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
- Biological Diversity – Its Past and Prospects
- Shared Danger Signs – Rising Sea Levels, Desertification, Soil Degradation
- Planning Food Systems – Security or Sovereignty
- The Built Environment – Urbanization and the Sustainability of Human Settlement
- The Future of Everyday Life – Weather events, Natural Disasters, and Ecological Surprises