Thursday, January 31, 2013

CFP: Global Capitalism in Asia & Oceania.

I am a co-organizer for this forthcoming conference at Griffith University in Brisbane Australia. Please see the CFP below.  This is the 3rd biennial conference of the network for critical studies of global capitalism (NCSGC).


Outside of Asia, much is made of ‘the Asian Century’, the ‘rise of Asia’, the economic potential of Asian markets, regional trade agreements with Asia, and building ‘Asia- relevant’ capabilities to support all these. Such instrumental views are shaping the ideological landscape of many parts of the ‘West’.
For those from within and outside Asia who are interested in critical studies of global capitalism other topics are much more pressing. These include the different models and manifestations of global capitalism that are being adopted across Asia, as well as the links between such models and ongoing political developments in the region.
Questions arise about the implications of newly energized “Asian capitalism” for current economic and social relationships— about current forms of economic division and exploitation, increasing social polarization and state based authoritarianism. Related questions also come up about oppositional activist practices that are arising and contemporary modes of policing such dissent.
The purpose of this conference is to focus critical studies of global capitalism on Asia, Australia, and the Oceania region, to provide opportunities for interested scholars and activists to explore related issues.
  • The transnational capitalist class in Asia, Australia, and Oceania.
  • The so-called Asian century; potential winners and losers.
  • Diverse forms of neo-liberalism in Asia.
  • Transnational capital and the state.
  • State repression and militarisation.
  • Financialisation and tax havens.
  • The political economies of international education
  • Global corporate networks intersecting with Asia and Australia.
  • Capitalism, class and power relations in these regions.
  • Workers in the Asia and global assembly lines.
  • Social and political movements, protest and activisms.ops Topics that we invite abstract/paper submissions for:
Submit Abstracts to: Jerry Harris, gharris234@comcast.net or Anthony van Fossen, a.vanfossen@griffith.edu.au
(after 30th April) Final deadline 30th May, 2013
Submit Papers to: Jane Kenway, jane.kenway@monash.edu Deadline 30th May
Papers: Circulated with workshop group
Aim: Publication
Registration Online - Costs: $250 waged and $125 unwaged and students.
Sponsors: Griffith University’s Centre for Work, Organisation and Well Being;
School of Humanities; and Arts, Education & Law Group.
Venue: Ship Inn, Griffith University, South Bank, Brisbane, Australia
Accommodation: South Bank hotels
Conference Info: http//www.net4dem.org/mayglobal http://netglobalcapitalism.wordpress.com
Conference Organizing Committee: William I. Robinson, Jeb Sprague,
(Univ. California Santa Barbara), Jason Struna (Univ. Calif. Riverside),
Jerry Harris (DeVry University), Leslie Sklair (LSE), William K. Carroll (University of Victoria) Jane Kenway (Monash University), Anthony van Fossen, David Peetz & Georgina Murray (Griffith University) 



Thursday, January 24, 2013

Global Capitalism and “North-South” Unevenness

I have a new journal article (co-authored with scholars from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México and from the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa) published in the journal Perspectives on Global Development and Technology. We examine quantitatively the ranking, statistical correlations, and profits from the Forbes’ Worldwide List of 2000 Top Firms, arrive at some conclusions, and suggest a valuable approach for understanding and analyzing this data. You can read the article here.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Paramilitarism in Haiti: A Photographic History

     Below are photos to accompany my book Paramilitarism and the Assault on Democracy in Haiti (Monthly Review Press, 2012). These photos were either: (a) provided to me with permission to use by the photographer, (b) photos that I took, or (c) they have been posted through Creative Commons (CC) which was especially necessary with the older historical periods covered.
     These images focus our attention on paramilitary organizations and their facilitators: various state, military, and intelligence apparatuses, officials, and elite networks. As paramilitary groups and their backers have gained impunity time and again, it is necessary to document all of this for the historical record, which I have tried to do in my recently published book. Through these photos, we are forced to recognize that the victims of paramilitary violence in Haiti are overwhelmingly from the country's lower-income communities and grassroots pro-democracy movement.
     In addition to these photographs, I suggest looking over the many excellent documentaries, books, and other sources that provide a compelling record of contemporary paramilitary violence in Haiti and the region. 

     I have put these photos together from a powerpoint that I used a few months back during various presentations I gave on the book. I hope readers of the book will find this useful, as well as the university classes that I know have been assigned to read it. This photo collection is a work in progress. [NOTE: As of 2019 I am continuing to update this page, and I will continue into the foreseeable future. Also, in 2018 I published an article providing a condensed overview of my 2012 book and with a better grounding in  sociological/political economic theory.]