2nd Annual Globalization Conference - Global Commodities: Chained and Unchained
March 31, 2011
Northeastern University
The 2nd Annual Conference on Globalization presented by Northeastern University’s Department of Sociology-Anthropology has brought together an exciting group of prominent scholars to critically assess the political and cultural dimensions of global commodity chains. Conference participants will discuss their ethnographic studies of global commodity chains and offer critical perspectives on the causes, implications, and potential solutions to oppressive structures of global trade. Specific issues which will be discussed include the global trade practices of Coca-Cola; sweatshop labor; weaknesses of export-led development; labor and gender politics in Turkey’s carpet weaving industry; arms trafficking and criminal elements of the global economy in Africa and South Asia; the political economy of food and agriculture; and more.
Presenters at the first session, titled “Global Commodity Chains: A Critical Perspective,” will discuss critical approaches to global commodity chain research and offer theoretical expositions which transcend “top-down” analytical approaches currently taken by many sociologists. The second session will aim to generate discussion with the audience on interconnections between commodity chains and human rights and the potential paths of resistance available for those marginalized and exploited within the contemporary global economy. For detailed information about each session, please go to the Schedule page.
