Magnifying Spaces of Capitalism: A Collective Experiment

The Young Scholar Initiative (YSI) Economic History Working Group and the University of Santiago de Compostela are organizing a two-day workshop on 11-12 March. The theme will be "Magnifying Spaces of Capitalism: A Collective Experiment."

In the wake of the recent and still-ongoing pandemic, the world has realized the importance of global interdependences and the fundamental role played by large, often invisible, naturalized, routinely operated market forces. History may, however, provide us with some tools of understanding for better rethinking the individual, political, environmental, or geographical dynamics underlying past and, perhaps, present macro-economic changes.

This two-day workshop seeks to provide a methodological conversation and an experimental space for the sound confrontation of multiple empirical studies. Putting these together could help paint better images of institutional and structural changes at heart in the development of early forms of capitalism. This event offers a platform for doctoral and early career researchers willing to present working papers focusing on the multi-scaled interactions at play between global and individual levels of analysis, and the contours of geographies in which these transformations happened. This is an opportunity for early-stage researchers to get feedback on their work not only from a specialized audience, but from a different disciplinary perspective as well. Its format will be divided into four sessions, as well as roundtable discussions. Two researchers will briefly present a pre-circulated paper (10 min), followed by a pre-assigned mentor's comments. The latter will, however, not necessarily come from the researchers' historical disciplines. Rather than focusing on their differences, commentators will be responsible, from their point of view, for presenting the elements linking the papers together, and to their respective discipline.

We are inviting research concerned with any aspects of economic and political history (defined as broadly as possible), from any period, in any geographical region. We are especially interested in studies at the crossroads of different scales of analysis (micro/macro). Please send an email to magnifyingspacescapitalism@gmail.com to submit a CV and presentation proposal. The proposal should include a clear statement of the paper's thesis and an illustration of the methodology and sources utilized (maximum 1000 words). The submission deadline is 7th November 2020. Participants will then have to provide a full working paper by early February. The workshop will be preceded by a webinar session hosted by YSI, discussing questions of scale of analysis in economic and political history. Participants wishing to participate in this online-event should mention it in their proposal.

There will be limited funding from YSI for European and international participants. Please mention in your application if you need funding and where you would be flying from. If needed, all necessary measures will be taken to ensure the proper holding of this event.