Inaugural lecture - Brooke Harrington

Eight people now own as much wealth as the 3.6 people who constitute the poorer 50% of humanity.

How did we get here? Who made this happen? These are among the main empirical questions motivating Brooke Harrington’s research on offshore finance and wealth management. In her inaugural lecture, she will discuss how her research trajectory in economic sociology led to this topic, and what it contributes to the disciplines of sociology and political economy. 

Theoretically, the lecture will suggest several new directions.

First, it will explain why wealth—rather than income—should be central in the study of inequality.

Second, it will argue that offshore finance and the wealth management profession are provoking a reconfiguration of state power relative to global economic elites.

Finally, the lecture will propose that stratification research can learn from anthropology  in terms of theories as well as methods. Specifically, it will discuss how closely-observed studies of agency and relationality can reveal aspects of inequality obscured by structural and statistical approaches. 

 

The Department invites for reception after the lecture

 

Please sign up for your participation by email to mgn.dbp@cbs.dk