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Globalisation and Social Change

NCERT Class 12 · Sociology Based on NCERT Class 12 Sociology textbook · Free CBSE study kit

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Chapter Notes

Overview
This chapter explores the multifaceted process of globalisation and its profound impact on social change in India. It moves beyond a simple definition of global interconnections to examine the distinctive economic, political, and cultural dimensions of contemporary globalisation, including liberalisation, the role of transnational corporations, the IT revolution, and the emergence of a new international division of labour. The one big idea a student must walk away with is that globalisation is not a uniform or neutral force; it creates new opportunities for some while causing loss of livelihood and cultural disruption for others, and its effects must be understood through the sociological imagination that connects the local to the global, the personal to the public.
Key Concepts (17)
Globalisation
Globalisation refers to the growing interdependence between different people, regions and countries in the world as social and economic relationships come to stretch world-wide.
e.g. A farmer in a remote Indian village is affected by WTO rules on agriculture, while an urban consumer enjoys imported fruits like Chinese pears and Australian apples.
Liberalisation
Liberalisation refers to a range of policy decisions that the Indian state took since 1991 to open up the Indian economy to the world market, involving the steady removal of rules that regulated Indian trade and finance regulations.
e.g. The removal of quantitative restrictions (QR) on imports from April 1, 2001, allowing foreign products to enter the Indian market freely.
Transnational Corporations (TNCs)
TNCs are companies that produce goods or market services in more than one country, oriented to global markets and global profits even if they have a clear national base.
e.g. Coca Cola, General Motors, and Nike are examples of TNCs; some Indian corporations are also becoming transnational.
Electronic Economy
The electronic economy is a factor underpinning economic globalisation where banks, corporations, fund managers and individual investors are able to shift funds internationally with the click of a mouse.
e.g. Rising stock markets and sudden dips in India due to foreign investors buying stocks, making a profit, and then selling them off.
Weightless Economy or Knowledge Economy
A weightless economy is one in which products have their base in information, as in the case with computer software, media and entertainment products and internet-based services; a knowledge economy involves a workforce engaged in design, development, technology, marketing, sale and servicing rather than physical production.
e.g. Event managers, software developers, and call centre employees are part of the knowledge economy.
Globalisation of Finance
The globalisation of finance refers to globally integrated financial markets undertaking billions of dollars worth transactions within seconds in electronic circuits, with 24-hour trading in capital and security markets.
e.g. New York, Tokyo, and London are key centres for financial trading; Mumbai is the financial capital of India.
Digital Divide
The digital divide refers to the gap between those who have access to modern information and communication technologies (like the internet and computers) and those who do not, often along lines of urban-rural, rich-poor, and literate-illiterate.
e.g. While urban middle-class youth have multiple internet connections, rural areas suffer from erratic power supply, widespread illiteracy, and lack of infrastructure like telephone connections.
New International Division of Labour
A new international division of labour has emerged in which more and more routine manufacturing production and employment is done in Third World cities, while design, marketing, and high-value work remains in developed countries.
e.g. Nike shoes are designed in the US but manufactured in countries like Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and now India, shifting production to wherever labour is cheapest.
Fordism and Post-Fordism
Fordism refers to mass production of goods at a centralised location; post-Fordism refers to a system of flexible production at dispersed locations, often used by TNCs to take advantage of cheaper labour globally.
e.g. Instead of making all Nike shoes in one US factory, production is spread across multiple countries based on labour costs.
Glocalisation
Glocalisation refers to the mixing of the global with the local, often a strategy adopted by foreign firms while dealing with local traditions in order to enhance their marketability.
e.g. McDonald's sells only vegetarian and chicken products in India, not beef, and goes vegetarian during the Navaratri festival.
Corporate Culture
Corporate culture is a branch of management theory that seeks to increase productivity and competitiveness through the creation of a unique organisational culture involving all members of a firm, including company events, rituals, and traditions.
e.g. High-flying professionals in software companies, multinational banks, and media firms in metropolitan cities experience a corporate culture with stressful work schedules and exorbitant salaries.
Culture of Consumption
The culture of consumption refers to the promotion of spending and shopping as a pastime, where advertisements and media encourage consumption rather than saving, shaping the growth of cities through cultural consumption of art, food, fashion, music, and tourism.
