This seminar will trace the history of the modern political and economic world order from colonialism to globalization. Students will engage with twelve landmark events between the seventeenth and twenty-first century to make sense of the emergence, consequences, and contemporary forms of global inequalities. The course introduces key concepts like capitalism, imperialism, decolonization, and neoliberalism and uses them to show continuities and ruptures in the making of the contemporary world. At the end of the class students can identify and analyze key mechanisms that shape the global political economy. The seminar will be complemented by a tutorial which provides space for personal and peer-reflection on the topics, texts, and personal experiences. Moreover, the tutorial will introduce some basic academic skills.
Landmark Events: Bank of England (1694), Haitian Revolution (1791), Berlin Conference (1884-1885), Paris Peace Conference (1919), Bandung Conference (1955), Organisation of African Unity (1963), World Economic Forum (1971), Chilean coup d’etat (1973), World Conference on Women (1995), World Social Forum (2001), International Trade Union Confederation (2006), Paris Agreement (2015).