This site uses cookies.
Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site,
while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used.
For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
This person has a SecurePRO™ card. Because this person is not a ProZ.com Plus subscriber, to view his or her SecurePRO™ card you must be a ProZ.com Business member or Plus subscriber.
Affiliations
This person is not affiliated with any business or Blue Board record at ProZ.com.
Translation - English Ulrich Beck: Cosmopolitanism Vision - the way out for globalization
"The world is out of control. The individual must cope with the uncertainty of the global world by him or herself. Neither science, nor the politics in power, nor the mass media, nor business, nor the law nor even the military are in a position to define or control risks rationally... The success of modernity… increases all kinds of risk."
How to live when old certainties are shattered or revealed as lies? It was a question put up at the very beginning of the speech by Professor Ulrich Beck, worldwide-renowned sociologist from Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. On 4 September, he answered PKU students: Cosmopolitanism, with a detailed illustration of his theory developed from his now widely used concepts of second modernity, risk society and reflexive sociology.
"The cosmopolitan model is about acknowledging difference and the dignity of difference," he says. "I think it’s a matter of survival in this explosive, risky, global society." It involves not only securing human rights at a transnational level but also what he calls a politics of golden handcuffs, the creation of a dense network of transnational interdependencies to secure human rights, to scupper cheap wages, insecure employment, tax havens and other intolerable symptoms of globalization.
Prof. Beck gave an introduction of the three stages in the development of the concept "globalization":
The beginning of the 20th century unveiled the emergence of the idea "globalization". Global trade was continually being elevated, bringing an ever-tightening relation between members of the international community. Some people began to raise questions with regard to the shrinking world, while quite a few others claim in favor of this trend. However, during this period there failed to come into being an organic relation between the nation states. "Globalization" was therefore not yet regarded as crucial, not to mention people's full understanding of either its essence or manifestation.
With history advancing into the latter half of the 20th century, the world was building up mutual links in almost all aspects. As these internal connections became ubiquitous, we couldn't help but wonder the core motives that lay underneath. Meanwhile, an ever-increasing number of political organizations and activists are acting up across the boundaries of nation states. Normative social values, such as human rights, have gained universal acceptance.
During the first period of globalization, it was the nation state that guaranteed civil rights. Yet in many cases, a nation state would just carry out a set of policies when dealing with domestic affairs and a contradictious one for external issues. Fascist regime once appeared to be fighting for the rights of the citizens while as a matter of fact it was sparing no effort in persecuting and slaughtering.
After the critical analysis of these two periods, Prof. Beck put forward his opinion. What he's pursuing is a "Cosmopolitan Vision" - one that is not merely a macro, superficial impression, but rather tightly related to people's daily life. He tried to clarify, via his own concept and theories, the fact that we are by no means segregated by containers; on the contrary, we are in a status characterized by indivisible connections.
This status becomes more obvious than ever in the third period, beginning from around the turn of the century. Yet with a transition of epistemology of the time, there emerged a paradox: we assume our lives rooted in nation states; but does the assumption fully explain today's international order?
The same difficulties are confronted by sociologists. Once everything becomes so closely connected, is it critical to redefine the research units in sociology? Nation state-based outlooks might still serve as a direct approach, but it can't be denied that the objects of observation have actually become fairly vague.
The essence and methodology of nation states have long been included in sociological research principles, making "nationalism" a hot issue in modern sociology. Yet the blending of sovereignty and political economy has strongly contrasted with the subjects of sociology that are mutually repellent. To undo the firm knot, Prof. Beck introduced the concept "Cosmopolitanism Vision in Social Sciences".
Cosmopolitanism differs from Universalism, which aims at the eventual eradication of differences and its logic could lead to incredible conclusions like "real Jews are not Jews" or "real women are not women". In addition, Universalism neglects the origin of each one of the particularities. Universalism could be detected in Enlightenment - a "particular" experience of Europe.
Cosmopolitanism also cannot be equated with Nationalism, which tends to standardize some ethics and values while striving to lay a clear division with the external world. Nationalists seek equality domestically but emphasize disparity when going global. Unpredictable as it is, Nationalism finds outlets in both civilized and savage ways. Often it obtains stability by declaring others as barbarous. Meanwhile, cosmopolitanism holds in belief that a variety of religions would not pose as a threat but rather fosters a more pro-innovation environment. This idea just might make the improbable possible, namely the survival of humanity in the 21st century without a lapse back into barbarism.
Is Cosmopolitanism practical? Prof. Beck firmly said yes, as the foundations of the cosmopolitan regime are already in place in the form of the international criminal court, but he still argued that there should be more - new institutions, democratic reforms of the IMF and World Bank.
In a world with cosmopolitan order, those bearing more identity and specialty always gain more respect. Despite the reality consisting racism and nationalism, it is still our will to pursue cosmopolitan outlooks to re-clarify concepts as "class", "equality" and "governance".
The relation between nation states and the globalized world has transformed the rules in the game of power. Hence it is necessary that the government should cooperate closely with political/economic agents. China has set a brilliant example in fighting against SARS. The EU has succeeded, as a cosmopolitan organization, in disarming rivals within Europe and promoting cooperation on the same legal basis between different states.
The study of sociology is constrained by the geographic limitation of its own birthplace. Yet sociology in the 21st century must learn to introspect itself. "Neo-liberalism, nationalism, fundamentalism - somehow they don’t work any more in globalization. Cosmopolitanism could do."
Chinese to English: English Translator General field: Social Sciences Detailed field: Other
Source text - Chinese （节选）北京桂馨慈善基金会是公益性非公募基金会。基金会遵循平等、互助的原则，旨在以慈爱之心，扶贫助困。致力于改善处于困难境地的社会群体的学习和生活状况。主要工作领域是在贫困地区和灾区开展教育方面的资助，以及其他有助于改善当地民生的公益慈善项目。
Translation - English (Excerpt)Green
English to Chinese: Interpreter for Seasons Place Beijing 2009 Italian Week General field: Bus/Financial Detailed field: Business/Commerce (general)
Source text - English n/a
Translation - Chinese n/a
More
Less
Experience
Years of experience: 18. Registered at ProZ.com: May 2009.
Expertise