e.g. The spurt in shopping malls, multiplex cinema halls, amusement parks, and 'water world' in every major Indian city.
Inclusive Globalisation
Inclusive globalisation is a concept that envisions a form of globalisation which includes all sections of society, as opposed to the current process that often benefits the privileged while worsening conditions for the excluded.
e.g. A policy approach that ensures the benefits of globalisation reach small farmers, weavers, and traditional artisans, not just urban professionals.
International Governmental Organisations (IGOs)
IGOs are bodies established by participating governments and given responsibility for regulating or overseeing a particular domain of activity that is transnational in scope.
e.g. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has a major say in the rules that govern trade practices.
International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs)
INGOs are independent organisations not affiliated with government institutions, which make policy decisions and address international issues.
e.g. Greenpeace, The Red Cross, Amnesty International, and Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders).
Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination is the ability to make sense of the connections between the individual and society, the micro and the macro, the local and the global.
e.g. Understanding how a peasant in a remote village is connected to global changes, or how macro policy changes like liberalisation affect personal lives and lifestyles.
Kupamanduka (Well-Frog)
A parable from old Sanskrit texts about a frog that lives its whole life within a well, knows nothing else, and is suspicious of everything outside it, used as a warning against isolationism.
e.g. Amartya Sen uses this parable to argue that India's scientific, cultural, and economic history would have been limited had we lived like well-frogs.
How It Works
Process of Liberalisation in India (1991 onwards)
  1. Step 1: The Indian state decides to change its economic policy in 1991, marking a break from earlier state-controlled economy.
  2. Step 2: The government removes rules that regulated Indian trade and finance regulations, opening the economy to the world market.
  3. Step 3: Reforms are introduced in all major sectors: agriculture, industry, trade, foreign investment and technology, public sector, and financial institutions.
  4. Step 4: The government takes loans from international institutions like the IMF, committing to structural adjustments that involve cuts in state expenditure on social sectors like health, education, and social security.
  5. Step 5: Greater say is given to international institutions like the WTO in determining trade rules.
  6. Step 6: Quantitative restrictions (QR) on imports are withdrawn from April 1, 2001, allowing foreign goods to enter freely.
💡 Students often confuse liberalisation with globalisation. Liberalisation is a set of policy decisions by the Indian state; globalisation is a broader process of growing worldwide interdependence. Liberalisation is one driver of globalisation in India.
New International Division of Labour (Example of Nike)
  1. Step 1: A TNC like Nike designs and markets its products in a developed country (US headquarters in Oregon).
  2. Step 2: Production is initially done in a country with low labour costs (Japan in the 1960s).
  3. Step 3: As labour costs rise in one country, production shifts to another cheaper location (South Korea in mid-1970s, then Thailand and Indonesia in the 1980s, then India in the 1990s).
  4. Step 4: This creates a flexible production system at dispersed locations (post-Fordism), making the labouring population vulnerable and insecure.
  5. Step 5: If labour becomes cheaper elsewhere, production centres move again, leaving workers in the previous location jobless.
💡 The key point is that this process benefits the TNC (lower costs, higher profits) but makes workers globally insecure and replaceable. Students must link this to the concept of post-Fordism.
Process of Glocalisation
  1. Step 1: A global company or product enters a local market.
  2. Step 2: The company adapts its product, marketing, or operations to suit local cultural traditions, tastes, and sensitivities.
  3. Step 3: This is often a deliberate market strategy to enhance acceptability and sales.
  4. Step 4: The result is a hybrid product or practice that mixes global and local elements.
💡 Glocalisation is not purely spontaneous cultural synthesis; it is often driven by commercial interests. Students should not romanticise it as pure cultural exchange.
Impact of Globalisation on Traditional Livelihoods
  1. Step 1: Globalisation opens up Indian markets to cheaper foreign goods (e.g., Chinese and Korean silk yarn, Sudanese gum, imported waste paper).
  2. Step 2: Local producers and workers in traditional occupations face competition from these cheaper imports.
  3. Step 3: Local artisans, weavers, spinners, gum collectors, rag pickers, and traditional entertainers lose their livelihoods as demand for their products or services declines.
  4. Step 4: Examples include women silk spinners in Bihar losing jobs, women gum collectors in Gujarat losing employment, and the dombari community losing audiences to television and circus.
💡 The impact is uneven: urban affluent consumers gain choices, but rural and traditional workers often face a crisis of livelihood. This is a classic example of the sociological imagination connecting micro-level personal loss to macro-level policy changes.
Growth of Telecommunications in India
  1. Step 1: At Independence in 1947, India had only 84,000 telephone lines for 350 million people.
