Studying state, sovereignty and other stuff
Thursday 29 June 2023, 14.00-17.00
DIIS ∙ Danish Institute for International Studies
Gl. Kalkbrænderi Vej 51A
2100 København Ø
On the occasion of his retirement, Dr. Stepputat and colleagues from his research career will take stock of changes in research on state, sovereignty, and other stuff during his time. His thirty-six year long career has been framed by a 'return' of the state in several ways after the eighties' neoliberal onslaught. Yet, because of state collapse and international state-building efforts, the state lost its quality of being taken-for-granted. Likewise, in the zeroes, (state-)sovereignty emerged as vulnerable and incomplete, challenged by militias, organized crime, religious authorities, and vigilantes, claiming their right to decide over life and death. The panel will discuss where the state is heading now, and how research and research communities develop in relation to international events and ongoing social, political and personal changes.
Finn Stepputat is a senior researcher at the Danish Institute for International Studies (DIIS). He works on state formation, sovereignty, logistics, and armed conflict, and is co-editor and co-author of 'States of Imagination' (2001); 'Sovereign Bodies' (2005); 'Governing the dead' (2014); 'Trade makes states' (2023), and other volumes.
Thomas Blom Hansen, Professor in Anthropology and Director of the Center for South Asia at Stanford University. He has many and broad interests spanning South Asia and Southern Africa. Among his publications are 'The Safron wave' (1999); 'Wages of Violence' (2001) and 'Melancholia of freedom' , and, together with Finn, the above-mentioned 'States of imagination' and 'Sovereign bodies'.
Ninna Nyberg Sørensen, senior researcher at DIIS where she works on migration, conflict and development in Ltin Amrica, Africa and Europe. She has published extensively, also with Finn, and including the edited volumes, 'Work and migration' (2002); 'Living across worlds (2007); and 'The migration industry' (2012).
Helene Maria Kyed is a senior researcher at DIIS and former PhD student of Finn. She has published on justice, policing, and state formation in Mozambique and Myanmar, such as the edited volumes 'State recognition and democratization in sub-Saharan africa (2007); 'Policing and the politics of ordermaking' (2015); 'Everyday justice in Myanmar' (2020).
Tobias Hagmann is a senior program manager at Swisspeace, previously associate professor at Roskilde University. He's a specialist in the Horn of Africa and has published the volumes 'Negotiating statehood (2010) and, with Finn, 'Trade makes states' among many other publications.
Programme
14.00-14.05 Introduction by moderator Tobias Hagmann
14.05-14.20 Presentation by Finn Stepputat
14.20-14.50 Panel with Thomas Blom Hansen, Ninna Nyberg Sørensen and Helene Maria Kyed
14.50-15.30 Q&A
15.30-17.00 Reception
Practical information
The seminar will be held in English. Physical participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use our registration form.
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