Globalisation and Development

Rousseau's Social Contract and a Theory for Global Citizenship

by Oscar de la Parra

CALL FOR PAPERS: Journal Special Issue: Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies

by Karen Soldatic

CALL FOR PAPERS:
Journal Special Issue: Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies
more CALL FOR PAPERS:
Journal Special Issue: Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies

Disability and Colonialism: (dis)encounters and anxious intersectionalities

Guest Editors: Shaun Grech (Manchester Metropolitan University) & Karen Soldatic (University of New South Wales)

We are pleased to announce that we will be guest editing a special edition entitled Disability and Colonialism: (dis)encounters and anxious intersectionalities on behalf of the established refereed journal Interventions: International Journal of Postcolonial Studies.

The aim of this special issue is to position disability within the colonial (the real and imagined), through which to explore a range of (often anxious) intersectionalities as disability is theorised, constructed, and lived as a post/neocolonial condition. While postcolonial theory and associated fields (e.g. critical theory, cultural studies etc.) have engaged with race, gender and ethnicity in the exploration of themes of identity, representation, space, historicity and the neocolonial, they have almost wholly bypassed disabled people- paradoxically limited to the subjectification of the able-bodied, or rather disembodying colonialism. Westerncentric fields of study such as disability studies often remain detached from the global South, the histories, contexts and cultures of these specific geopolitical spaces, and how disability is ontologically constructed and lived through a history replete with signifiers of power and empire and that frame the global. While some have adopted colonialism as a metaphor for the experience of disability (see for example Shakespeare, 2000), of colonized bodies by the medical profession, the colonial encounter per se, its creation of and implications for the disabled subject, remains inadequately theorised. In turn, disability is persistently removed from history and any contemplation of the post or neocolonial and efforts (discursive or material) at decolonizing these spaces and those within.

The special issue aims to transcend disciplinary, epistemological, methodological, spatial and historical boundaries. Engaging indigenous, post/neocolonial, disability studies, critical theory, psychology, Latin American Cultural Studies, and a range of other perspectives and literatures, and prioritising voices from the global South, we invite authors to engage in critical debate around colonialism to explore a range of thematic concerns (not exclusively):

• Colonial representations and the construction of the disabled body and mind
• The violence and disablism of colonialism
• Intersections of race, ethnicity, culture, gender and disability
• Empire and the domestication of bodies: globalisation, economics and beyond
• Disabled identities, metaphors and language, and their roles in subjugation
• From the colonial to the post/neocolonial: disability and contemporary lineages of imperialism
• Social identities and visions of disability
• Colonial medicalisation: identifying, labelling and ‘treating’ the disabled body
• The Christianising mission, biblical renditions and the disabled subject
• Decolonizing epistemologies, practices and lives: renegotiating power and contemplating global justice

We encourage authors to engage work on Southern theory and movements and approaches prioritising and promoting Southern epistemologies and counter-hegemonic knowledges emerging from struggles for justice.

Those wishing to submit an article, please email your full manuscript to both Shaun Grech (S.Grech@mmu.ac.uk) and Karen Soldatic (ajks123@bigpond.com). Please insert ‘Submission for Disability and Colonialism Special Issue’ in the subject line. Manuscripts will be sent anonymously for double peer review, and comments and recommendations relayed to authors through the editors.

Articles should not exceed 8,000 words in length, and include a 300 word abstract. The journal style guide is available here: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=1369-801X&linktype=44.

