Globalisation, migration and health : an introduction

The concept of globalisation took place between 1870 and 1914 (Bayly, 2004). It was only popularised in the late 1970s and coincided with the technological revolution and the rise in digital technology use that started to peak at that time. The World Bank has defined globalisation as “the growing interdependence of countries resulting from their increased economic integration via trade, foreign investment, foreign aid, and international migration of people and ideas” (Soubbotina, 2004, p. 83). The process of globalisation has gone through three phases (Table 1). The technological revolution and the rise in digital use were seen as a pathway to facilitate trade and financial transactions worldwide. However, it is worth noting that as early as 1962 McLuhan (1962; 1965) introduced the ‘global village’ theory to acknowledge the global integration of citizens facilitated by electronic media in terms of the world economy, politics, culture, and communication, leading to a collective identity. In this sense, globalisation is conceived as nothing more than a global integration resulting from a global interchange of views, financial trades and flows, commodities, and other socio-cultural, economic, and political aspects shaping the lives of people worldwide.