Imperialism: Economics of Re-armament and Militarism
Key information
- Date
- Time
-
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm
- Venue
- Online on Zoom
- Event type
- Seminar
About this event
The Series in Advanced Political Economy (SAPE) was launched in 2022, jointly organised by Departments of Economics at SOAS University of London and New School for Social Research (NSSR) in New York.
The world has been witnessing the most significant rise in defence budgets in major economies since the end of the Cold War. With wars and genocides destroying people’s lives every day, and many parts of the economy stagnant, if not deteriorating, more and more money is spent on producing weapons and instruments of war.
To understand what drives this tendency, we ask some fundamental questions - What is the economic logic that drives wars and militarism? Why is military power so essential to maintaining hegemony of the imperial core? Who benefits and how, and at what/whose expense? The discussion around these key questions will help us to think about the implications of re-armament and militarisation to the wider society and how it impacts us all. We also would like to discuss the role of trade unions in the fight for demilitarisation and industrial policy.
Speakers
The session will run with 1-hour panel discussion between:
Costas Lapavitsas
Clara Mattei
Chair: Hanin Khawaja
followed by 1-hour open discussion with the audience.
About the speakers
- Costas Lapavitsas is Professor of Economics at SOAS University of London and has taught at SOAS since 1990. His main area of specialisation is monetary theory and the political economy of money and finance. For several years his research focused on the financialisation of capitalism, its characteristic trends, variable forms and manifold implications for contemporary society. He has also worked on the attendant crises of financialisation, including the Eurozone crisis, producing work that has had a considerable impact on the theoretical and policy debates. Professor Lapavitsas has taught at several universities across the world, including the University of Tokyo, the New School for Social Research, METU in Ankara, the University of Buenos Aires, and elsewhere. He writes frequently for the international and the Greek press. In 2015 he was elected as a Member of Parliament in Greece.
- Clara Mattei is Professor of Economics at The University of Tulsa and the President of FREE: Forum for Real Economic Emancipation. FREE continues the activities she formerly directed through the CHE (Centre for Heterodox Economics). She was previously Associate Professor at The New School for Social Research Economics Department and has been a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton.
Header image credit: Kevin Schmid via Unsplash.
About Series in Advanced Political Economy (SAPE)
The Series in Advanced Political Economy (SAPE) was launched in 2022, jointly organised by Departments of Economics at SOAS University of London and New School for Social Research (NSSR) in New York. We have been promoting political economy beyond university walls and created a platform where academics, activists, trade unionists, and many others, could come together to discuss pressing issues and explore ways to address the multi-faceted crises of our time. As of October 2025, these lectures have collectively gained nearly 68,000 views on YouTube, in addition to the live in-person and Zoom webinar attendees.
We are back this year with new collaborators - Forum for Real Economic Emancipation (FREE) have now joined us to organise the Series, and the Series will be hosted by the UK's General Federation of Trade Unions Educational Trust (GFTU ET). Building on the academic and theoretical discussions we have had in the first 2 years, we now aim to connect them more directly with workers’ struggles. The objective is to reach a wider audience, particularly union members, leaders, and shop stewards through the GFTU’s broad network of trade unions in the UK and internationally. We would also like community and grassroots organisers to join our exciting debates on workers’ fights for a better future.
Please find the 2025/26 course programme below. All sessions take place at 6-8pm UK time.
