The multiple grounds of global research. Describing the shape of Globalization studies in three different language-specific spaces.

This paper presents evidence about the convergences and contrasts in globalization research across English, French, and Spanish. Performing a semantic mapping of scientific publication in three language-oriented databases (Web of Science, HAL-SHS, and SciELO) presents patterns for how globalization has been framed around distinct and shared objects in three linguistic spaces. Results show a marked contrast between research performed in English, focused on finance, global governance, and business competition; in French, stressing territorial dimensions and historical contexts; and in Spanish, stressing developmental challenges and impacts of rising trade openess. Still, convergences emerge around shared research objects like social movements, human-nature relations, and higher education. By comparing similarities and language-based traits, this study illustrates the critical role of language in scientific communication, grasping existent multiplicity in Globalization research. This comparison reveals that globalization research, rather than representing a uniform global conversation, reflects a complex interplay of local and global perspectives, where language serves not only as a medium of communication but as a crucial factor in shaping research agendas and theoretical frameworks. Our findings suggest that globalization can not be considered a mere additive or aggregative process and that linking diverse and asynchronic aspects is a critical component of reflexive takes on the process. These results emphasize that social sciences, far from being a bystander, serve as a critical mediator of globality.