Global Historical Sociology: A Perspective

Conférence du Cérium

This talk discusses the main features of a subfield of research we call 'Global Historical Sociology” (GHS). GHS emerges from within the intersection of the fields of Historical International Relations and Historical Sociology. GHS seeks to illuminate the historical and processual development of social relations at transnational and global scales, but does so from the perspective of “methodological relationalism.”

Conférenciers:
Julian Go is Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Previously he was an Academy Scholar at the Academy for International and Area Studies of Harvard University. At BU, he is also a Faculty Affiliate in Asian Studies and the American Studies/New England Studies program. His teaching and research areas include comparative-historical sociology; empires, colonialism and post colonialism; social theory; global sociology; and politics & culture. 

George Lawson is an Associate Professor in International Relations at LSE. His theoretical work is oriented around the relationship between history and theory, with a particular interest in historical sociology.

He applies this theoretical interest to the study of revolutions, particularly in two books: Negotiated Revolutions: The Czech Republic, South Africa and Chile (2005) and Anatomies of Revolution (Forthcoming).

He also applies his interest in history-theory to debates around 'global modernity', most notably in a book (co-authored with Barry Buzan) that charts the ways in which a range of important dynamics in contemporary international relations have their roots in the 19th century ‘global transformation’. Articles drawn from this project have been published in International Studies Quarterly, European Journal of International Relations and International Affairs.