Chapter 5: The Emerging Issues of the ‘New Era’

My new book has highlighted the key trends and developments that have emerged since I wrote my last book, in 2014. It can be observed that much has happened over a relatively short space of time. In particular, my notion of the ‘Post-ideal’ mode of activity is now firmly placed and established as the operational paradigm of the field.

The commercialisation of the field is now beyond recall, and the market is firmly entrenched within serving the ‘localised’ consumer (of which, we know little about). The geography of the field is now firmly positioned within a ‘GIAC Zone’ nexus of activity, where the dominant economic forces of (English-language driven) globalisation are meeting (for now, at least) the sociopolitical forces of neo-liberalisation. This is a powerful set of globalised market forces, historically akin to a ‘gold rush’ (Machin, 2017), although potentially precarious. We would be wise not to forecast too far into the future, and I have been reluctant to take the data in my book beyond 2027.