Street Protests and Fantasy Parks: Globalization, Culture, and the State

Tami Oliphant is a Ph.D. candidate in Library and Information Studies at the University of Western Ontario.

The editors both teach political science at the University of Toronto;
Stein is also director of the Munk Centre for International Studies. As
they point out at the outset, globalization is nothing new; it’s been
around since the days of the Roman Empire. While the discourse on
globalization typically focuses on the economic implications, this book
looks at the often underemphasized social and cultural implications, as
well as the role of the state in dealing with globalization processes.

Each chapter, or case study—from John Hannigan’s analysis of the
global entertainment economy and its affects on public space and city
planning policy; to Ronald J. Deibert’s primer on the possible role of
the Internet in MAI activism; to additional case studies on
communications, citizenship, and social activism—reveal the complex
and diverse effects of globalization. A recurring theme is the efforts
of the Canadian government to balance the protection of cultural
industries with the American model of aggressive free markets. In the
concluding chapter, Cameron and Stein cogently argue why the democratic
state still matters.

This carefully edited, thoughtful, and highly readable book is aimed at
academics, journalists, and policymakers.