Globalization is now widely discussed, but the debates often focus on economic issues. A lucid a nd engaging writer, John Tomlinson goes far beyond traditional discussions to analyze the wide-ranging cultural, social, a nd mo r al aspects of globalization. Tomlinson begins this ambitious project by studying the relationship between globalization a nd contempo r ary culture, explaining the impo r tance of time a nd space concerns, cultural imperialism, ",deterrito r ialization,", the impact of the media a nd communication technologies, a nd the possible growth of mo r e cosmopolitan culture. We come to understa nd how someone may face unemployment as a result of downsizing decisions made at a company's head office on another continent, o r how the food we find in our grocery sto r es is radically different today fr om twenty years ago. He discusses the uneven nature of the experience of global modernity in relation to first a nd third wo r ld countries, a nd concludes that a genuinely cosmopolitan culture is unlikely to emerge unless we respect cultural differences a nd share a common sense of commitment about the wo r ld.