I'm a Professor in Geography at Trinity College Dublin and a Senior Research Associate in the School of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of Johannesburg. My research and teaching focus on the political economy of globalisation in Africa, and I'm interested in the ways in which current, massive global changes are impacting Africa and the prospects for its development based on constructed or available policy space. Sometimes there seems to be so much change in the world that it is hard to pick out what the most important trends are and their inter-relationships. I picked this book list based on what I see as some of the biggest changes in the world right now.
I loved this book because it explains how to understand our current politics, particularly in the United States and Europe.
Far-right parties have gained ground globally and have often come to power. Sometimes the political changes and events happen so quickly that they are bewildering, but there is a logic to them that has roots back to the rise of the ideology of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher.
The book traces this lineage and shows how the rise of the populist right reflects a fracture within this global movement, which now brings together libertarians, market liberals, racists, and nationalists in a new fusion. It reads easily and compellingly and helped me make sense of the current moment.
A revelatory exploration of how today's right-wing authoritarianism emerged not in opposition to neoliberalism, but from within it
Bracingly original... Hayek's Bastards demonstrates how a history of ideas can be riveting. Slobodian grounds intellectual abstractions in the lives of the people who espoused them... His book offers an illuminating history to our current bewildering moment, as right-wing populists join forces with billionaire oligarchs to take a chain saw to the foundations of public life, until there's nothing left to stand on' - Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times
After the end of the Cold War, neoliberalism, with its belief in…
I’ve worked in information technology in the past but hadn’t really thought about the social information networks that undergird what we do and are as societies. Harari takes this slant on information networks and got me to think differently about how we organize ourselves, and to what effect.
As he notes, “power always stems from cooperation between large numbers of humans.” It is also very good on what the implications of AI might be for our future.
'If you read only one non-fiction book this year, consider this one' TOM HANKS
'If there's one book that I would urge everyone to read - it is Nexus' STEPHEN FRY
Discover the mind-blowing story of how information networks - from the stone age to AI - have shaped our world from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of Sapiens. The perfect Christmas gift for curious minds.
Stories brought us together.
Books spread our ideas - and our mythologies.
The internet promised infinite knowledge.
The algorithm learned our secrets - and then turned us against each other.
Every previous wave of automation had a next rung. Factory workers moved into services. Service workers moved into knowledge work. There was always somewhere to go.
This time the next rung is being automated at the same time as the current one, and the people most exposed are the ones…
China and the Global South in a Contested World Order
By
Jing Gu,
Why I love this book
I loved this book because it discusses the rise of China and its relations with the developing world or Global South in the context of the current polycrisis, which is increasingly affecting the globe.
It explores the seeming paradox that even as we enter an era of climate and many other disruptions, the power of some actors from historically disadvantaged or exploited regions is increasing.
Gu adeptly and expertly explores what the implications of this are. She explains why China’s strategy is so adaptive and consequently successful.
China and the Global South in a Contested World Order
By
Jing Gu,
What is this book about?
China and the Global South in a Contested World Order is a timely and thought-provoking exploration of China's growing influence across the Global South. From the Belt and Road Initiative to China's rising power in Africa and Southeast Asia, this book explores China's vision of a new world order and its unique approach to "true multilateralism". Through compelling case studies and fresh insights such as China's underexplored provincial diplomacy, it reveals the shared challenges, opportunities, competition, cooperation and untapped potential between China and the Global South. The author calls for deeper collaboration between China and the Global South to harness…
I love this book because it got me to think differently about the relationship between new technologies, particularly digital platforms and the state.
In the context of the New Cold War between China and the US in particular, states try to secure an advantage by using platforms based in their territories and also to undermine rivals.
There is a mutually symbiotic relationship between states and platforms, as the latter also seek out state protection and support. This all has important impacts on how geopolitics and economics are conducted.
State Platform Capitalism
By
Steve Rolf,
Seth Schindler,
What is this book about?
Global capitalism is being reshaped by two major trends. States have become increasingly interventionist, reshaping their economies in response to crises and geopolitical tensions. Secondly, digital platform giants have emerged from the US and China that concentrate political economic power in private hands. This Element argues that these trends are increasingly symbiotic. Digital platforms are being folded into the spiralling rivalry between the US and China. As states tap into their extraterritorial governance capacities by exerting control over platforms, platform firms leverage state support to pursue and expand their internationalization strategies. Therefore, the US-China rivalry is increasingly being fought at…
People Are People: Signals from the Human Side of Systems explores what remains constant in a world defined by accelerating technology. Drawing on personal experience, recovery, family, illness, and years of conversations with founders, entrepreneurs, and builders, Jamil Hasan examines the relationship between systems and the people who create, inherit,…
This is a great book because it takes a deep dive into the reasons behind the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It shows how Russia has often presented itself as an anti-imperial power, while engaging in imperialism. It provides a balanced and historically and theoretically informed view of Russian imperialism and debunks many commonly circulating myths and explains problems with the European Union’s decision-making processes.
While there are now many books on the Ukraine war, this is one of the most deeply informed and consequently best.
Unfinished Empire
By
Donnacha Ó Beacháin,
What is this book about?
For centuries, Russian imperialism has shaped the fate of its neighbours, from the tsarist conquests to Soviet domination and today's relentless aggression. This book exposes the Kremlin's enduring ambition to control its periphery, dismantling the myths used to justify its actions - from claims of shared history to the weaponization of security and culture. It reveals how Russia has sought to subordinate neighbouring states, and how these nations have resisted, asserting their sovereignty in defiance of Moscow's pressure.
In this incisive and compelling analysis of Russia's enduring imperial mindset, Donnacha O Beachain sheds critical light on how history, politics and…
The world has entered a new era of more competitive geopolitics. There are a variety of drivers of this, such as the rise of China, relative American decline, and global resource scarcity. This means that the liberal international order is fragmenting, and consequently there is intense competition between different powers to access resources, political support, and build centrality in (critical) networks in different world regions.
These dynamics manifest in Africa as a terrain where global power is being renegotiated through technology, resource access, military interventions, and other vectors of engagement. This book examines the current nature of this competition and what the implications are for African politics and development, as national political elites seek to navigate great power rivalry for their own and national advantage.
This is not an insect book--it is a history book, but one that tells the history you didn't learn in school, or it tells the history in a way you never imagined. Five insects had a significant impact on human history. Silkworm moth, Oriental rat flea, human body louse, yellow…
The Animal in the Mirror is a wake-up call to your higher self. Why do we keep reacting, fearing, and repeating the same patterns—no matter how much we know better? Because beneath our thoughts and emotions still lives the animal within: the ancient survival instinct that once kept us alive…