  2. Step 2: By 1980, only 2.5 million telephones and 12,000 public phones existed for 700 million people; only 3% of villages had telephones.
  3. Step 3: In the late 1990s, a sea change occurred: by 1999, India had over 25 million telephone lines across 300 cities, 4,869 towns, and 310,897 villages.
  4. Step 4: Public Call Offices (PCOs) mushroomed to 650,000 by 2000, providing reliable service even in remote, rural, hilly, and tribal areas.
  5. Step 5: Cell phone usage grew from being viewed with distrust in the late 1980s to being a necessity by 2006, with India becoming the fourth largest user.
  6. Step 6: The Government of India initiated the 'Digital India' programme to transform India into a 'digitally empowered society' and a 'knowledge economy'.
💡 Despite rapid growth, the digital divide persists: only one in ten households had a computer at home in 2017-18, and rural areas remain largely unconnected due to erratic power supply, illiteracy, and lack of infrastructure.
Exam Traps — Don't Make These Mistakes
⚠ Confusing Liberalisation with Globalisation
✗ Liberalisation and globalisation are the same thing; liberalisation is just another word for globalisation.
→ Liberalisation refers specifically to the policy decisions taken by the Indian state since 1991 to open up the economy. Globalisation is a much broader process of growing worldwide interdependence driven by technology, politics, and culture, not just economic policy.
✓ Liberalisation is a set of economic policy reforms that opened the Indian economy to the world market, which is one of the drivers of globalisation in India. Globalisation is a wider process involving economic, political, and cultural dimensions.
⚠ Claiming Globalisation is Entirely New
✗ Globalisation is a completely new phenomenon that started in the 1990s with no historical precedent.
→ The chapter explicitly states that global interconnections are not new. India had links via the Silk Route centuries ago, colonialism was a global system, and independent India maintained a global outlook through the nationalist movement, migration, and trade.
✓ While contemporary globalisation has distinctive features like the IT revolution and electronic economy, global interconnections are not new. India has had global links since ancient times through trade, colonialism, and migration. What is new is the intensity, speed, and scope of these connections.
⚠ Ignoring the Uneven Impact of Globalisation
✗ Globalisation benefits everyone equally by providing more choices and opportunities.
→ The chapter repeatedly emphasises that globalisation affects different sections of society differently. While urban affluent consumers gain choices, farmers, weavers, and traditional artisans often face loss of livelihood. The impact is uneven and often worsens inequality.
✓ Globalisation has a differential impact: it creates new opportunities for the urban middle class (e.g., IT jobs, call centres) but causes loss of livelihood for traditional workers (e.g., silk spinners, gum collectors, weavers). The benefits are not evenly distributed.
⚠ Misunderstanding Glocalisation as Pure Cultural Exchange
✗ Glocalisation is a natural, spontaneous blending of global and local cultures that happens organically.
→ The chapter states that glocalisation is 'not entirely spontaneous' and 'not entirely delinked from the commercial interests of globalisation.' It is often a deliberate market strategy by foreign firms to enhance marketability.
✓ Glocalisation refers to the mixing of the global with the local, but it is often a strategy adopted by foreign firms to adapt to local traditions for commercial gain, as seen in McDonald's selling vegetarian products in India.
⚠ Forgetting the Role of the State and International Institutions
✗ Globalisation is purely driven by technology and market forces, with no role for governments or international organisations.
→ The chapter highlights the political context: the collapse of the socialist world, neo-liberal economic measures, the role of the IMF (loans with conditions), the WTO (setting trade rules), and the growth of IGOs and INGOs. The state actively chose liberalisation policies.
✓ Globalisation is driven by economic forces, technological change, and political decisions. The Indian state's liberalisation policies since 1991, loans from the IMF, and the growing influence of the WTO are key political factors that shaped globalisation in India.
⚠ Treating Culture as Static and Unchanging
✗ Globalisation destroys traditional Indian culture, which was fixed and unchanging before.
→ The chapter argues that culture is not an unchanging fixed entity. India has a long tradition of open-ended cultural exchange, and reformers and nationalists actively debated tradition and culture throughout the modern period. Globalisation creates new local and global traditions.
✓ Culture is dynamic, not static. India has historically been open to cultural influences. Globalisation leads to the creation of new hybrid forms (e.g., Bhangra pop, fusion music) and does not simply destroy tradition. The challenge is to ensure cultural change is inclusive and democratic.
Compare & Contrast
Scope and definition
Liberalisation
Globalisation
Liberalisation is a specific set of economic policy decisions taken by the Indian state since 1991 to open the economy to the world market. Globalisation is a broader process of growing worldwide interdependence across economic, political, and cultural dimensions, driven by technology, politics, and economic forces. Liberalisation is one driver of globalisation in India, but the two are not synonymous.
System of production
Fordism
Post-Fordism
