Cédric Durand (University of Paris 13 and EHESS, France)
Fictitious Capital in the 21st Century
Tuesday, 5 February, 5-7PM
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
Ten years after the great financial crisis we are still living under financial hegemony. The social and political wounds of the crash are far from being repaired. However, at institutional and structural levels most of the features of financial power are still in place and, arguably, even reinforced. How can we explain this resilience of financialisation? What are the socioeconomic implications? This talk will examine these issues in light of Marx’s concept of fictitious capital and more recent research it has inspired. After presenting the explanatory power of this concept, the notion of financial hegemony will be explored and linked to the features of the 2008 crisis. The analysis then proposes a critical appraisal of crisis management policies implemented after the crash and its European aftershock. It will focus on the socioeconomic content of the very idea of financial stability, which is the cornerstone of contemporary macroeconomic policies.
Cédric Durand is an economist and associate professor at Paris 13 University. He teaches development theories at the EHESS and is on the scientific board of the MSH Paris Nord. Working within the tradition of Marxist and French Regulationist Political Economy, he studies globalisation, financialisation and contemporary mutations of capitalism. He is on the editorial board of the Revue d’économie industrielle and the online journal Contretemps. He recently published Fictitious Capital (Verso, 2017).
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/284564715586112/
All welcome, no need to book but please do arrive early to be sure of a seat. Details of all events in the seminar series are provided below. The venue is wheelchair accessible. We look forward to seeing you there.
SOAS DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES & UCL, BLOOMSBURY AND EAST LONDON DOCTORAL TRAINING PARTNERSHIP
Seminar Series, Term 2, 2018-19
Tuesdays, 5-7PM
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
All welcome, no need to book
* 5 February *
Dr Cédric Durand (University of Paris 13 and EHESS, France)
Fictitious Capital in the 21st Century
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
* 19 February *
Professor Étienne Balibar (University of Paris-Nanterre and Kingston University)
Exiles in the 21st Century: The New ‘Population Law’ of Absolute Capitalism
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
* 26 February *
Dr Marcus Taylor (Queen’s University, Canada)
Climate Change and the ‘New Green Revolution’ in India
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
* 5 March *
Professor Sylvia Walby (City, University of London)
Towards Zero Violence: Putting Gender into a Theory of Violence and Society
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
* 12 March *
Dr Mwangi wa Gĩthĩnji (University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA)
Agrarian Transition and Development in an Age of Globalised Inequality: Some Questions from Africa
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
