Working Groups
CGS promotes collaborative scholarship by forging interdisciplinary connections among university faculty. CGS currently supports working groups in the following areas:
- Cities & Globalization
- Global Relations of Emerging Powers
- Globalization & Society in India
- Human Rights & Global Justice
- Welfare State in Times of Crisis
The most recent application guidelines (2013-2014) for those interested in creating a working group can be found here.
For a list of past working groups click here.
Cities & Globalization
About
Interest in the study of cities in global context, and of cities as transnational spaces where globalization is produced, experienced, and challenged, has grown dramatically in recent years. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines have turned their attention to urban spaces, which for the first time in history are home to a majority of the urban population. The purpose of the working group is to both contribute a distinctive voice to this interdisciplinary inquiry and to develop a collaborative space, drawing from the considerable expertise that exists within the university.
The mission of the Cities & Globalization Working Group is to provide a space for faculty and graduate students from a variety of disciplines and approaches across George Mason University to share work, comment on writing projects, and build consciousness around urban issues and urban research in global and transnational contexts. We create a dynamic environment where Mason scholars and graduate students can come together, both to enrich our own work and thinking, and work to bring global urban studies to a wider audience.
Group contact is Tony Roshan Samara
The Cities & Globalization Working Group's blog site can be accessed here
Working Group Members
- Tony Roshan Samara, PI (SOC)
- Johanna Bockman (SOC)
- Jo-Marie Burt (PIA)
- John Dale (SOC)
- Katie Kerstetter (SOC, CSSR)
- Terrence Lyons (S-CAR)
- Agnieszka Paczynska (S-CAR)
- Rashmi Sadana (ANTH)
Past Events
For past events and activities of the Cities & Globalization Working Group click here.
The Global Relations of Emerging Powers
About
The past decade has witnessed the phenomenal rise to global prominence of countries such as China, India, and Brazil. While clearly driven by the economic dynamism exhibited by these “emerging powers,” this phenomenon is by no means confined to the realm of global trade and commerce. Emerging powers have been asserting themselves in the diplomatic arena through new great power conglomerations such as the G20 and have also been pursuing various “soft power strategies” centered on cultural projection and new development aid practices. While scholars and commentators debate which countries should be considered emerging powers—coining clever acronyms such as BRICS, CIVETS, TIMBI (the latter offered by Mason’s Jack Goldstone) to inventory the relevant nations—it is clear that the world today is witnessing a fundamental reconfiguration in global power. While the traditional great powers of the Atlantic age remain vitally important in world affairs, they are no longer capable of dictating the global agenda.
The Global Relations of Emerging Powers Working Group represents a seed effort in what will grow to constitute a full-fledged research program centered on the global relations of emerging powers. Various units around the university have already undertaken some work around these themes – most notably the Center for Emerging Market Policies in the School of Public Policy and the Center for Global Studies’ own efforts around ‘South-South Cooperation,’ ‘Subaltern Solidarity,’ and ‘Emerging Donors.’ This working group brings together faculty from multiple schools and departments with the goal of cultivating a culture of multidisciplinary scholarship around emerging powers and their global relations.
Group contact is Peter Mandaville
Working Group Members
- Peter Mandaville, PI (PIA)
- Jack Goldstone (SPP)
- Ramkishen Rajan (SPP)
- Ken Reinert (SPP)
- Terrence Lyons (S-CAR)
- Agnieszka Paczynska (S-CAR)
- John Dale (SOC)
- Johanna Bockman (SOC)
- Sasidaran Gopalan (PhD Student, SPP)
Past Events
For past events and activities of the Global Relations of Emerging Powers Working Group click here.
Globalization & Society in India
About
The Globalization & Society in India Working Group fosters intellectual exchanges and academic discussions among scholars interested in issues related to globalization and India, both from within and outside of George Mason University. Its goal is to produce empirical research, contributing and engaging in current debates about the globalization processes that take shape in and are shaping India. The group organizes myriad activities, such as guest speakers, publications, panel discussions, workshops and film viewings. Key interests include questions of identity and personhood in post-liberalization India, restructured work spaces and relationships, visual imagery of a burgeoning consumer society, and a critical inquiry into the rhetoric of emancipation in India's globalization process.
Group contact is Supriya Baily.
Working Group Members
- Supriya Baily, PI (IET)
- Chaitanya Ravi (PhD Student, Environmental Sciencei & Policy)
- Nayantara Sheoran (PhD Student, Cultural Studies)
Past Events
For past events and activities of the Globalization & Society in India working group click here.
Human Rights & Global Justice
About
For several years now, a group of Mason scholars has created and expanded a working group to explore mutual interests related to transitional and transnational justice. These include, among others, a comparative approach to justice; a comparative assessment of the variety and varied success of transitional and transnational justice initiatives; the conceptual challenge of defining victims, perpetrators, impartial judges, and other actors in the post-conflict justice arena as well as defining key concepts, such as justice, accountability, healing, transnationalism, reparations, etc.
Since fall 2007 members began to narrow their focus to explore existing and emergent institutions of accountability after mass atrocity. They were especially concerned to interrogate the claims for justice made by and on behalf of victims and other interested parties, such as human rights advocates, conflict resolution practitioners, and international institutions (e.g., the United Nations and the International Criminal Court). They intend to continue and deepen their conversation with the goal of developing a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to the role of justice after atrocity, which we will share with colleagues and students through public presentations and publication.
Group contact is Jo-Marie Burt
Working Group Members
- Jo-Marie Burt, PI (PIA)
- Susan Hirsch (S-CAR)
- John Dale (SOC)
- Cheryl Weixia Chen (NCC)
- Arnaud Kurze (Visiting Scholar, CGS)
- Casey Cagley (Grad Student, PIA)
- Anna Calasanti (Grad Student, PIA)
- Laura Boyette (Grad Student, GLOA)
Past Events
For past events and activities of the Human Rights & Global Justice Working Group click here.
The Welfare State in Times of Crisis: Current Challenges and Implications across the Globe
About
The Welfare State in Times of Crisis Working Group will investigate the complex challenges faced by welfare states in the post-2008 era. Current scenarios, characterized by what we call the “austerity vs. the people dilemma,” lead us to explore and compare political and economic responses to tackle the tensions between the fiscal constraints faced by governments, on the one hand, and the need for policies that promote peoples’ well being on the other hand. By engaging in such discussions, we will address a key question—“What are the future prospects of the welfare state?”
To address these topics, The Welfare State in Times of Crisis Working Group will not limit its discussions to advanced industrial democracies, but we will study the implications of such challenges across the globe. To foster academic discussions and intellectual exchanges among faculty and graduate students from different disciplines, the group will organize a myriad of activities, including a reading and discussion group, panel discussions, and a workshop.
Group contact is Mariely Lopez-Santana
Working Group Members
- Mariely Lopez-Santana, PI (PIA)
- Tyler Cowen (ECON)
- Bassam Haddad (PIA)
- Ricardo Vivancos Pérez (Modern & Classical Languages)
- Rossella Moyer (Grad Student, PIA)
- Nanna Onwuka (Grad Student, PIA)
Past Events
For past events and activities of the Welfare State in Times of Crisis Working Group click here.