Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin - Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences - Institute of Asian and African Studies

HU Global Sociology of Elite Conflict Lecture Series

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The lectures usually take place online on Fridays. The Zoom links will be made available a few days before the lecture. All times are in Berlin time.

 

May 16th, 2PM

Inés Nercesian (University of Buenos Aires)

"Elites and Influences in Argentina 2023-2025"

 

June 12th, 2PM

Alejandro Pelfini (Universidad del Salvador)
"Reflexivity and Agency: A plea for a relational approach to elites"

Abstract
The growing interest in studying elites and the chasm between citizens and elites in both developed and emerging societies have led to a demand for conceptual renovation and a displacement of a positional (the super-rich) and cartographic (where they are placed and who they relate to) approach to a relational one. The distinction between elites and class allows us to propose a definition based on the more agential and reflexive component of social aggregation vis-a-vis capital endowment (class) and social and lifestyle environment (habitus in a specific milieu). The article focuses on reflexivity as a central attribute of the elites, linked to their intentional activity, aware of the consequences of their decisions and sensitive to signals communicated by the environment and the demands of non-elites. The combination of habitus and reflexivity makes it possible to distinguish a series of typical reactions according to the degree to which each elite can transform itself when faced with turbulent situations. 
 
Alejandro Pelfini is Director for Postgraduate Studies at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires and associated researcher at the Global Studies Programme, FLACSO-Argentina. He was Prof. of Sociology at the Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Santiago de Chile. His research areas are social theory, environmental sociology and political sociology, particularly the topics of populism, collective learning processes and public sphere (elites and public goods). Alejandro Pelfini holds a degree in Sociology from the University of Salvador and a PhD in Sociology from the Universität Freiburg, Germany. 
 

June 13th, 1PM

Antonio Martín-Cabello (Universidad Rey Juan Carlos)

"Political, Economic, and Cultural Elites in Spain from the Late 19th Century to the Present."

 

Abstract

The formation of the elites in Spain has been strongly influenced by the prolonged and late process of modernization of the country. This conference tries to explore the sociological determinants that have shaped the Spanish elites. To this end, it analyzes the status of Spanish elites across three distinct epochs: from the late 19th century to the Spanish Civil War, during General Franco's dictatorship, and from the democratic transition to the present day. Each period will be scrutinized to discern the composition and structure of these elites, categorized into political, economic, and cultural spheres. Additionally, the interplay and conflicts between these elite categories and broader society will be delineated. Special consideration will be given to the position of women as a marginalized group within the elites.

 

Antonio Martín-Cabello (Madrid, Spain, 1975) holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Sociology, a Master of Science in Human Resources Management, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology. During his academic career, he spent an academic year at the University of Central England in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He has held the position of Assistant Lecturer at Alfonso X el Sabio University in Madrid, Spain, and is currently a Professor of Sociology at Rey Juan Carlos University in Madrid, Spain. Additionally, he has served as a Visiting Researcher and Lecturer at Alberto Hurtado University in Santiago de Chile, the Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin in Germany, and the University of Rome 'Tor Vergata' in Italy. Martín-Cabello is also a member of the research group methaodos.org. His research interests include the sociology of culture, globalization, and elite studies.

 

June 19th, 2PM

Gabriel Levita (CONICET)

"Global Economic Elites in Comparative Perspective. The Methodological Challenges of Analyzing Informal and Volatile Economies. Lessons from Argentina"

 

Abstract

What do we know about national economic elites around the globe? How can we compare countries with vast differences in economies and social structures? In this lecture, I will present the first results of the World Elite Database (WED) project, which compares the social characteristics of economic elites from 16 countries. Then, using the local team data, I will delve into the case of Argentina, a volatile economy with a large informal sector, where most local elites prefer to keep their companies off the stock market and have shifted between different strategies of interest representation towards politics throughout recent history. This poses methodological challenges when assessing economic elites using a positional criterion and has theoretical implications for identifying national elites and understanding their behavior. I hope this argument can travel to other developing countries with significant informal economic sectors and help achieve better comparative studies.

 

Gabriel Levita is an associate researcher at the National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and an assistant professor at the National University of Lanús and the Universidad del Salvador, Argentina. He holds a Ph.D. in Social Sciences and Political Studies from the University of Buenos Aires and the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales. His current research interests include political elites, Latin American legislatures, populism and political outsiders in Latin America, Argentine politics, and agricultural policy in Mercosur countries. He is the editor-in-chief of Revista SAAP.