No subject

speaker: Jan Nederveen Pieterse, Prof of Sociology, UIUC
Monday, Sept 9, 8:00 pm
Levis Faculty Center

Abstract. How to situate the trends that come with the war on terrorism?
This discussion focuses on three questions. What is the difference
between contemporary globalization and empire? A little more is at stake
in this distinction than semantics. Second, if present US policy is
imperial is it an imperial moment or an imperial episode? An imperial
moment, essentially confined to the present administration, implies
`Bush bashing' and risks ignoring strategic continuities in American
foreign policy. Highlighting continuities may risk skipping
discontinuities and essentializing American politics. Third, if the war
on terrorism is an imperial project, what kind of empire is it, what are
its characteristics and parameters? Is American economic unilateralism
now being succeeded by or combined with political-military
unilateralism?

Two readings are available from:
Unit for Criticism and Interpretive Theory (217) 333-2581; Rob Henn
(rhenn at students.uiuc.edu)