Wikipedia as a space for discursive constructions of globalization

Abstract

The notion of globalization has yielded a rich literature, both scholarly and popular, that reveals the highly contested nature of the meaning of the term. This article focuses on Wikipedia as one of the most popular reference sites worldwide, and compares, through computer-assisted text analysis and qualitative reading, entries for the word ‘globalization’ in six major Western languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian. Given Wikipedia’s model of open editing and open contribution, it would be logical to expect that definitions of globalization across different languages reflect variations related to diverse cultural contexts and collective writing. Results show, however, more similarities than differences across languages, demonstrated by an overall pattern of economic framing of the term, and an overreliance on English language sources. Our findings support some scholars’ arguments about the inherent ambiguity of the idea of globalization, and highlight broader questions of linguistic, technological, and cultural hegemony.