Public Lecture: "Do globalisation studies have a future?" Prof. A G Hopkins

Professor A G Hopkins, The University of Cambridge

Globalisation envelops the world - and historians too. The 'g' word is now mandatory in titles of books and articles; PhD students follow their leaders in dedicating their dissertations to the subject. Yet, not so long ago postmodern approaches to the past were equally compelling: if you could not tell your trope from your alterity and your Spivak from your Bhaba, your chances of landing a job were minimal. Wise investors buy at the bottom of the market and get out at the top. So, it is worth asking whether shares in globalisation have further to run or whether full value is already in the market. One way of answering the question is by considering the reasons why historiographical phases, like empires, rise, flourish and decline. This approach provides pointers to the current state of globalisation studies and offers an estimate of the current value of the shares. The advice comes with a wealth warning; past performance has limited predictive power. As a famous trumpeter remarked when asked which way jazz was going: 'Man, if I knew which way jazz was going, I would be there already!'

Monday, 3 November 2014