Manuscripts should be submitted by no later than: 1st January 2013

2011, Autochthony as Capital in a Global Age, in Theory, Culture & Society , vol. 28 no. 1 34-54

by Mathieu Hilgers

For a little over a decade we have been witnessing a profusion of discourses on autochthony — that is, an original... more For a little over a decade we have been witnessing a profusion of discourses on autochthony — that is, an original belonging to a group or territory — in many parts of the world. A global approach to this question first requires a look at the principle of autochthony and its genealogy. Starting from African examples, places of prolific expression of the phenomenon, this article shows how autochthony plays the role of capital that can be invested, valued and profited from. The structure of this capital carries within itself the seeds of conflict. The article analyses how the stabilization of its value requires the execution of specific strategies. Among these strategies, I will focus in greater depth on voting. The relationship between capital, autochthony and elections will thus bring us back to debates that animate political science: in new municipalities, autochthony as capital is at the heart of candidate selection, suffrage, political participation and citizenship.

2011 The three anthropological approaches to neoliberalism, in International Social Science Journal, Vol 61 (202) : 351–364.

by Mathieu Hilgers

International Social Science Journal, Volume 61, Issue 202, 2011: 351–364.

For around fifteen years now, anthropology has been engaged in the study of neoliberalism. What contribution does the... more For around fifteen years now, anthropology has been engaged in the study of neoliberalism. What contribution does the discipline have to make to a debate largely monopolized by economics and political science? To answer this question, the present article returns to the major texts and highlights the three perspectives from which anthropology has approached neoliberal expansion: culturalist, systemic and the approach based on governmentality. Each has its own epistemological presuppositions and a specific conception of anthropology, globalization and neoliberalism. The article highlights the relevance and limitations of these approaches.

2012, « The Historicity of the Neoliberal State », in Social Anthropology, volume 20, n° 1, pp. 80-94

by Mathieu Hilgers

Debate with Loic Wacquant “Three Steps to a Historical Anthropology of Actually Existing Neoliberalism." Social Anthropology, 20, 1, with responses in the next issue: Jamie Peck, Nick Theodore, and Neil Brenner, Stephen Collier, Daniel Goldstein, Johanna Bockman, Don Kalb...

Pedestrian Shopping Streets in the Restructuring of the Chinese City

by Alan A. Lew

Lew, A.A. 2007. Pedestrian Shopping Streets in the Restructuring of the Chinese City. In T. Coles and A. Church, eds., Tourism, Power and Place, pp. 150-170. London: Routledge.

Today, virtually every city in China has one or more pedestrian shopping street (buxingjie). They come in a wide range... more Today, virtually every city in China has one or more pedestrian shopping street (buxingjie). They come in a wide range of forms and styles. Most are highly successful, though some are more successful than others. Some are permanently closed to vehicle, while others are only closed at night or on weekends. They are part of the transformation of Chinese cities from socialist cities of production, to cities of play and tertiary employment (Ma, 2004; Yang 2004; Wu, 2004; Short and Kim, 1999). More specifically, they are representative of the decentralization of power from the central government to local municipalities, and of the development of a more market-oriented land development system in China.

Why Globalization fails to Deliver

by Tahir Hasnain

Między globalizacją a regionalizmem: świat arabski wobec wyzwań rozwoju (Between globalisation and regionalism: the Arab world vs. development challenges)

by Artur Malantowicz

in: M. Grabowski (ed.), Stosunki międzynarodowe we współczesnym świecie: regiony i problemy, Kraków 2011, pp. 61-79.

Świat arabski jest regionem geograficznym, który cechuje się najmniejszym stopniem wewnętrznych powiązań handlowych i... more Świat arabski jest regionem geograficznym, który cechuje się najmniejszym stopniem wewnętrznych powiązań handlowych i ekonomicznych. Eksplorując uwarunkowania relatywnego zacofania społeczno-gospodarczego regionu, opracowanie prezentuje zróżnicowane sposoby postrzegania globalizacji w świecie arabskim oraz różne ujęcia problematyki rozwoju w islamie jako nadrzędnej ideologii regionu bliskowschodniego. Jednocześnie, w efekcie analizy dotychczasowych doświadczeń państw arabskich w zakresie regionalnej współpracy politycznej i gospodarczej, podjęta zostaje próba wskazania przyczyn niewłaściwego funkcjonowania regionalizmu. Za czynniki najbardziej istotne uznane są: wpływ aktorów międzynarodowych, problemy w relacjach między państwami arabskimi, sytuacja wewnętrzna oraz specyfika gospodarki w regionie. Autor konkluduje stwierdzeniem, że w obliczu globalizacji i wyzwań rozwojowych jakie stoją przed światem arabskim, region prędzej czy później będzie zmuszony do otwarcia się na handel międzynarodowy oraz przynajmniej częściową demokratyzację.

