This book offers a clear and concise account of the key debates in the globalization literature, serving as an accessible introduction to students new to the topic. It deals even-handedly with all the various dimensions of globalization - political, economic, social and cultural - and particularly draws attention to the role of people in processes of globalization. The book's historical dimension and its multicultural focus ensure that globalization is shown neither to be an inexorable process nor one that can be equated simply with Westernization.