Ruth Rikowski feels passionately about an Open Marxist theoretical analysis in considering globalisation, or rather “global capitalism” as she prefers to call it. In Globalisation, Information and Libraries she shares this passion along with excellently researched views on the topic with the reader. She challenges many of our assumptions on capitalism and raises questions on some of the most significant decisions taken by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The emphasis is on decisions that are of importance to library and information professionals. The most important of these are GATS and TRIPS. GATS is the acronym for General Agreement on Trade in Services and TRIPS is the acronym for Trade‐related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights.
The book is divided into four parts, namely:
- 1.
globalization and the WTO;
- 2.
GATS;
- 3.
agreement on trade‐related aspects of intellectual property rights; and
- 4.
an open Marxist theoretical perspective on global capitalism and the WTO.
In total there are 13 chapters. The book concludes with an extensive 30‐page bibliography and three detailed indexes, namely author index, index of places and organisations and subject index.
First, the meaning of globalisation is considered. The impact of GATS and TRIPS are then analysed from an international perspective. Among other issues the following are considered: public goods, private goods and commodities, countries that have signed up their library services to the GATS, the position of various library associations and other cultural bodies on an international level with regard to GATS, and practical examples of how GATS is affecting on libraries in the UK. TRIPS and copyright are also examined with special reference to moral and economic rights in copyright, patents, traditional knowledge, and information and libraries in the developing world. The author demonstrates how TRIPS threatens principles embedded in the library and information profession, such as the balance in copyright and the disadvantages that it holds for developing countries.
Rikowski feels very strongly that an Open Marxist philosophy can offer a solution to theoretically analysing the issues. In her words:
My position in brief is that the continued success of capitalism is dependent upon the continued creation and extraction of value from labour, and that only labour can ever create value … The true nature and horror of global capitalism can only ever be fully under‐stood and exposed by adopting such a grounded, theoretical approach [Open Marxist theoretical analysis], … and then relating it to practical considerations.
According to Rikowski, this is the only way to become proactive instead of waiting for evolutionary processes to take their course, “so we need to analyse the world and then seek to change it”.
Globalisation, Information and Libraries concludes by demonstrating how the developing world will continue to suffer as a result of the WTO, while rich countries and large corporations reap most of the benefits:
Through Marxism we can understand why the GATS and TRIPS are being introduced, why it is so difficult to stop the process, why the WTO in general is so important and so powerful, and why it largely represents the interests of the rich countries and large corporations. Furthermore, Marxism prevents us from going round in circles, which can happen if one tries to analyse all this within an overall moral framework, or indeed from any other perspective, theoretical or otherwise.
My only criticism is that I sometimes found the structure a bit confusing, for example chapters including several conclusions and introductions and then also a concluding comment and a summary. This, however, does not in any way detract from the fact that the author can write with authority about the topic.
Regardless of whether you share Ruth Rikowski's sentiments and beliefs, Globalisation, Information and Libraries is an excellently researched publication written by an expert who is passionately against a TINA philosophy (There Is No Alternative – to capitalism). It should certainly be read by all librarians and information professionals, and especially by decision makers in the field, as well as the leaders in professional associations.
