The Center for European and Russian Studies (CERS), in co-sponsorship with the UCLA Department of Sociology, invite you to a book talk with Professor George Steinmetz, author of The Colonial Origins of Modern Social Thought. This event is hosted by the Political Sociology and the Global South working group of the UCLA Department of Sociology and co-sponsored by the UCLA Center for European and Russian Studies. This event will take place at UCLA Haines Hall Room 279 on Friday, February 9, 2024 at 3 pm and is open to the public.

Abstract

In this provocative and original retelling of the history of French social thought, George Steinmetz places the history and development of modern French sociology in the context of the French empire after World War II. Connecting the rise of all the social sciences with efforts by France and other imperial powers to consolidate control over their crisis-ridden colonies, Steinmetz argues that colonial research represented a crucial core of the renascent academic discipline of sociology, especially between the late 1930s and the 1960s. Sociologists, who became favored partners of colonial governments, were asked to apply their expertise to such “social problems” as detribalization, urbanization, poverty, and labor migration. This colonial orientation permeated all the major subfields of sociological research, Steinmetz contends, and is at the center of the work of four influential scholars: Raymond Aron, Jacques Berque, Georges Balandier, and Pierre Bourdieu.

Speaker

Professor George Steinmetz is the Charles Tilly Collegiate Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology at the University of Michigan and a Corresponding Member of the Centre de Sociologie européenne, Paris. He is a social theorist and a historical sociologist of states, empires, and social science.

Venue

Haines Hall 279
375 Portola Plaza
Los Angeles, CA 90095

Parking

Parking for Haines Hall is available in Parking Structure 4 located at: 221 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Parking at UCLA requires a valid permit at all times. Campus parking is available 24-hours a day at varying prices. Visit UCLA Visitor Parking for information about where to park and how to pay.

Download file: George-Steinmetz-book-talk-flyer---updated-j2-dmq.pdf

Sponsor(s): Center for European and Russian Studies, Department of Sociology