Events

In a context in which economic coercion is becoming ever-more central to geopolitical conflict, there is a pressing need to examine the long-suppressed question of economic power. In the wake of the Cold War, economic power was disavowed under the hegemony of a neoliberal ideology that treated the world market as a site of mutually beneficial, voluntary relations. At the same time, a proliferation of economic sanctions reshaped economic relations and stifled the supposed independence and economic development of much of the post-colonial world.

Economic and financial sanction are both enabled by and exacerbate the deeply unequal integration of the post-colonial world economy that is the legacy of colonialism and neoliberalism. They leverage the indebtedness and dependence of countries of the Global South and the global centrality of the US dollar to coerce states and societies. The results of such economic coercion can be devastating, but the abstract mechanisms through which it operates have made it difficult to identify causation or even adequately conceptualise the form of power that is wielded in sanctions strategies.

At a time when human rights NGOs rigorously count civilian deaths in armed conflicts, no equivalent accounting is available to victims of a war waged via exchange rates, inflation, and interest rates. What, then, is economic coercion? How is economic power mobilised in international relations and in warfare? How can we best understand a form of power that deliberately degrades the infrastructure that sustains biological life? In this public lecture, Dr Jessica Whyte will situate economic sanctions on a continuum that stretches from the overt use of military force to the everyday capitalist coercion that Karl Marx called the “mute compulsion of economic relations.

This public lecture will be delivered as part of the inaugural Melbourne Critical Theory Winter School, presented by the Critical Research Association Melbourne (CRAM).

In celebration of NAIDOC Week 2024, Professor Sandra Phillips will present a Faculty of Education Dean’s Lecture:

Education for Indigenous Futures: What could that look like?

Taking a multidisciplinary approach and using sources of evidence as diverse as education policy and speculative fiction, Professor Sandra Phillips’ Dean’s Lecture will explore current examples and possible scenarios where education is oriented to Indigenous flourishing.

This presentation aims to contribute clarity to common goals we share as educators and leaders through combining the interpretive and critical traditions of Futures Studies with the spirit of 2024 NAIDOC theme, Keep the Fire burning! Blak, Loud and Proud.

Register early to attend this special lecture. Registration is essential.

This year’s NAIDOC Week theme, Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud, honours the enduring strength and vitality of First Nations culture – with fire a symbol of connection to Country, to each other, and to the rich tapestry of traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Please note: In the event that this lecture exceeds venue capacity we will require a change of venue within the University of Melbourne, Parkville campus. Keep an eye out for communications post registration.