Fordism involves mass production of goods at a centralised location, typical of early 20th-century industrial capitalism. Post-Fordism involves flexible production at dispersed locations, where TNCs shift manufacturing to countries with cheaper labour, making production more adaptable but workers more insecure. The shift from Fordism to post-Fordism is a key feature of the new international division of labour under globalisation.
Effect of globalisation on culture
Homogenisation of Culture
Glocalisation of Culture
Homogenisation argues that all cultures will become similar due to globalisation, losing their distinctiveness. Glocalisation argues that global and local elements mix, creating hybrid cultural forms. Glocalisation is often a deliberate market strategy by global firms to adapt to local traditions, as seen in McDonald's vegetarian menu in India, rather than a simple imposition of a uniform global culture.
Affiliation and purpose
International Governmental Organisations (IGOs)
International Non-Governmental Organisations (INGOs)
IGOs are established by participating governments and given responsibility for regulating or overseeing a transnational domain of activity (e.g., WTO sets trade rules). INGOs are independent organisations not affiliated with government institutions, which address international issues and make policy decisions (e.g., Greenpeace, Amnesty International). Both are political dimensions of globalisation but operate differently.
Exam Focus
Marks pattern: This chapter typically appears in board exams with 1-2 MCQs (1 mark each), 1 short answer question of 2-3 marks, and 1 long answer question of 5-6 marks. A case-based or source-based question of 4-5 marks is also common. Total weightage: approximately 8-12 marks.
Most asked: Definition and dimensions of globalisation (economic, political, cultural) · Liberalisation policies of 1991 and their impact · Impact of globalisation on culture: homogenisation vs glocalisation · New international division of labour and its effect on employment · Digital divide in India · Uneven impact of globalisation on different sections of society · Role of TNCs, WTO, IMF in globalisation · Globalisation and traditional livelihoods
Don't skip: Long answer question on the impact of globalisation on culture (homogenisation vs glocalisation) — 5-6 marks; Long answer question on the economic dimensions of globalisation including liberalisation, TNCs, and the new international division of labour — 5-6 marks; Short answer question on the digital divide or the uneven impact of globalisation — 3 marks; Source-based question on the sociological imagination connecting local and global — 4-5 marks
One-Line Revision (read aloud before the exam)
  1. Globalisation refers to the growing interdependence between different people, regions and countries in the world as social and economic relationships stretch worldwide.
  2. Liberalisation refers to the range of policy decisions taken by the Indian state since 1991 to open up the Indian economy to the world market.
  3. Transnational corporations (TNCs) are companies that produce goods or market services in more than one country, oriented to global markets and profits.
  4. The electronic economy allows banks, corporations, and investors to shift funds internationally with a click of a mouse, carrying great risks.
  5. The weightless or knowledge economy is based on information products like software, media, and internet-based services, not physical goods.
  6. The globalisation of finance involves 24-hour trading in capital and security markets in cities like New York, Tokyo, London, and Mumbai.
  7. The digital divide refers to the gap between those with access to modern ICT and those without, especially between urban and rural India.
  8. A new international division of labour has emerged where routine manufacturing is done in Third World cities, making labour vulnerable and insecure.
  9. Fordism is mass production at a centralised location; post-Fordism is flexible production at dispersed locations to exploit cheaper labour.
  10. Glocalisation is the mixing of the global with the local, often a market strategy by foreign firms to adapt to local traditions.
  11. Corporate culture is a management theory that uses company events and rituals to increase productivity and employee loyalty.
  12. The culture of consumption promotes spending and shopping as a pastime, shaping the growth of cities through malls and multiplexes.
  13. Inclusive globalisation is a concept that envisions globalisation that includes all sections of society, not just the privileged.
  14. IGOs are bodies established by governments to regulate transnational activities (e.g., WTO); INGOs are independent organisations addressing global issues (e.g., Greenpeace).
  15. Sociological imagination connects the individual to society, the micro to the macro, and the local to the global.
  16. Globalisation affects different sections unevenly: urban consumers gain choices, but traditional workers like weavers and gum collectors lose livelihoods.
  17. India's global interconnections are not new; they existed via the Silk Route, colonialism, and the nationalist movement's global outlook.
  18. The withdrawal of quantitative restrictions on imports from April 1, 2001, allowed foreign goods like Chinese pears and Australian apples into Indian markets.
  19. The dombari community's livelihood was destroyed by television and radio, which reached even remote villages and made their acrobatic performances irrelevant.
  20. The COVID-19 pandemic led to lakhs of children using cell phones for online classes, highlighting both the potential and the digital divide in education.

