Empire and Beyond Conference, April 2006


Conferences 2004

CSE AGM and Conference 2003

Conferences 2002

Past conferences and abstracts

CFP - EUROPEAN POLITICAL ECONOMY AND SOCIETY IN THE WORLD


Critical Political Economy Research Network (RN 6) of the European Sociological Association

http://criticalpoliticaleconomy.blogspot.com/


Mid-Term Workshop; September 12-14, 2008; Oxford Brookes University; UK

BACKGROUND
The Critical Political Economy Research Network (CPE-RN) was established in 2005 as a platform to promote and facilitate research aimed at understanding recent transformations of capitalism and capitalist societies in the European Union and Europe. Its purpose is to reassert political economy perspectives in European social science, and to promote critical and emancipatory scholarship. Political economy has traditionally been defined as a particular field of study
focusing on the relationship between the state and the economy, understood as particular forms of social relations and as embedded in society more generally conceived. Political economy perspectives are inherently post-disciplinary and understand the political and the economic as co constituted and mutually reinforcing. The network seeks to bring together researchers and academics employing neo-gramscian, neo-marxist, regulationist, cultural political economy, world systems, constructivist, sociological institutionalist and other heterodox institutional and evolutionary political economy perspectives.


So far, there have been three meetings of the CPE-RN - at the ESA conferences in Torun in 2005 and in Glasgow in 2007, as well as a mid-term workshop in Amsterdam in 2006. The CPE-RN has grown
considerably since its initiation. It now has a member mailing list with 209 subscribers (<http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/POLITICAL-ECONOMY RN.html>http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/POLITICAL-ECONOMY-RN.html), as well as a blog to keep members of the RN updated about conferences and activities (<http://criticalpoliticaleconomy.blogspot.com/>http://criticalpoliticaleconomy.blogspot.com).

 

THE OXFORD MID-TERM WORKSHOP
This workshop builds on the proceedings of the previous workshops, which have all eschewed a sui generic conception of 'Europe' and the European Union in favour of a perspective that views Europe and the EU against the broader context of transnational developments of the capitalist world-economy. As Eric Wolf argued in Europe and the People without History (California UP, 1982) this is the logical and empirical implication of political economy research, which is concerned with the co-constitution of production and power broadly conceived. Such research, Wolf argued, constituted a profound challenge to 'the habit of treating named entities such as the Iroquois, Greece, Persia or the United States ..[and we might add, the EU and 'its' states]…as fixed entities opposed to one another by stable internal architecture and external boundaries..' (p. 7).


This workshop aims to face the full implications of Wolf's conclusions. Hence, we invite papers that address at least one of the following interrelated themes:
- World economic order
- dynamics (such as neo-liberal governance concepts and finance-led capital accumulation) that impact on the enlarged EU, its varieties of capitalism, and state-civil society complexes in
transition.
- The political-economy implications of EU's external policies (such as the European Neighbourhood Policy), as formulated in the context of post-Washington consensus development policy, 'post-9/11' security policy, the alleged 'Asian challenge' by China and India, and the 'residual weight' Europe's post-colonial history
- Critical interventions on the question of 'Euro-centrism' in political economy that might a) help us highlight the manner in which 'the subaltern' form part of the constitution of European political
economy and society, 'Europe's' position in the world and attendant contradictions and b) help us 'provincialise Europe' and 'put European political economy(ies) and society(ies) in their place' in the world economic order, and then not only in relation to the United States.

In the post-disciplinary spirit of the CPE-RN, the invitation is extended to all with an interest in political economy research, whatever their professional disciplinary affiliation. The workshop
aims to attract a diverse range of junior and senior researchers.

ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
Please submit your abstract (max 250 words) by email to Professor Magnus Ryner (<mailto:mryner@brookes.ac.uk>mryner@brookes.ac.uk), under the subject-heading 'ESA workshop' by May 2, 2008.

 

WORKSHOP FEE AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT
There will be no workshop fee. A limited amount of financial support towards workshop expenses is available to successful applicants on a means-tested basis. If you would like to be considered for such support, please indicate this together with the submission of the abstract.

