Global Capital as the Leviathan of the 21st Century?

Global Capital as the Leviathan of the 21st Century? 

June 29-30 & July 1, 2022 

University of Amsterdam 

In what sense do economic actors—corporations, business elites, financial institutions, and the like—hold and exercise political power in the 21st century? And what is the scope for criticising such power without falling back on normative standards tainted by this very power? This conference brings together theorists who utilize a variety of different resources—political realism, critical theory, socialism, and political epistemology—in their critical evaluation of contemporary capitalist institutions. The conference also features a panel discussion on the real-world implications of those theoretical contributions. 

Registration is required. In order to register, please send an email to [email protected] 

Venue: The conference will take place in A2.07 of the REC building at the Roeterseiland Campus. The address is Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV Amsterdam.

Lunch/Refreshment: Lunch will be provided on the second day of the conference, refreshments will be provided in-between sessions.

Programme 

June 29 (Location: RECA2.07, Roeterseiland Campus) 

13:30 – 15:00 

Lisa Herzog (University of Groningen) 

You’re free to choose, but do you have time to choose? Structural injustice and the epistemic burdens of market societies 

Commentator: Adrian Kreutz (University of Oxford) 

15:30 – 17:00 

Ugur Aytac (University of Amsterdam) & Enzo Rossi (University of Amsterdam) 

Ideology Critique without Morality 

Commentator: Josette Daemen (Leiden University) 

19:00 

Conference Dinner (Venue: TBA) 

June 30 (Location: RECA2.07, Roeterseiland Campus) 

09:30 – 11:00 

Albena Azmanova (University of Kent, Brussels) 

Thinking capitalism in the 21st century: the tasks of radical critique 

Commentator: Gordon Arlen (Swarthmore College) 

11:30 – 13:00 

Hans Sluga (UC Berkeley) 

The lessons of sanctions politics. Neoliberalism and beyond 

Commentator: Janosch Prinz (Maastricht University) 

14:30 – 16:00 

Brian Leiter (University of Chicago) 

Why should capitalism self-destruct?  Marx’s Account Reconsidered 

Commentator: Stephanie Classmann (LSE) 

16:30 – 18:00 

James Muldoon (University of Exeter) 

Platform Capitalism and Demanding the Impossible 

Commentator: Ugur Aytac (University of Amsterdam) 

July 1 (Location: RECA2.07, Roeterseiland Campus) 

11:00 – 12:45 

Roundtable: After neoliberal capitalism: envisioning a realist transition to a post-capitalist era 

Albena Azmanova (University of Kent, Brussels), Brid Brennan (Transnational Institute), Brian Leiter (University of Chicago), Hans Sluga (UC Berkeley), James Muldoon (University of Exeter). Moderator: Enzo Rossi (University of Amsterdam)

Organizers: Enzo Rossi and Ugur Aytac