EXTENSION OF DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: MAY 10.
*Fifth FINGEO Global Seminar* >> >> *“European Spaces of Financialization”* >> >> *28-29 May 2018* >> >> *Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium* >> >> *** >> >> *Local Organizers:* Manuel Aalbers (KU Leuven), David Bassens, Reijer >> Hendrikse & Michiel van Meeteren (all at: Vrije Universiteit Brussel) >> >> >> *Target Group and Application Procedure:* Attendance of the seminar is >> open to all after registration. The registration fee is 100 euro for the >> full two days, including lunch & refreshments. Applications for paper >> presentations are closed, but registration for non-presenting participants >> is now open: (*click here* >> <http://www.vub.ac.be/en/events/2018/fingeo-global-seminar>) until May >> 10, 2018. >> >> >> *Theme:* >> >> The theme of the Global Seminar is ‘European Spaces of Financialization’. >> Organized on May 28 and May 29 in Brussels, the main intellectual drive for >> the seminar is to debate Europe’s multiscalar spaces of financialization, >> their production, workings, effects, and importantly, their alternatives. >> We want to understand the socio-spatial drivers of financialization that >> produce inequality, growing household indebtedness, and the privatization >> of public services and support structures in the face of austerity >> politics. Participants are invited to engage with the following financial >> geography themes: geographies of European integration, its offshore spaces >> and the wider state-finance nexus; the financialization of (non-) banking, >> finance and corporate enterprise; of boom-bust cycles; of >> politico-financial elites; of real estate, housing and households; >> geographies of sovereignty, austerity, resistance, debt, and so forth. >> Therefore we are both interested in the effects of financialization on >> states and markets as well as focusing on who and what drive further >> financialization of these spheres. >> >> The program is structured around four dedicated keynote lectures of about >> 45 min + 15 min Q/A, each followed by a topical session with four papers. >> This allows us to accommodate up to sixteen presenting participants, >> although we want to encourage a larger community and the FINGEO spring >> school participants to be present. Moreover, the two keynotes from the >> First FINGEO dissertation prize will be accommodated on the Brussels >> seminar. The seminar will cover the following themes: >> >> >> *(i) The financialization of governments, the public sector and states* >> >> Keynote: Professor Bob Jessop, Lancaster University >> >> In recent years a mounting body of work has emerged that empirically >> unpacks the financial entanglements and transformations of governments, >> state agencies, (quasi-) public institutions and their offshoots. Our first >> session builds on these contributions, in an understanding that states – >> through a multitude of functions – shape the very context upon which >> financial development unfolds. We are broadly interested in the latest >> empirical insights within this growing subfield of financialization >> studies, as well as emerging conceptual perspectives to make sense of the >> rise of finance in a growing set of public domains: how and why governments >> have been key accelerators of financialization; to what extent states have >> become financial subjects themselves, and how we should understand the >> ever-changing state-finance nexus in a financialized world. >> >> *About the keynote: * >> >> *Bob Jessop is Distinguished Professor of Sociology at Lancaster >> University, United Kingdom. Bob has written extensively on a wide range of >> interconnected topics, such as regulation, governance and neoliberalism. >> However, Bob is arguably best known for his vast work centered on the >> state, on state theory and state transformations, including his popular >> ‘strategic relational approach’ to study the nature of states. * >> >> *For more information see:* http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/soc >> iology/about-us/people/bob-jessop >> ------------------------------ >> >> >> *(i) Corporate financialization: banks, finance and corporations >> transformed* >> >> Keynote: Professor Julie Froud, The University of Manchester >> >> Our second session focuses on the global political economy of >> corporations – a space we broadly refer to as corporate financialization. >> Amongst others, we zoom in on the changing nature of corporate financing >> and profitmaking: of banking, and wider financial intermediation, in which >> so-called ‘non-financial’ firms increasingly perform all kinds of financial >> activities. The growing influence of financial motives and practices over >> business, with the rise of governance models maximizing ‘shareholder value’ >> as prominent example, remains one of the key spaces shaping >> financialization research. Global corporations have since become >> progressively interwoven with shadow banking, tax evasion and other >> practices defining the financial offshore world, inviting scholars to >> rethink