MCQs — 10 Questions with Answers

Q1. Which date marks India's withdrawal of all quantitative restrictions (QR) on imports, opening markets to foreign goods?

  • A. April 1, 2001 ✓
  • B. January 26, 1950
  • C. August 15, 1947
  • D. May 1, 1991

Answer: A — April 1, 2001 was when India removed all quantitative restrictions on imports, allowing Chinese pears and Australian apples to compete in local markets.

Q2. Which of the following best defines 'sociological imagination' in understanding globalisation?

  • A. Studying only individual consumer choices in global markets
  • B. Connecting micro (personal lives) to macro (global policies); showing how WTO rules affect a farmer's survival ✓
  • C. Imagining a world without globalisation
  • D. Focusing only on how governments make trade policies

Answer: B — Sociological imagination bridges personal and public domains, explaining how global macro-policies like WTO agreements create micro-level impacts on individual livelihoods.

Q3. Which group of workers in Bihar lost their livelihood due to cheaper imports entering Indian markets?

  • A. Cotton farmers
  • B. Silk spinners and twisters ✓
  • C. Jute mill workers
  • D. Tea garden labourers

Answer: B — Women silk spinners and twisters of Bihar lost jobs when Chinese and Korean silk yarn entered the market at cheaper prices with better shine.

Q4. According to the text, the Silk Route connected India to which civilisations two thousand years ago?