Probabilistic Political Economy: "Laws of Chaos"

in the 21st Century

 

www.probabilisticpoliticaleconomy.net

Kingston University: 14–16 July

July 14 -- 17, 2008
Kingston University, UK
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the publication in 1983 of "Laws of Chaos: a probabilistic approach to political economy" by Emmanuel Farjoun and Moshž Machover.Final programme
=====================
The final programme is now available, and may be downloaded from
http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/downloads/PPEprogramme.pdf
The conference will open at 11.30 a.m. on Monday, July 14 and will continue through to a reception and gala dinner on the evening of Wednesday, July 16.Papers and abstracts
=====================
Abstracts of all contributions can be found at
http://iwright.googlepages.com/acceptedabstracts
from where they can also be downloaded as a zip file.Participation
=====================
Places are still available for participants; booking forms are available from the Kingston University conference web-site
http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/conferences/probabilistic_political_economy/
The actual URLs for the forms are
http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/downloads/PPEregformA.pdf
http://fass.kingston.ac.uk/downloads/PPEregformA.doc
The core option includes all meals and refreshments during the conference, including the concluding reception and dinner, and three nights' accommodation (Monday, July 14 to Wednesday, July 16) together with breakfast on the morning of departure (Thursday, July 17).
There will also be a daily registration rate for participants wishing to attend particular sessions.
Information about the Kingston Hill campus, including the residential accommodation, is available here:
http://www.kingston.ac.uk/conferencing/srcKH.htm
Information about Dorich House, Kingston University's own "stately home" and the venue for the closing dinner, is available here:
http://www.kingston.ac.uk/conferencing/dhHome.htmKeynote speakers
====================
Emmanuel Farjoun, Professor of Mathematics, Einstein Institute of Mathematics, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Moshž Machover, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, King's College LondonInvited speakers
====================
Masanao Aoki, Professor Emeritus of Economics, UCLA
Paul Cockshott, Reader in Computer Science, Department of Computer Science, University of Glasgow
Allin Cottrell, Professor of Economics, Wake Forest University
Jurgen Essletzbichler, Lecturer, Department of Geography, UCL
Alan Freeman, Visiting Lecturer in Economics, School of Business and the Humanities, University of Greenwich
Mauro Gallegati, Professor of Economics, University of Ancona
Steve Keen, Associate Professor of Economics and Finance, University of Western Sydney
Andrew Kliman, Professor of Economics, Pace University
Paul Plummer, Professor of Geography, University of Calgary
David Rigby, Professor of Geography, UCLA
Michael Webber, Professor of Geography, University of Melbrourne
Victor Yakovenko, Professor of Physics, University of MarylandFurther details
====================
Conference web-site:
www.probabilisticpoliticaleconomy.net
The publication of "Laws of Chaos" was an event of genuine theoretical innovation in the field of political economy. The book was a response to the impasse reached by the input-output method of representing an economy, in particular when applied to the theory of economic value.
Farjoun and Machover's innovations include the systematic introduction of probabilistic modelling, statistical mechanics, and probabilistic laws to the field of political economy. They rejected the adequacy of deterministic models to capture essential features of a dynamic and distributed market economy, which they viewed as a complex system characterised by a huge number of degrees of freedom.
Employing probabilistic arguments, Farjoun and Machover developed a broad model of the capitalist economy that, in contrast to deterministic approaches, had a more immediate connection to empirical reality and yielded important and theoretically distinct, macroeconomic conclusions, including probabilistic laws governing the relationship between price and labour-content, the distribution of the profit rate, and the tendency of labour productivity to increase.
The conference will concentrate on four main themes:
(i) "Laws of Chaos", a reflection on the reception and subsequent impact of Farjoun and Machover's book,
(ii) "Theory and methods", an exploration of the concept of statistical equilibrium in political economy,
(iii) "Models and empirical reality", investigations of specific non-deterministic, economic models and their relationship to empirical data, and
(iv) "Disequilibrium and out-of-equilibrium dynamics", examining the disequilibrium properties and empirical plausibility of non-deterministic models of capitalism.
Our aim is to reflect on the past and stimulate the next 25 years of the research programme of probabilistic political economy.Organising committee
====================
Julian Wells
Senior Lecturer in Economics at Kingston University, UK
Eric Sheppard
Professor of Economic Geography, University of Minnesota, USA
Ian Wright
Research Student, Department of Economics, Open University, UK

 

 

2nd CALL FOR PAPERS


'The Character and Trajectory of the Indian Economic Formation

in an Era of Globalisation'


Wednesday 26th November to Friday 28th November 2008
University of Delhi, India
Contact: indian.formation@gmail.com
Web: arts.yorku.ca/neoliberalism


Context:

The inherent complexity of the present Indian economic formation has underscored the inadequacy of speculative and empiricist attempts to conceptualise it. The gravity of the contemporary human development situation in India demands an appreciation of this. There is an increasing recognition of the need to combine intellectual forces,
across disciplines, to theoretically delineate the precise ways in which the myriad elements of the Indian reality constitute an articulated whole. This is the immediate conjuncture. Intellectually, this conference relates to two preceding theoretical attempts within social science to understand the specificity and dynamics of economic formations: viz. the European transition debate, and the Indian 'mode of production' debate. In the former, it was
observed that, despite the expansion and commercialisation of the entire European economy from the fifteenth century onwards, in particular locales these changes did not necessarily entail a qualitative transformation in society. The latter debate attempted, in a series of exchanges, to specify the 'mode of production' in the Indian agrarian sector.


