What are the effects of economic and cultural globalization on local communities? This research proposes that economic globalization does not lead to homogeneity of culture, but to heterogeneity. I analyse quantitative and qualitative data for Leixlip, the strongest globalized village in the Republic of Ireland, one of the world's most globalized economies. Dominant economic globalization causes a resurgence of local identity, a reinvention of local history and a revival of the indigenous language. An expansive global identity both provokes and facilitates an explanatory local identity. The results confi rm that globalization of culture creates heterogeneity, but within the context of one world culture, namely as local adaptations of world cultural forms.

This article is a critical analysis of the definition of globalization in sociological studies. It argues that sociologists, unlike economists, have not achieved a commonly accepted definition of globalization. This seriously hinders the development of empirical studies. The ambiguity of the concept of globalization is rooted in three dialectics: globalization-as-a-process vs globalization-as-a-condition; globalizationas-reality vs globalization-as-futurology and one-dimensional globalization vs multi-dimensional globalization. These dialectics are rarely made explicit in different studies on globalization, which contributes to an accumulation of confusion rather than an accumulation of knowledge. The article aims to provide a theoretical framework in which concepts of globalization can be positioned through the formal analysis of a commonly used definition. Conceptual limitations that arise from the choice of a specific concept are highlighted, such as the underestimation of the present when globalization is considered a process, the neglect of internal contradictions when globalization is seen as a multidimensional concept; and the dangers of determinism and ignorance of unique features when the processes of globalization are defined by their sole destination. It challenges the sociological community to position research on globalization within this proposed framework.

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Heterogeneity is a generic term derived from the ancient Greek signifying “other” or “different,” and meaning “race” or “type, class.” In the globalization debate the term “heterogeneity” is generally used to describe a quality of cultural diversity, mostly as antidote of the cultural convergence‐thesis, which proposes an increasing homogenization of culture through globalization. Conceptualizations of heterogeneity are largely related to the interpretation of what culture and cultural identity are comprised of, as well as what globalization entails.

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