Ascending the Altar…
In Gotham’s Shadow: Globalization and Community Change in Central New York by Alexander R. Thomas studies the fortunes of three communities – Utica, Hartwick, and Cooperstown – with extensive historical background, economic, demographic and other analyses and observations. The narrow focus may be frustrating from the standpoint of other Upstate communities, but its clear that the story of globalization presented in this relatively thin volume resonates beyond the Mohawk Valley. This is a recommendation for anyone wishing to understand the history and particularly the microscale effects of globalization at the community level and Upstate New York in particular.
The political and economic dynamics found in these three communities are not limited to central new York. Upstate New York is littered with communities sharing similar stories, as are many other regions throughout the United States. The coal-producing Appalachian Mountains, the agricultural Great Plains, and the rust belt of the Great Lakes are all summoned to mind when one considers the story of central New York. They all share in their subordination to global interests that have increasingly looked beyond their borders. Living in the shadows of the world’s greatest city no longer confers the benefit it once did. As the world economy marches on, upscaling will continue to benefit larger cities at the expense of their smaller neighbors. How long will it be before Columbus or Hartford lose ground to Detroit or Boston? Or Philadelphia and Baltimore to New York and Washington? As the concentration of capital favors the largest cities among us, how long will it be before sociologists talk of primate cities in modern societies? Like the warriors of Aztec foes, many more communities will ascend the altar of the global free market.
- From the conclusion of “In Gotham’s Shadow”.