  • A. Only China and Persia
  • B. Only Egypt and Rome
  • C. China, Persia, Egypt, and Rome ✓
  • D. Southeast Asian kingdoms only

Answer: C — The Silk Route historically connected India to great civilisations of China, Persia, Egypt, and Rome, showing globalisation is not entirely new.

Q5. Which of the following statements about globalisation's impact is INCORRECT according to the chapter?

  • A. Globalisation affects all sections of society equally ✓
  • B. Globalisation affects affluent consumers and traditional workers differently
  • C. Globalisation creates both new opportunities and livelihood losses
  • D. Globalisation is a far-reaching process affecting personal and public life

Answer: A — The text explicitly states globalisation 'affects us all but affects us differently'—some gain opportunities while others lose livelihoods; impact is unequal across society.

Q6. What happened to gum collectors in Gujarat following globalisation and import liberalisation?

  • A. They found new jobs in expanding industries
  • B. They lost employment due to cheaper gum imports from Sudan ✓
  • C. They became traders exporting gum to Africa
  • D. They shifted to picking other forest products

Answer: B — Women gum collectors picking from Baval (julifera) trees lost employment because cheaper gum imported from Sudan made their labour economically uncompetitive.

Q7. Assertion: Globalisation creates uniform positive outcomes for all Indians. Reason: It increases product choices in markets.

  • A. Both assertion and reason are correct; reason explains assertion
  • B. Both assertion and reason are correct; reason does not explain assertion
  • C. Assertion is incorrect; reason is correct ✓
  • D. Both assertion and reason are incorrect

Answer: C — The assertion is wrong—globalisation affects different groups unequally (some lose livelihoods while affluent consumers gain choices); the reason is true but doesn't justify the false assertion.

Q8. How did large fishing vessels impact women fish sorters, dryers, and vendors in India?

  • A. They provided employment in processing fish faster
  • B. They depleted fish stocks, reducing livelihood opportunities ✓
  • C. They introduced modern technology for women workers
  • D. They exported fish to international markets benefiting women

Answer: B — Foreign fishing vessels took away fish stocks that Indian vessels traditionally collected, thereby reducing employment for women dependent on fish sorting, drying, and vending.

Q9. According to sociology's approach to globalisation, which connection is most important to understand?

  • A. Connection between Indian government and multinational corporations only
  • B. Connection between removal of import restrictions and what an urban consumer eats at home ✓
  • C. Connection between old Silk Route trade and modern e-commerce only
  • D. Connection between individual nations' economies and global GDP only

Answer: B — Sociological imagination reveals how macro-policy changes (QR removal, WTO agreements) directly affect micro-level personal life (food eaten at home), bridging public and private.

Q10. Based on the text, which statement BEST explains why globalisation is a matter of 'sociological significance'?

  • A. It only benefits large corporations and urban consumers
  • B. It affects different sections of society vastly differently, creating both opportunities and excluding vulnerable populations ✓
  • C. It is a new phenomenon with no historical precedent
  • D. It automatically improves living standards for all workers

Answer: B — The text states globalisation is 'of great social significance' precisely because its impact is unequal—while privileged sections benefit, already excluded populations often face worsened conditions.

Flashcards

What is globalisation in sociological terms?

Globalisation is the process of increasing global interconnection through flows of capital, goods, people, and ideas, affecting personal lives and social structures differently across society.

What happened on April 1, 2001 in India's trade policy?

All quantitative restrictions (QR) on imports were withdrawn, allowing free entry of foreign products into Indian markets.

Name one group of workers who lost livelihood due to globalisation.

Women silk spinners and twisters of Bihar lost jobs when Chinese and Korean silk yarn entered the market at cheaper prices.

What is sociological imagination in the context of globalisation?

Sociological imagination connects micro (individual lives) to macro (global policies), showing how WTO rules affect a distant farmer's survival.

Was India connected to global trade in ancient times?

