Revisiting Late Globalization: A Commentary on Theorizing and Theoretical Deepening

In 2016, the article “Exploring Late Globalization: A Viewpoint” was
published in MGDR (Turcan 2016). It concluded by pointing out that while
there were views about the concept of ‘late globalization’ in multiple
disciplines, the concept was evolving; and, therefore, theories about late
globalization would also continue to evolve. This Dialogue essay, developed
in close consultation with MGDR editors, is another step in such theoretical
evolution.
This essay has three subsequent sections followed by a brief
concluding section. First, a synopsis of the 2016 article is provided, with
some updating. Then this Dialogue essay turns again, like its 2016
predecessor, to the challenge of theorizing. In the second section following
this introduction, a general listing of the constitutive elements of theorizing
in general – for all social sciences – is provided. In the third section, after
the introduction, there is presented a first-cut exercise in showing how the
constitutive elements of theorizing play out in the case of ‘late globalization’.
This section lays out the theory-building bricolage for late globalization. It is
an illustrative model of the type of groundwork that needs to be done before
serious theorizing, in full detail and depth, can begin. In the short concluding
section, once again, the evolving nature of theorizing of late globalization is
emphasized. The concluding section offers some general overall guidance
to keep advancing the theorizing and theory building process.