Interdisciplinary lenses on economy and trade, institutions, society and culture, and ecology.
The Network’s themes frame our conferences and publications, tracing how economy, power, culture, and ecology intersect in the new globalization. They surface live debates, clarify methods, and connect grounded cases to system-level change.
Ninth Global Studies Conference, University of California, Los Angeles, USA (2016)
Themes & Tensions
Theme 1: Networks of Economy and Trade
On the economic dimensions of globalization.
Living Tensions:
Understanding Global Markets – Singular or Multiple
Rules of the Game – Free Trade and Fair Trade
Power of Scale –Transnational Corporations, Public Investment, Small Enterprise
Patterns of Global Investment – Core and Periphery
Leveraging Advantages – Engines of Growth in the Developing World
Logics of Accumulation and Inequality – Patterns and Trends
Division of Labor – Rethinking Inside and Outside
Theme 2: The Power of Institutions
On the political dimensions of globalization.
Living Tensions:
Legacies of the Past – Imperialism and Neo-colonialism
Understanding Soft Power – Structures of Hegemony
Global Imaginaries – Neoliberalism, Anti, Alt-Globalization (and Beyond)
Agents and Structures – Nations and Sovereignty in the ‘New Globalization’
From Below – Social Movements, NGOs, Non-State Actors
Negotiating Conflict – Intervention, Political Violence, Terrorism
Advancing Universal Rules – Democratic Practices and Human Rights in Diverse Contexts
Theme 3: Vectors of Society and Culture
On the socio-cultural dimensions of globalization.
Living Tensions:
Globalism as Ideology – From Above and Below
Visions of Progress – Development and Underdevelopment
Imagining Communities – Nationalism and Post-Nationalism
Pathways of Human Movement – Migrations and Diaspora
Social Meaning Making – Cosmopolitanism, Multiculturalism, Cultural Hybridization
Forced Movements – Refugees, Human Trafficking, Statelessness, Internally Displaced Persons
Just Relations – Inequality, Poverty, Racism
Digital Societies – Big Data, Internet of Things, Artificial Intelligence
Theme 4: Ecological Foundations
On the eco-systemic dimensions of globalization.
Living Tensions:
Growth and Its Limits – Environment over Economy
Common Space – Ecological Footprints, Atmospheres, Biospheres, Eco-spheres