Yes, the Silk Route connected India to China, Persia, Egypt, and Rome two thousand years ago, showing global interconnection is not new.

How did globalisation affect fish sorters and net makers in India?

Large foreign fishing vessels depleted fish stocks, reducing employment for women fish sorters, dryers, vendors, and net makers who depended on fishing.

What two contrasting views exist on globalisation's impact?

Optimists believe globalisation creates opportunities for a better world; pessimists argue it worsens conditions for already excluded populations while benefiting the privileged.

How has removal of import restrictions changed Indian consumer life?

Chinese pears, Australian apples, and Korean products now appear in local shops, changing what people eat and drink at home.

Why must modern sociology study villages taking global interconnection into account?

Because compression of space and time means villages are no longer isolated entities; WTO rules on agriculture directly affect farmers' survival and livelihood.

What happened to gum collectors in Gujarat due to globalisation?

Women gum collectors picking from Baval trees lost employment because cheaper gum imported from Sudan made their labour economically unviable.

Important Board Questions

Define globalisation and give one example from the chapter showing how it affects people differently. [2 marks]

State globalisation as process of increasing global interconnection through flows of capital, goods, and ideas. Use example of either silk spinners losing jobs (cheaper imports) OR urban consumers gaining product choices OR farmers displaced by WTO rules.

Explain how the removal of quantitative restrictions on imports (April 1, 2001) changed Indian consumers' lives and what it meant for traditional workers. Provide two specific examples. [4 marks]

Show that QR removal allowed foreign products (Chinese pears, Australian apples, Korean silk yarn) into markets → affluent consumers gained choices. Simultaneously, traditional workers (silk spinners Bihar, fish sorters, gum collectors Gujarat) lost livelihoods because they couldn't compete with cheaper imports. Analyse the contradiction: same policy = different outcomes for different groups.

Using the concept of 'sociological imagination,' explain why modern sociology cannot study villages as isolated entities anymore. Show how globalisation connects a remote village to global events and policies. Discuss whether globalisation is truly new to India by referencing historical examples. [6 marks]

Define sociological imagination as connecting micro (personal lives) to macro (global policies) and local to global. Explain compression of space and time means WTO rules on agriculture directly affect village farmers' survival. Counter the 'new' claim by discussing Silk Route (2000 years ago), historical traders/conquerors/migrants showing India always had global interconnections. Conclude: current form may be unprecedented in speed/scale, but global interconnection itself is not new. Show tension between historical continuity and contemporary intensity.

Assertion-Reason Questions for Globalisation and Social Change

Q1. Assertion (A):

Globalisation affects all sections of Indian society equally in terms of benefits and harms.

Reason (R):

The passage demonstrates that while affluent urban consumers gain access to diverse products, women silk spinners, fish sorters, and rag pickers lost livelihoods due to cheaper imports.

Answer: D — A is false but R is true — The assertion is false—the passage explicitly states globalisation 'affects us all but affects us differently' with 'sharply divided' impacts. The reason is actually true and explains why the assertion is wrong, but since the assertion itself is false, the answer is D.

Q2. Assertion (A):

The Silk Route of ancient times is evidence that global interconnections are not entirely new to India.

Reason (R):

Global interconnections necessarily mean the same scale, speed, and form of economic integration as modern globalisation.

Answer: C — A is true but R is false — The assertion is true—the passage uses the Silk Route to show India had historical global connections. However, the reason is false—the passage implies modern globalisation has distinctive NEW features (different scale/speed) compared to historical trade, not that they are identical.

Q3. Assertion (A):

The removal of Quantitative Restrictions on imports from April 1, 2001, is a policy change at the macro level.

Reason (R):

This policy change directly affected individual consumers' access to foreign products and farmers' livelihoods, connecting macro-level policy to micro-level personal impacts.

Answer: A — Both A and R are true, and R is the correct explanation of A — Both the assertion and reason are true. The QR removal is indeed a macro-level policy, AND it demonstrates how macro policies directly affect individual lives—which is precisely why the passage emphasises the sociological imagination to understand these micro-macro connections.

