantaged producers and workers to work their way out of poverty and social exclusion.Unlike the market economy, where people and the relationships that exist between them are considered less important than the work they do and what they produce, in fair trade, people and relationships are more important than functions and products.

The success of initiatives such as fair trade and ethical finance depends on an educational approaches that prepare citizens to face and respond effectively to the double challenge of social and environmental sustainability. Environmental Education (EE) and Development Education (DE) have an important contribution to make towards sustainability.

The first intergovernmental conference on EE that convened in Tbilisi, Georgia, USSR, in October 1977 concluded that EE should create new patterns of behaviour of individuals, groups and society as a whole towards the environment. 

“Environmental Education must look outward to the community. It should involve the individual in an active problem solving process within the context of specific realities, and it should encourage initiative, a sense of responsibility and commitment to build a better tomorrow. By its very nature EE can make a powerful contribution to the renovation of the educational process.”

Development Education is a process which fosters the knowledge, skills and attitudes that promote justice and equality in a multicultural society and an interdependent world. It should lead to greater recognition of other people and their rights through processes which encourage the drawing up of strategies together.  

The values and skills promoted by EE and DE are in conflict with the dominant postcolonial culture based on manipulation, exploitation, and cultural expropriation. A world order in favour of more social and environmental justice, and a change in power relations, constitutes an exciting agenda for civic action. The various experiments of fair trade, ethical finance and a citizen-based approach for combating desertification have one thing in common - a transformation of the systems of power for a sustainable future in which all people can live in dignity and fulfillment. It requires courage to build a partnership where such complex (and potentially personally demanding) issues are explored and proposals put forward and implemented. This requires a learning process that is proud of its role in society and that is prepared to accept the challenge of paving the way to a better future.

The Mediterranean 2000 project website is at www.geocities.com/mediterran2000.

Vince Caruana and Adrian Grima

References

            Antolini, Paola, "Poverty, Water Solidarity and Desertification: Mediterranean Challenges and South-South Perspectives", International Workshop, Mediterranean 2000: Building Partnership for a Sustainable Future in the Mediterranean, Malta, 29-30 April, 2000

            Bottaro, Elisabetta, "What is Microfinance?", International Workshop, Mediterranean 2000: Building Partnership for a Sustainable Future in the Mediterranean, Malta, 29-30 April, 2000

            New Internationalist, 322, April 2000

            Osterhammel, Jürgen, Colonialism: A Theoretical Overview, Markus Viener, Princeton NJ, USA/Ian Randle Kingston Jamaica 1997. Translated by Shelley L. Frisch (Originally published in German, Kolonialismus, Verlag C. H. Beck, Munich, Germany, 1995)

            Perna, Tonino, Fair Trade: La Sfida Etica al Mercato Mondiale, Bollati Boringhieri, Turin, Italy, 1998

            "The Tbilisi Declaration", First Intergovernmental Conference on Environmental Education, UNESCO/UNEP, Tbilisi, USSR, 1977