Keynes: revolutionary or radical

by Brendan Sheehan

Three-quarters of a century ago the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes was... more Three-quarters of a century ago the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes was published. This anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on Keynes’ most significant contributions to economics. The paper has three key objectives. The first is to demonstrate how Keynes departs from the classical orthodoxy – both theoretically and in policy terms. The paper carefully explains classical macro-economic theory – especially the special assumptions on which it relies – and the conservative policy agenda that it generates. The second objective is to introduce Keynes’ revolutionary approach to macroeconomics – formulated round the principle of effective demand - and the potentially radical policy proposals he recommends. The study of effective demand provides insights about how the actual economy operates, once the special classical assumptions are relaxed. In policy terms, Keynes addresses three urgent priorities: curing an economic depression, preventing war-time inflation and promoting post-war prosperity over the long-term. The final objective is to critically assess Keynes’ credentials as a theoretical revolutionary and policy radical. This assessment concludes that Keynes is a mild theoretical revolutionary, content to make good the deficiencies in classical orthodoxy. He neither moves beyond the paradigm of universal scarcity nor appreciates the ever-present threat of under-consumption. He is also a timid radical; his most rebellious instincts are restricted to proposing socialised investment and tight capital controls.

Keynes: revolutionary or radical

by Brendan Sheehan

Three-quarters of a century ago the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes was... more Three-quarters of a century ago the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes was published. This anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on Keynes’ most significant contributions to economics. The paper has three key objectives. The first is to demonstrate how Keynes departs from the classical orthodoxy – both theoretically and in policy terms. The paper carefully explains classical macro-economic theory – especially the special assumptions on which it relies – and the conservative policy agenda that it generates. The second objective is to introduce Keynes’ revolutionary approach to macroeconomics – formulated round the principle of effective demand - and the potentially radical policy proposals he recommends. The study of effective demand provides insights about how the actual economy operates, once the special classical assumptions are relaxed. In policy terms, Keynes addresses three urgent priorities: curing an economic depression, preventing war-time inflation and promoting post-war prosperity over the long-term. The final objective is to critically assess Keynes’ credentials as a theoretical revolutionary and policy radical. This assessment concludes that Keynes is a mild theoretical revolutionary, content to make good the deficiencies in classical orthodoxy. He neither moves beyond the paradigm of universal scarcity nor appreciates the ever-present threat of under-consumption. He is also a timid radical; his most rebellious instincts are restricted to proposing socialised investment and tight capital controls.

Introduction.‖ In The Great Recession and Developing Countries, ed

by Otaviano Canuto

The Brain Drain: Implications for Regional Economic Integration in the Expanding European Union.

by Matthew Jelavic

Jelavic, M. (2012). The brain drain: Implications for regional economic integration in the expanding European Union. In B. Chapalet, & M. Le Berre (Eds.), Producing New Knowledge on Innovation Management. Presses Universitaires de Grenoble, 99 – 111.

This paper provides a review and conceptual analysis of issues surrounding regional economic integration and the... more This paper provides a review and conceptual analysis of issues surrounding regional economic integration and the potential for inter-country brain drain within the expanding European Union (EU). As the EU expands eastward, it absorbs millions of highly skilled knowledge workers and opens opportunities for western European organisations to capitalise on this workforce. The migration of these skilled workers is a macro-exercise in eastern European knowledge management, and could have far-reaching implications at the regional, industry and organisational levels. This paper explores the context and implications of knowledge worker movement across fading borders.