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Case-Based Questions (CBQ) for Globalisation and Social Change

Case Study:

Priya is a 35-year-old woman silk spinner in Bihar who, for 15 years, has twisted silk yarn for local weavers. In 2005, Chinese and Korean silk yarn entered the Indian market after import restrictions were lifted. The imported yarn was 30% cheaper and had a brighter shine preferred by weavers. Within two years, Priya and 200 other women spinners in her village lost their income. The weavers switched to imported yarn, and the local handloom industry collapsed. Priya now works as a domestic helper in the nearby city, earning less than half her previous income. Her two children dropped out of school because the family could not afford fees.

Q1. Which dimension of globalisation most directly caused the silk spinners' job displacement?

  • A. Cultural globalisation through Bollywood
  • B. Economic globalisation through removal of import restrictions and cheaper product competition ✓
  • C. Political globalisation through Indian government restructuring
  • D. Technological globalisation through internet development

Answer: B

Q2. According to the passage's sociological framework, Priya's situation illustrates which key concept?

  • A. That globalisation benefits all workers through job creation in new sectors
  • B. The micro-level personal impacts (job loss, reduced income, children's education) connected to macro-level trade policy changes ✓
  • C. That traditional occupations are naturally replaced by modern industries
  • D. That women workers are more skilled than men and should have been protected

Answer: B

Q3. Why did weavers prefer imported Chinese and Korean yarn despite supporting local spinners traditionally?

  • A. Because Chinese culture is superior to Indian culture
  • B. Because the government forced them to use imported products
  • C. Because the imported yarn was cheaper and had aesthetic qualities (brighter shine) that better suited market demand ✓
  • D. Because local spinners refused to improve their product quality

Answer: C

Q4. Which social consequence of Priya's displacement demonstrates the 'far-reaching' impact of globalisation mentioned in the passage?

  • A. Only Priya's personal income loss
  • B. Only the weavers' shift to cheaper yarn suppliers
  • C. Multiple interconnected effects—job loss, reduced family income, children's educational access, and shift to informal economy employment ✓
  • D. No lasting consequences since Priya found new employment

Answer: C

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Previous Year Questions (PYQ) for Globalisation and Social Change

Real CBSE board exam questions from past papers — free to attempt.

CBSE 2026 · Set Sociology · 4 marks

Globalisation of agriculture or the incorporation of agriculture into the larger global market – a process that has had direct effects on farmers and rural society.

Discuss the role of 'contract farming' in this process of globalisation.

CBSE 2024 · Set 62_Sociology · 1 mark

The policy of liberalisation entails the participation in the ____________, which aims to bring about a more free international trading system.

  • WTO
  • EPC
  • WHO
  • UNCTAD

CBSE 2024 · Set 62_Sociology · 2 marks

The more widespread aspect of the globalisation of agriculture is the entry of multinationals into this sector as sellers of agricultural inputs such as seeds, pesticides and fertilisers. Over the last decade or so, the government has scaled down its agricultural development programmes and the position of government agricultural extension officers in villages has been replaced by agents of seed, fertiliser and pesticide companies.

The more widespread aspect of the globalisation of agriculture is the entry of multinationals into this sector as sellers of agricultural inputs such as seeds, pesticides and fertilisers. Over the last decade or so, the government has scaled down its agricultural development programmes and the position of government agricultural extension officers in villages has been replaced by agents of seed, fertiliser and pesticide companies. Based on the given passage, answer the following question: How is agriculture becoming more commercialised?

CBSE 2023 · Set 62_Sociology · 1 mark

What is not true for globalisation and liberalisation in the rural society?

  • Non-participation in WTO
  • Free international trade
  • Opening of Indian markets to imports
  • Competition from the global market

CBSE 2023 · Set 62_Sociology · 2 marks

How has liberalization impacted the employment patterns in India? Mention any two ways.

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