Nationalization, modernization and 'reductive media'

Globalization can be characterized by processes in which people, things, money and information move freely on a worldwide scale and as a result countries and people become homogenized and also differentiated. In the formation of a nation-state, there took place processes analogical to globalization. People, things, etc. moved on a nationwide scale and domestic regions and people became homogenized and also differentiated ( e.g. regional division of industries, formation of social classes). The whole processes can be called ‘nationalization’.

  Nationalization has almost been used to mean ‘nationalization of industry’. However, by regarding it as a much more comprehensive one as above, we would be able to understand the formation of a nation-state much more accurately. Globalization can be now served as a mirror to understand ‘nationalization’.

  It’s also important to differentiate ‘nationalization’ from ‘modernization’. A. Giddens considered that modernization is based on ‘disembedment’. However, the problem is how to conceptualize ‘local contexts of social interactions’ where people were embedded. Simply speaking, they can be thought as ‘existences’ . 

  Accordingly, disembedment can be thought to separate people from various ‘existences’ in which they have been embedded for a long time. Modernization is a process in which ‘existences’ no longer determine ‘actions’, but ‘actions’ regard ‘existences’ as means and/or obstacles. In other words, ‘predominance of actions over existences’ has led us to modernization.

  Why did ‘predominance of actions’ take place?  The answer can be prepared by introducing the concept of ‘reductive media’ (violence, religion, money, science, environment, etc.) which reduce ‘existences’ to something.

  These reductive media have been conflicting or allying with each other. ‘Predominance of actions’ has advanced through such conflicts and has been accelerated by the dominance of money and science as reductive media.

  By utilizing concepts of ‘nationalization’ and ‘reductive media’, we can picture history much more comprehensively.