Call for Papers

Political Economy, Financialization and Discourse Theory

Conference to be held at Cardiff University 28-29 May 2009

Papers are invited that provide some illumination of the issues and questions 
outlined below. Please submit an abstract of 300-500 words before February 
28th 2009 to Angela Cox–email [log in to unmask] Places are strictly limited 
and, if necessary, a waiting list will be created. 

The current financial crisis has called into question broader contemporary 
developments in the financial and economic sphere. These include an explosion 
in derivatives trading, use of off-shore financial centres, and the 
'financializing’ extension of financial products and financial calculations
into 
new spheres of economic activity. Now the financial meltdown has arguably 
dislocated the project of neo-liberalism.

How, then, is the contemporary phase of capitalist development and 
associated crisis of financialization to be conceptualized? What relevance 
might various forms of discourse theory have for analysing aspects of this 
crisis? This workshop is intended to address the following questions:

•     What is the contribution of discursive/poststructuralist analysis to 
the interrogation of central elements of the financial crisis?

•    How do other traditions and forms of analysis serve to highlight the 
shortcomings and/or correct the limitations of discursive/poststructuralist 
analysis?

These questions are pertinent as discursive/poststructuralist analysis has 
become increasingly influential in recent years, yet studies of practices
central 
to the development and reproduction of the contemporary economic and 
financial order are exceptional (e.g. de Goede, 2003; Stäheli, 2007). This 
omission leaves discursive/poststructuralist analysis vulnerable to the
criticism 
that it fails to adequately account for the so-called materialist dimensions of 
social and economic reality (Laffey, 2004). Are such criticisms justified? What 
discourse theoretic resources might be mobilised to neutralise or address such 
critiques? 

The aim of this workshop is therefore to explore and assess the insights into 
the political economy of financialization – its confident expansion and
possible 
exhaustion - from a range of perspectives (e.g. structuralist, critical realist 
and poststructuralist), paying particular attention to the contribution of
forms 
of discourse theory to its analysis (Glynos and Howarth, 2007). More 
specifically, it is hoped to stimulate and advance consideration of the
potential 
of discursive analysis for reconstructing the entrenched but increasingly 
contested materialist/idealist dichotomy.

Cardiff Business School is organising a small conference of about 40 
participants on `Political Economy, Financialization and Discourse Theory'. 

The conference is to be held at Cardiff University on May 28th-29th 2009. It is 
planned to run from noon on the 28th to mid- afternoon on the 29th. 

The broad intent of the conference is to bring together people with an interest 
in assessing and critiquing the contribution that discourse theory can make to 
the analysis of political economy and, more specifically, to processes of 
financialization and the current financial crisis. We are particularly
interested in 
contributions that address the relevance of discourse theory and analysis that 
are either directly informed by, or engage critically with, poststructuralist 
thinking.

Professor Marieke de Goede (University of Amsterdam) will give the opening 
plenary lecture. 

Positive responses to an initial call for papers have so far been received from 
Glyn Daly, Melissa Fisher, Paul DuGay, Nick Hildyard, Paul Langley, Anastasia 
Nesvetailova, Michael Pryke, Christoph Scherrer, Ewen Speed, Urs Staeheli, 
Nigel Thrift, Colin Wight, and Karel Williams.

The fee for the workshop is £75. There is a reduced fee of £50 for PhD 
students. This includes lunches, teas and coffees.


Hugh Willmott
Casper Hoedemaekers
Robin Klimecki 
Angela Cox (Administrator)