Key research themes
1. How did pre-modern trade networks contribute to early phases of globalization prior to the Industrial Era?
This theme explores the development and significance of large-scale trade networks such as the Afroeurasian world-system and the Silk Road, emphasizing their role in shaping early global integration. It investigates how continental and transcontinental connections facilitated exchanges of goods, ideas, and technologies across vast distances well before European expansion during the Age of Discovery, challenging narratives that globalization started only in the modern era.
2. What are the historical genealogies and conceptual evolutions of the globalization discourse?
Research under this theme investigates the etymology, usage, and evolving meanings of the term 'globalization' from early 20th-century origins to its modern proliferation. It critiques simplistic origin stories and explores how the concept has been framed differently over time across academic and policy contexts, highlighting the implications of such definitional shifts for understanding global interconnectedness.
3. Is recent ‘de-globalization’ a continuation of historical cyclical patterns or a distinct phenomenon?
This theme addresses the contemporary discourse on de-globalization, often framed as a reversal of earlier global integration. It scrutinizes the historical pendulum theory of globalization, comparing the interwar de-globalization with current trends, and evaluates empirical data on trade and investment flows to distinguish myth from measurable changes. The implications for political economy and international relations are considered.