British sociologist Giddens’s book became a foundational text in the analysis of emergent globalization. He posited that we do not live in a postmodern world, but rather are in a period of ‘high modernity’ characterized by abstract social relationships, temporal acceleration, the fragmentation of once-sacred understandings of knowledge and truth, etc. He argued that the advance of industrialism, capitalism, and bureaucracy de-links people from their local situation and is thus a depoliticizing and alienating force.