Some personal reflections on academia and belonging

I’m reading (skimming, actually) Benjamin Cohen’s International Political Economy: An Intellectual History, partly to better understand my field and partly to seek inspiration for my upcoming dissertation proposal. The book is leading me to reflect upon myself within my discipline and I’m pleased to note that I am beginning to feel that I do—in some intrinsic way, both intellectually and temperamentally—belong in this field. The more collegial nature of study and debate at the postgraduate level—in my university at least—makes a big difference.

Yesterday I wrote that ‘the role of the politics department is to constantly remind the economics department than life just isn’t that simple’. Cohen writes that ‘theorists of every stripe face a fundamental trade-off between parsimony and detail—between the deductive simplicity required for theoretical generalization and the inductive description required to assure external validity. Mainstream economists favour deductive simplicity…’ I was also speaking to my colleagues at the workshop and telling them that I felt that as students of politics we have an inferiority complex in relation to economists. I’m somehow gratified to find that Cohen reports that both these phenomena are common hallmarks of bona fide international political economists.

Reading Cohen’s chapter on the British School (not to be confused with IR’s English School), I find myself more aware than ever how firmly I place myself in that camp, as opposed to the American School. Perhaps that’s inevitable, given my academic history thus far, but as suggested in this post’s title, being able to associate myself with something like that does provide a strong feeling of belonging. I’ve also been pleased to find a description of the birth of the International Political Economy Group (now part of BISA), under the auspices of Susan Strange. I am today a member of IPEG and reading of its creation gives me a pleasing sense of history and continuity.

Ayn Rand rides again

(Well, if she ever really went away.) Yes, sales of the book once reported to be second only to The Bible in Americans’ reading habits is once again in the news. Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is a fictionalised defence of free market (fundamentalist) capitalism. I’ve heard rumours that the book’s Amazon sales ranking correlates very well to the peaks and troughs of the Dow Jones in recent months… It has also been noticed that as the financial crisis grows, the pattern of banking bailouts of increased calls for protectionism and regulation strongly reflect the plot of Rand’s book. They have a point, and in the novel, things didn’t end well – society largely collapsed, except for the select few market ideologues who – as I recall – set up some kind of capitalist utopia out in the mountains. It’s  a thought-provoking book and well worth a read (if you can get through the 100 page philosophical monologue ¾ of the way through. Just try not to take it too seriously and become some kind of zealot objectivist emotionless automaton. It does happen to people.

Zed Books January sale

This blog’s favourite independent Islington-based publisher, the illustrious Zed Books, is having a January sale. If you’re at all interested in IPE or related topics, you really can’t fail to engage with Zed’s list.

I interned for them last summer and greatly enjoyed perusing the shelves in the office. There are some goodies lining the walls of those rooms and there will even – according to rumour – be free snacks at the sale. If you’re in London on 22 January, this is not to be missed.

There’s a Facebook event here and Zed’s blog is here.