Forums — Miami Institute for the Social Sciences

Inaugural Forums

At the Miami Institute, forums tend to launch with a series of relatively informal and short (1500-word) essays and conclude with a virtual conversation among the authors. This conversation tends to be curated by one of the forum authors.

The Miami Institute’s inaugural forums have been bringing together Global Majority scholars across the Global South and North in shared dialogue about the past, present, and future of our fields in the social sciences, from economics and philosophy to sociology. At heart, we are asking fellow scholars:

What would research in our fields look like without white Anglo-American domination in universities and research funding both past and present? Which networks of past and present thinkers and works would we center?

The economics forum concluded with a virtual Q&A among forum authors, recorded on January 27, 2021. The Miami Institute’s second forum focused on the field of philosophy. It was co-curated with Caribbean Philosophical Association (CPA) President Hanétha Vété-Congolo and AICRE-Philosophy’s Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, Annalisa Coliva, and S. Ama Wray. Much like the economics forum, the philosophy forum concluded with a virtual Q&A among forum authors, recorded on May 13, 2021. The forum on the field of sociology was launched in January 2022.

Below is a list of the essays in these forums, followed by video recordings of their concluding virtual conversations among the authors.

Economics Forum Essays:

Jayati Ghosh, “Discrimination and Bias in Economics, and Emerging Responses,” Miami Institute (November 18, 2020).

Jessica Gordon-Nembhard, “Solidarity Cooperative Economics for the Global Majority,” Miami Institute (November 25, 2020).

Jomo Kwame Sundaram, “Milton Friedman’s Shareholder Capitalism and Its Discontents,” Miami Institute (December 2, 2020).

Surbhi Kesar, “Identity in Economics or Identity of Economics,” Miami Institute (December 9, 2020).

Ravi Kanbur, “The Economic Basis of Academic Privilege and the Academic Basis of Economic Privilege,” Miami Institute (December 16, 2020).

Grieve Chelwa, “Thandika Mkandawire— A Giant of African Economic Development Thinking,” Miami Institute (January 21, 2021).

Philosophy Forum Essays:

Tiffany Willoughby-Herard, “AICRE+Philosophy—Picking up a Dropped Stitch in the Humanities” Miami Institute (March 10, 2021).

Ziyana Lategan, “Problems of and for Philosophy,” Miami Institute (March 15, 2021).

Arudra Burra, “The Lamps in our House: Reflections on Postcolonial Pedagogy,” Miami Institute (March 23, 2021).

Hanétha Vété-Congolo, “Philosophy: Giving it Back its Center,” Miami Institute (March 29, 2021).

Michael McEachrane, “Philosophy for What and Whom?” Miami Institute (April 5, 2021).

José Cossa, “Ubuntu” & “¿Dónde Estabas? Where Were You?” Miami Institute (April 19, 2021).

Lewis R. Gordon, “The Colonization of Philosophy,” Miami Institute (May 10, 2021).

Mickaella Perina, “Philosophy and the Global Majority: Politics of Knowledge Production and Transversality” Miami Institute (May 12, 2021).

Sociology Forum Essays:

Percy C. Hintzen, “Sociology’s Plight: The Global Majority, Racial Capitalism, and the Burden of Historicism,” Miami Institute (January 26, 2022).

Elizabeth Adetiba, “Emancipatory Sociology, Redefined,” Miami Institute (February 7, 2022).

Rezvan Moghaddam, “Sociological Exclusivism and the Marginalization of the Global Majority,” Miami Institute (February 17, 2022).

Rituparna Patgiri, “Precarity in the Sociology Job Market in India,” Miami Institute (February 22, 2022).

Concluding Virtual Q&A: Economics Forum

Concluding Virtual Q&A: Sociology Forum

Concluding Virtual Q&A: Philosophy Forum

Beyond the Inaugural Forums

“What Does It Mean to Study International Development:A Conversation among Undergraduates in the Field”

This virtual forum at the Miami Institute for the Social Sciences, curated by University of Toronto (UT) Scarborough undergraduate Arushi Dahiya, took place on Friday, September 30th, 2022. It brought together fellow UT Scarborough undergraduates Amrith David, Amber McNeil, Kate Forrest, Kibati Femi-Johnson and Afshana Miah for a discussion on what it means to study international development.

Please follow this link to watch the recording.