the ways in which corporate financialization shapes up. From a >> European perspective, financialized corporate governance practices have >> typically been seen as something that belongs to Anglo-American capitalism. >> Although such a position is difficult to maintain, it begs the question to >> what extent corporate financialization shapes Europe. >> >> *About the keynote: * >> >> *Julie Froud is Professor of Financial Innovation at the University of >> Manchester, United Kingdom. Julie has written extensively on >> financialization and strategy at the level of the global corporation, >> amongst others focusing on the narratives, numbers and cult(ure) behind >> shareholder value orientation and the rise of capital markets. * >> >> >> *For more information see: >> https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/julie.froud.html >> <https://www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/julie.froud.html>* >> ------------------------------ >> >> >> *(iii) The politics of financialization* >> >> Keynote: Professor Andreas Nölke, Goethe-Universität Frankfurt >> >> As a seminar organized in Brussels, it only seems logical that our third >> session zooms in the politics of financialization. Who are the actual (co-) >> producers of our financialized universe? Who benefits from more >> financialized markets and states, and who drive policy proposals and >> institutional change towards financialization, either on the EU level or >> within EU member states? Amongst others, this session will discuss >> geographies of lobbying, influence peddling, agenda setting, legislative >> processes and related political interests. The financial crisis and its >> (continuing) aftermath laid bare the excessive capture of politicians and >> regulators, with numerous political solutions or ‘fixes’ to solve the >> crisis, typically devised by private actors, merely replicating the very >> dynamics that caused it. Likewise, the ongoing push for integrated European >> capital markets will increase the likelihood of recurrent crises, rather >> than prevent it. Meanwhile, the ECB has steadily become Europe’s decisive >> political actor, increasingly assuming responsibilities of state actors. >> >> *About the keynote: * >> >> *Andreas Nölke is Professor in Political Science at Goethe University, >> Frankfurt, Germany. Andreas’ work centers on political economy, having >> written extensively on a variety of themes, such as corporate/transnational >> governance, international accounting standards, and varieties of >> capitalism. More recently, Andreas has engaged with the notion >> financialization, which he views ‘the core problem for a social Europe’. * >> >> *For more information see: >> http://www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/45472741/anoelke >> <http://www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/45472741/anoelke>* >> ------------------------------ >> >> >> *(iv) The financialization of daily life* >> >> Keynote: Professor Kavita Datta, Queen Mary University of London >> >> The final session broadly focuses on the spaces shaping the >> financialization of daily life, in which financial calculations and >> rationalities increasingly nudge and shape social exchange and >> reproduction, progressively transforming citizens – students, patients, >> pensioners, households, et cetera – into financial(ized) subjects. This >> particular area within the financialization literature and debate is >> mostly, but not exclusively, shaped by cultural approaches, applied at the >> local level or micro scale. How and why are decisions about where, when and >> how to live, shop, work or leisure influenced by financial considerations? >> Amongst others, this both encompasses empirical work on the >> financialization of home and the housing sector, but also conceptual work >> on debt and its mounting sway over social life. >> >> *About the keynote: * >> >> *Kavita Datta is Professor of Development Geography at Queen Mary, >> Universtiy of London, United Kingdom. Kavita has written extensively on >> transnational migration from the global south to the north, and in >> particular to global cities like London. Amongst others, Kavita is studying >> how migrant communities subject to financial exclusion carve out >> alternative spaces of financial intermediation. * >> >> >> *For more information see: http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/staff/dattak.html >> <http://www.geog.qmul.ac.uk/staff/dattak.html>* >> ------------------------------ >> >> > All details: > *http://www.fingeo.net/20180528-20180602-brussels-belgium-5th-fingeo-global-seminar-and-1st-fingeo-spring-school/ >> <http://www.fingeo.net/20180528-20180602-brussels-belgium-5th-fingeo-global-seminar-and-1st-fingeo-spring-school/> >> * >> >> >> >> >> >> * -- Manuel B. Aalbers, Ph.D.KU Leuven / University of Leuven Department >> of Geography & Tourism Celestijnenlaan 200e -- bus 2409 3001 Heverlee >> Belgium http://ees.kuleuven.be/refcom >> <http://ees.kuleuven.be/refcom> http://kuleuven.academia.edu/ManuelAalbers >> <http://kuleuven.academia.edu/ManuelAalbers> * >> > >
