Date of Award

Summer 2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Chair

Robert Pauly

Committee Chair School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Member 2

Robert Press

Committee Member 2 School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Member 3

Julie Reid

Committee Member 3 School

Social Science and Global Studies

Committee Member 4

Thomas Lansford

Committee Member 4 School

Social Science and Global Studies

Abstract

Globalization is on the rise across the globe. In many instances, nationalism appears to be, too, as evidenced by the anti-immigrant and “nation first” rhetoric and success of presidential candidates, such as Donald Trump in the United States and Sebastian Pinera in Chile. However, the author questioned whether nationalistic attitudes are truly on the rise across the globe and what conditions cause some countries to shift toward nationalistic attitudes in the face of rising globalization, while others to shift away from it. She utilizes descriptive statistics, case studies, and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to analyze the conditions that influence how a country responds to globalization. The conditions under investigation include socioeconomic status, equality, immigration, cultural globalization, cultural emancipative values, and fear politics. She found that the combination of slow improvements in socioeconomic status coupled with the usage of fear politics leads to an increase in nationalistic attitudes. Conversely, strong improvements in socioeconomic status coupled with significant rises in globalization (without bringing about rapid cultural change) and leaders who do not use migration to instill fear lead to a decline in nationalistic attitudes. As globalization expands, it brings both problems (e.g., global pandemics) and solutions (e.g., Paris Climate Accord). People can respond in different ways – embracing globalization or resisting it. As nationalism often leads to violent and repressive acts against certain groups of people, it is important to encourage responses to globalization that are inclusive of all people across the globe. Encouraging strong socioeconomic improvements and working against the use of fear politics can aid in shifting societies away from a nationalistic orientation.

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