In this paper, the author argues that we experience difficulty in conceptualizing the nature of globalization. One of the reasons for that difficulty is that most discussions, debates and controversies on globalization are based on specific assumptions, which are not necessarily self-evident. The purpose of this paper is to clarify such assumptions, which are based on a concept called "Globalization" (in contrast to " globalizations" and/or "primary globalization") by the author. This concept of Globalization is, from a reflexive point of view, only a small part of several theoretically possible globalizations. Basically, the concept of Globalization is a modern, Western-centric notion, which presupposes the "center/periphery" dichotomy. In this paper, the author proposes another novel concept, namely, "primary globalization," which could transcend or deconstruct the modern, Western-centric concept of Globalization. By the term "primary globalization," the author means a long-distance, trans-local flow of peoples, commodities, and cultures that has existed since the premodern era to the present, even in the non-Western world. In proposing the concept of "primary globalization," the author points out the possible plurality (or multiplicity) of globalizations, which are neither necessary novel phenomena in human history, nor limited to the Western-centered world. That view of the author on globalization is partly based on a recent trend in historical studies. Especially, historians who belong to the so-called field of "global history studies" advocate a quite unique view of the long-distance trade or flows of peoples and cultures. Among those global history studies are such scholars as P. CURTIN, J. ABU-LUGUD, A.G. FRANK, A. REID, and H. YAJIMA, to name a few. According to those historians, the long-distance, transnational, or even "global" movements or flows of people, commodities, and cultures are not necessary limited to the modern age, nor were they dominated or controlled by the West. On the contrary, in many parts of the world, including pre-modern Asia and Africa, we could notice quite active trans-local flows even before the coming of Westerners. In the first place, the notion of "primary globalization" by the author is inspired by those global history studies. However, there is also a conceptual difference. In case of historical studies, relatively speaking, much emphasis has been placed on the historical dimension of past events or phenomena, such as the long-distance trade network in the so-called 13c world system described by ABU-LUGUD. On the other hand, in the case of the "primary globalization" proposed by the author, one can utilize that concept as a conceptual tool for grasping the present ethnographic reality in the contemporary world. In that regard, the author tries to verify the empirical validity of the concept of "primary globalization" when examining the present situation in the contemporary Islamic world in general, particularly in the case of the contemporary Muslim secessionist movement in Mindanao (southern Philippines). Firstly, the case of Islamic world itself is quite interesting in regard to globalization in general, and primary globalization in particular. The Islamic world existed even before the beginning of the Western domination and colonization of the world. As a matter of fact, even in the 13c, the Islamic world encompassed vast areas stretching from North Africa (Magreb region) on its western edge to insular Southeast Asia on its eastern frontier. The regions covered by the Islamic world were mutually connected through a network of trade and pilgrimage routes as parts of a broader system, as argued by ABU-LUGUD. At first glance, the broad world of Islam and its network were cut and broken by the Western colonial
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