Events
Conference
Lineages of Patrimonial Politics, Then and NowThis conference explores the value for politics of concepts and theories of patrimonialism -- historically and in the present day. The term captures the manifold intersections between states on the one hand and family/household/kin networks on the other. The preoccupation with patrimonialism descends from Max Weber’s inspiring writings on patriarchal patrimonialism. It now extends far beyond that point of origin, embracing the full range of interdisciplinary work on family and kin elements of macropolitics across the globe.
Some of the key questions that the conference will address are: What does the concept of patrimonialism help us foreground, what does it miss? What are the implications for substantive patterns of political development? What are the sources and dynamics of change in political systems? How do the historical dimensions of states and family/household/kin politics leave their imprint on the present day? What are the practical political implications?
The conference is interdisciplinary and involves regionally-expert inquiry. Participating scholars hail from the fields of sociology, history, political science, anthropology, and global studies. The countries and regions examined include South Korea, Taiwan, Western Europe, Malaysia, Africa, Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, and the United States. The area-specific inquiries complement others that are oriented toward general theory and/or consider agendas for future research.
Comparative Workshop
Senior Fellows Meetings
