Global Studies: Critical and Interdisciplinary Perspectives

Keynote lecture by Kees van der Pijl, prof. em. University of Sussex:                                “The Discipline of Western Supremacy”

The Ghent Centre for Global Studies is proud to organise and host this conference of the Cluster Social Sciences, Economics and Law of the U4 University Network (Ghent, Groningen, Uppsala, Göttingen).

Global Studies is an inherently transnational and interdisciplinary field of research, which tends to be postcolonial and critical, and has a distinctive historical and ethical dimension (Juergensmeyer, 2011). With this conference the Ghent Centre for Global Studies aims to capture this contemporary research agenda by focusing on three key tasks: Governing the Global, Localising the Global and Decolonising the Global. Addressing these themes requires both critical and interdisciplinary perspectives. Doing critical Global Studies entails a highly reflexive approach, scrutinising established concepts and theories, which reflect our European history and place in the world, our different national and disciplinary traditions. Crossing these boundaries, so as to “unthink” the Social Sciences (Wallerstein, 1991) or “indiscipline” Global Studies  (Taylor, 2013), remains a fundamental challenge. With the multidisciplinary panels at this conference, we wish to stimulate such a critical and interdisciplinary dialogue.

U4_Global Studies_full programme

Registration and contact: Julie.Carlier(at)ugent.be