Professor Barbara Harriss-White (University of Oxford)
The Wild East: India’s Criminal Economy and Politics
Tuesday, 27 November, 5-7PM
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
In the 21st century, many parts of the South Asian subcontinent are being conquered not by settler-migrants (as was the case in the Wild West) but by unruly and illegal forms of capital. The connections between criminal profit and politics – the criminalisation of politics – incentivise the politicisation of crime and the proliferation of ‘mafias’ and criminal economies. This talk will attempt to summarise a unique project of field research into natural resource crimes and political funding and behaviour in India, arguing that mainstreaming the criminal economy challenges many political science orthodoxies.
Barbara Harris-White is Professor Emeritus of Development Studies, Emeritus Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford, and a Professorial Research Associate at SOAS. Barbara’s work is focused on India, and in particular on political economy; agriculture, energy and food; aspects of deprivation; India’s informal capitalism; rural and local development; and low carbon transition. A central focus throughout her research has been on understanding real agricultural commodity markets in rural India through a political economy lens, and her field work, started in 1969, has focused in particular on Southern and Northeastern India. She has written, edited or co-edited over 35 books and major reports, in addition to publishing over 250 scholarly papers and chapters.
Facebook Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/545125045936142/
All welcome, no need to book but please do arrive early to be sure of a seat. Details of all events in the seminar series are provided below. We look forward to seeing you there.
SOAS DEPARTMENT OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES & UCL, BLOOMSBURY AND EAST LONDON DOCTORAL TRAINING PARTNERSHIP
Seminar Series, Term 1, 2018-19
Tuesdays, 5-7PM
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
All welcome, no need to book
* 27 November *
Professor Barbara Harriss-White (University of Oxford)
The Wild East: India’s Criminal Economy and Politics
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
* 4 December *
SPECIAL PANEL EVENT
Dr Susanne Jaspars (SOAS University of London)
Professor Laura Hammond (SOAS University of London)
Professor David Keen (London School of Economics)
Power, Politics, and Profit: The History of Food Aid in Conflict and Protracted Crisis
Room: Djam Lecture Theatre (DLT), SOAS Main Building
Further details are available on the SOAS Development Studies Department website: https://www.soas.ac.uk/development/events/devstudseminars/