The aim of this conference is to facilitate discussion and clarification of the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the
trajectories discernible in the Indian economic formation. The focus is not to characterise processes in any one sector alone. On the contrary, this conference seeks to unravel the changing interrelationships of various sectors of production and circulation, as well as the linkages that exist with metropolitan capital. In this regard, the actions and reactions of the Indian state in reproducing a totality must analytically be held as of considerable import. The current moment in India undeniably yields many contradictions. The organisers of this conference consider that there is a need for dialogue that appreciates how social scientific analyses must necessarily produce more nuanced and comprehensive studies of the country.


Details:

The opening keynote will be given by eminent University of Delhi historian Professor K.M. Shrimali. Professor K.M. Shrimali will address the conference on the theme of the mode of production as a concept in Indian historiography, and its salience for contemporary political understandings. University scholars individually representing 22 states of the Indian Union, have already been confirmed to address the conference.

This conference has been initiated mostly by Indian scholars. However, the participation of researchers of economic formations in the wider South Asian context is very much anticipated and sought. Indeed, the conference expects much discussion of inter-regional and inter-national economic connections.


All interested scholars should submit their work address, a provisional paper title and a one page abstract to the organising committee at indian.formation@gmail.com
The deadline for abstract submissions is 31st August 2008.


Note:

Scholars wishing to present wholly conceptual/methodological reflections, or theoretically illuminating non-South Asian fieldwork, should write to indian.formation@gmail.com outlining their intentions, prior to submitting any abstract.
Proposals for organising relevant special sessions within the conference will be considered by the organising committee. Please submit the well-developed details to indian.formation@gmail.com ASAP.

A conference registration fee of 150 USD applies to delegates employed or sponsored by institutions/agencies outside of South Asia. Concessions may be granted for certain sections.

All delegates with papers accepted by the conference have the option of staying free of cost November 26th to November 28th in clean and comfortable guesthouse accommodation. Delegates remain free, of course, to make their own alternative arrangements.

An independent and professional audit of the conference finances will be made available at the close of proceedings.
The conference organising committee is:
Manjeet Baruah, Centre for Women's Studies, University of Delhi
Kavita Bhatia, Centre of Germanic Studies, School of Languages,
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Kuhu Chamana, Department of English, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
P.K. Chaudhary, Department of History, University of Delhi
Shalabh Chikara, Department of History, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
Debarshi Das, Department of Economics, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati
Karen Gabriel, Department of English, St Stephen's College, University of Delhi
Saroj Giri, Department of Political Science, University of Delhi
Aditi Gupta, Department of History, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
Vikas Gupta, Department of History, University of Delhi
Laxman Jain, Department of History, Zakir Hussain College, University of Delhi
Nikhia Jain, Department of Political Science, Dayal Singh College,
University of Delhi
Konika, Department of English, Atma Ram Sannatan Dharma College,
University of Delhi
Alok Kumar, Ph.D. Scholar, Department of History, University of Delhi
Dharmendra Kumar, Department of Political Science, Madhya Pradesh
Naresh Kumar, Department of Political Science Kamla Nehru College,
University of Delhi
Ranjan Kumar, Department of History, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
Hemant Laskar, Department of Economics, Ramjas College, University of Delhi
Biswajeet Mohanty, Department of Political Science, Deshbandhu
College, University of Delhi
Bijoy Padhan, Department of English, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
Vepal Rana, Department of History, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
Sachin, Department of English, Dayal Singh College, University of Delhi
Sadashiva, Department of Botany, Dayal Singh College, University of Delhi
G.N. Sai Baba, Department of English, Ramlal Anand College, University of Delhi
Ghazi Shahmawaz, Department of Psychology, Jamia Milia Islamia University
Shaista, Department of English, Dayal Singh College, University of Delhi
Chandan Sharma, Department of Sociology, Tezpur University Assam
Manish Sharma, Department of History, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
K.M. Shrimali, Department of History, University of Delhi
Anshuman Singh, Department of English, Dayal Singh College, University of Delhi
Daljeet Singh, Department of Geography, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
Ishwar Singh Dost, Peoples Research Society, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh
T.P. Sinha, Department of Economics, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi
Fraser Sugden, Ph.D. Scholar, Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh
Nevisto Venuh, Department of History and Anthropology, Nagaland University
P.K. Vijayan, Department of English, Hindu College, University of Delhi
Rona Wilson, Ph.D. Scholar, Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal
Nehru University
The conference executive organising committee is:
Simon Chilvers, Ph.D. Scholar, Faculty of Graduate Studies, York University
Rakesh Ranjan, Department of Economics, Sri Ram College of Commerce,
University of Delhi
Kumar Sanjay Singh, Department of History, Swami Shraddhanand College,
University of Delhi

 





 
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