Reclaiming The Sacred: A Festival Experience as a Response to Globalisation

by Karin Mackay

published in Journal for the Study of Religion, vol 24, No 2, 2011

Pressures of globalisation such as the focus on the growth of productive economies, consumerism, and long work-hours... more Pressures of globalisation such as the focus on the growth of productive economies, consumerism, and long work-hours have fragmented cultural beliefs and practices worldwide. Devaluation of deeply held soulful, creative, and nature-based practices in the dominant neoliberal capitalist discourse has challenged the way cultural and spiritual wellbeing are lived. Instead of being completely subsumed into the neoliberal global discourse, local responses incorporating global themes are emerging in the form of the “neo-tribal” festival experience. Although festivals have primarily been seen as places of consumption, this misunderstands the drive to participate in a festival experience. This article investigates a women’s arts and ecology festival held in The Blue Mountains, Australia, where members of the local community celebrate the return of spring. Findings suggest that this festival was a site for reclaiming a localized sense of connectedness, where participants reclaimed what was sacred to them. I will argue that consumerism is secondary to the desire for a sacred synergy of connectedness at this festival where critical creative action challenges the neoliberal and patriarchal discourses in the negotiation of global culture.

Disability and Development: A critical southern standpoint on able-bodied masculinity

by Karen Soldatic

Reseña de "Alterglobalisation" de Geoffrey Pleyers

by Luis Garzon

Reseña del libro "Alteglobalisation" del sociologo belga Geoffrey Pleyers

A Critical Methodology of Globalization: Politics of the 21st Century?

by Vidya Kumar

The Financial Crisis as an Expression of Macrohistorical Trends - World Hegemony, Neoliberal Globalization, and Financialization in 21st Century Capitalism - Shane Willson

by Shane Willson

Many studies try to understand the financial crisis that began in 2007 by utilizing short-term perspectives, but few... more Many studies try to understand the financial crisis that began in 2007 by utilizing short-term perspectives, but few step back far enough to see how macrohistorical transformations created the environment for a crisis of immense magnitude. In this work, I apply Arrighi’s theory of systemic cycles of accumulation to the current crisis and find that, while this theory elucidates some broad features of the global political economy that fostered the crisis, Arrighi’s explicit limitations lead to further areas of inquiry that help to understand this crisis in its specificity.

By analyzing large-scale historical lines unique to the late 20th century, I show that financialization and globalization – mediated through US world hegemony and neoliberalism – created feedback loops promoting, not just a quantitative rise in the use of finance, but qualitative changes to overarching production, distribution, and consumption practices throughout the global economy. Some of these changes include the integration of many new and varied actors into the financial sector, the financialization of the globalized production process, the increased use of finance by lower and middle classes to reproduce labor in the face of stagnant wages, and the increased use of derivatives for profit-making.

Additionally, I elaborate market-level changes in the US financial sector and show how the aforementioned macro-level transformations expressed themselves through the crisis. The use of “slice and dice” and “originate and distribute” models crippled the functions of derivatives and promoted their widespread misuse, even in the face of highly regarded theories of risk management. A historical view of derivatives shows that, while their use may be a fundamental cause of the crisis, derivatives express deeper trends in the evolution of capitalism: derivatives increase alienation, change the way we view ownership, and increase competition in our globalized political economy.

This long-term view allows me to elaborate how the nexus of financialization, globalization, neoliberalism, and world hegemony came together to create the most far-reaching financial crisis since the Great Depression.

