Andreas Hyussen’s main goal of the text is to educate oneself on the history and development of various cities around the world. He believes that it is important to acquire more information about the historical evolution of modernity in non-Western urban areas, the conflicts and constellations caused by it, and the consequences of this occurrence for city cultures in general. Besides gathering writers and collecting essays from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and other non-Western locations, the writer inevitably reviewed his ties to foreign intellectuals, the experience gathered from partaking in international conferences, and the information acquired from traveling. This made him want to learn the contents of urban imaginaries of visitors and inhabitants and how said imaginaries contest and reflect cultural globalization.
Urban imaginaries are cognitive images of a city that vary in perspectives and are collections of memories and experiences. Andreas believes that how people perceive a city may explain the ways they act in it. He believes that the concepts of globalization and global culture are a mistake, as there is no such thing as one unified culture and never will be. However, instead, he offers another perception of the concept, which acknowledges the differences of each culture while not denying Western influences. At first, globalization was analyzed from a political, IT, and economic perspective; however, it was later reviewed in city research conducted by social sciences. Andreas then criticizes the past predictions of the cities losing their traditional function, demonstrating that urbanization has become more dominant. Moreover, he accentuated the extreme emphasis on the West.
Meanwhile, the writer acknowledges the flaws of anti-globalization, believing that its supporters view it from a one-sided perspective. To correct this, he believes that people should focus on history and cultural knowledge while acknowledging the differences. The writer’s other claim is that Americans have a different perception of modernity from that in Europe, as the latter was usually associated with the European Enlightenment. Finally, Andreas states that this concept is not limited to Western countries and that the main areas of cultural globalization are developing megacities. Closer to the end, the writer compares the perspectives that he featured in the essays in his volume, depicting locations such as Bombay, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo, Istanbul, Mexico City, and Johannesburg. Throughout the section Notes on Essays, he compares how each of the cities differs in development and characteristics, such as the racial tensions in Johannesburg and colonization’s effect on Buenos Aires and Bombay. Throughout the Introduction section, he uses not only essays as examples but also perspectives of such individuals as Saskia Sassen, David Harvey, and Italo Calvino. The explanation of context, past history, and the implementation of these works support Andreas’ perspective.
The supporting claims are rather convincing, as the writer genuinely tries not to be biased and even attempts to challenge some of the one-sided views depicted in the Introduction. Nonetheless, in the Notes on Essays section, he maintains a neutral attitude, explaining why the writers perceive their cities the way they do. I believe that Andreas’ perception of globalization is more realistic, as it is better to have an improved comprehension of non-Western countries than to attempt to unify them under the influence of one location. The writer’s views on urban imaginaries may motivate the reader to have a diversified understanding of the history and development of various cities. That way, the text may teach people how to expand their horizons and review the flaws of one-sided perspectives on anti-globalization and the overemphasis on Western cities during the research of urbanization.