Discussants' Bios:

Arushi Dahiya is in her 3rd year of undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto, where she is pursuing a Specialist Co-operative in International Development Studies and Political Science. With a passion for learning how to alleviate global inequalities embedded within our economic systems, she is excited to spark conversations on what youth can do to dismantle the structures that perpetuate the present north-south divide.

Amrith David is currently a final year undergraduate student at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus. He is completing a specialty in Global Development Studies and a minor in Human Geography. He is the current Vice President for Academics and University Affairs for the Scarborough Campus Students Union in which he sits on board meetings to promote inclusive learning opportunities for all students through the promotion of Indigenous and racialized student-led initiatives on campus. Amrith is also an active member of the Participedia global network that promotes the democratic participation and inclusion of informal citizens through research and the writing of case studies.

Kibati Femi-Johnson is in his final year at the University of Toronto Scarborough, completing a double major in International Development Studies and Political Science. Kibati is interested in understanding history, especially how past events can help us understand political relations today and possibly in our future. Most of all, Kibati is a firm believer in community/individual agency and loves meeting new people/bringing people together.

Kate Forrest (She/her) is a 3rd year Co-op International Development and Human Geography student at the University of Toronto Scarborough. When she is not in school, Kate works in Environmental Services for the City of Peterborough and loves to participate in community art events. Kate is excited to discuss what she knows about the social economy and to enhance her knowledge through this forum.

Amber McNeil is a third-year International Development Studies student at the University of Toronto. She is a curious person who seeks to understand more about social, political and environmental issues. Within international development, she is specifically interested in sustainability, food security, and access to education.

Afshana Miah is a final year student at the University of Toronto doing a major in Global Development Studies and Psychology interested in studying the ways in which poverty impacts the health of marginalized populations and mechanisms for poverty reduction to improve health and well-being.

This event was a collaboration between the Miami Institute for the Social Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, and the SSHRC and CRC in Africana Development & Feminist Political Economy.

“A Different Type of Extraction: Remove Race from International Development Theory and Practice”

On Thursday, May 12, 2022, authors of the Miami Institute’s forum on international development and racism--titled “A Different Type of Extraction: Remove Race from International Development Theory and Practice” and curated by Dr. Takiyah Harper Shipman--came together for shared dialogue about their essays. The conversation was led by Dr. Harper Shipman. Discussed in this virtual conversation, here is a list of the authors' essays in the forum:

T.D. Harper-Shipman, "Giving International Development New Bones," The Miami Institute (April 12, 2022).

Katian Napon, "La persistance du racisme dans les questions de développement économique," The Miami Institute (April 20, 2022).

Barrel Gueye, "The reformation of the Daaras in the schooling system: A contribution to the inclusion discourse or a new form of neo-colonialism/neo-liberalism," The Miami Institute (April 27, 2022).

K. Melchor Quick Hall, "Advancing Anti-Racist International Development through Transnational Reparations and Family Reconfiguration," The Miami Institute (May 3, 2022).

Social & Solidarity Economies in Latin America

In 2020, the Miami Institute launched with communications in English, but part of our goal is to be a center of communication in the diverse languages of the Global Majority. This forum on social and solidarity economies—published in Spanish this fall—was our first formal step towards this goal. This forum was a collaboration between the Miami Institute, the Comparte network, and the Centro Internacional de Investigación en Economía Social y Solidaria at the Universidad Iberoamericana in Mexico City (CIIESS).

Below is a list of the essays in this forum on social & solidarity economies in Latin America, published in Spanish, followed by the video recording of the concluding virtual conversation among the authors, recorded on October 1, 2021.

Alberto Irezabal, Maribel Morey y Emilio Travieso sj, “Introducción: Foro sobre la economía social y solidaria en América Latina,” Miami Institute (9/14/2021).

José Andrés Fuentes González, “Epistemologías del Sur para la Economía Social y Solidaria,” Miami Institute (9/15/2021).

Olivia Verónica Ponce Xelhua, “Los desafíos de la Economía Social y Solidaria desde la perspectiva de género,” Miami Institute (9/20/2021).

David Fernández Dávalos, “La importancia de las universidades en la construcción de alternativas latinoamericanas,” Miami Institute (9/22/2021).

Claudia Ruiz, “Confianza y Reciprocidad: El Sistema participativo de garantías para la producción agroecológica,” Miami Institute (9/27/2021).

Gisela Herrerías Guerra, “El enfoque de educación permanente en un proceso de economía social y solidaria: La experiencia del Grupo Cooperativo Quali y Agua para Siempre,” Miami Institute (9/29/2021).