Dynamics of the North–South welfare gap and global sustainability

by Gönenç Yücel

Publiched in Tehnological Forecasting and Social Change

The vast heterogeneity among nations in terms of economic and demographic characteristics is evident, despite being... more The vast heterogeneity among nations in terms of economic and demographic characteristics is evident, despite being overlooked in some global studies. In this heterogeneity, it is possible to identify some distinct aggregate classes differing at some very fundamental level: developing (South) nations and developed (North) nations may have very different, asymmetric problems, goals and structures. This study investigates these two distinct groups of socio-economic systems, as they interact in a context of global sustainability. We identify population, economic growth, welfare gap, energy supply and pollution as key issues and analyze them using a systems perspective. A dynamic feedback model, which discriminates the two groups of nations, is constructed to study the dynamics of variables related to the above key issues. The model is tested using extensive data between the years 1980–2005. According to the reference behavior covering the period 1980–2050, it is not viable to close the welfare gap between North and South, given the current prevailing non-renewable-resource-based growth system. A non-renewable-resource-based system adopted by the economic system of growing South would take the global system even closer to its limits. It is observed that indicators like reserve-to-demand ratio fail to provide reliable signals for a timely transition to alternative resources, and a very serious economic recession due to resource scarcity is likely to develop in the next couple of decades. By coupling the demographic and economic dynamics, it is shown that an economic slowdown due to a resource scarcity may have a dramatic widening effect on the already existing welfare gap. Scenario and policy experiments verify the widely accepted importance of stabilizing the population growth in South, transition to alternative energy resources, and investment support to the South in this transition simultaneously in order to reduce the welfare gap between the two blocks. It is observed that enthusiastic targets for an energy transition may have a serious negative impact on the welfare level experienced in South, whereas an energy transition in South supported by North seems to have the most desirable outcome regarding the welfare gap.

Current links between globalization and violence

by Mark Lindley

Published in “Journal of American Science,” v.3/1 (2007).

Six ways are described in which the current phase of globalization has apparently tended to cause destructive violence... more Six ways are described in which the current phase of globalization has apparently tended to cause destructive violence notwithstanding its benefits to many people:

(1) a fast-expanding gap between rich and poor,

(2) the media making the gap evident worldwide,

(3) ruthless big-business practices overwhelming weak international (and some national) laws,

(4) worldwide availability of very destructive weapons,

(5) a disturbingly fast rate of mutual cultural penetrations,

(6) fear of macro-ecological catastrophes due to excessive increases in world population and in per-capita consumption and
waste.

The cause-and-effect relations are not simple but are a matter of intricate compounds. Some of the problems have to be addressed by strong government.

'Vive la différence?': The 'international'experiences of UK students overseas

by Rachel Brooks

Full reference: Waters, J. and Brooks, R. (2011) 'Vive la différence?': The 'international' experiences of UK students overseas, Population, Space and Place 17 (5) : 567- 578

As interest in the geographies of student mobilities grows, this paper examines the experiences of UK students... more As interest in the geographies of student mobilities grows, this paper examines the experiences of UK students overseas. More specifically, it considers the ‘international’ nature of their experiences, asking: to what extent do students actively seek out and encounter ‘cultural difference’ through their educational choices? International students are often described by those advocating the internationalisation of education as potential ‘global citizens’, cosmopolitans and ambassadors of inter-cultural understanding. However, our research on UK students has suggested a more complex engagement with ‘diversity’ through international education. First, we examine the motivations of UK students, and show that whilst many claim to be seeking ‘something different’ from an overseas education, at the same time they also desire a ‘knowable’ destination. Film and television were very significant in terms of making certain places familiar to students and thereby influencing their decisions. Secondly, students' experiences of cultural diversity overseas were often confined to an international student community. This has several implications. Most obviously, it limits the extent to which students encounter cultures ‘local’ to the destination country. The separation and isolation of the international student community, however, does serve a useful function in terms of wider processes of elite class formation and social reproduction. Thirdly, we describe some instances of where individuals formed significant and meaningful relationships with foreign nationals, often as a direct consequence of their experiences of studying overseas. Clearly, this suggests a very direct engagement with ‘cultural diversity’, albeit of a certain kind.