Book Launch: James Mittelman, Runaway Capitalism

Algorithms and artificial intelligence increasingly drive our lives, cognitive inputs supplant physical inputs in the workplace, and big philanthropies rather than governments tackle many societal problems. To examine any one of these interrelated trends alone is to miss a seismic shift in world order. By homing in on the confluence of algorithmic capitalism, cognitive capitalism, and philanthropic capitalism, this tightly argued book offers a novel interpretation of an unnoticed and understudied transformation. The three forces form a trialectic, a system that lacks effective controls and is spreading globally. Conducted on four continents, the research shows how runaway capitalism is making work and daily life ever-more precarious and sparking anti-precarity movements. Tracing these metamorphoses both in the global North and global South, the author identifies plausible scenarios for blunting the sharp edges of runaway capitalism.

Based on hard empirical data and qualitative case studies in the global North and South, Runaway Capitalism is aimed at a wide readership. Written in vivid prose, it is appropriate for university students, researchers, policy intellectuals, and a general audience interested in how to address major perils in geopolitics and economics.

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James Mittelman is Distinguished Research Professor and University Professor Emeritus at American University. His work focuses on globalization, development, and political economy, with emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa and Eastern Asia. Previously, he was Professor and Dean at Queens College of the City University of New York, Professor and Dean of the Graduate School of International Studies (today the Korbel School) at the University of Denver, Director of the Social Science Foundation, and the Pok Rafeah Chair at the National University of Malaysia. Mittelman has been on the faculty at Cornell and Columbia universities, and was named a Member at the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study. He also held teaching and research appointments in Japan, Uganda, Mozambique, and South Africa. The recipient of the International Studies Association's Distinguished Scholar Award in International Political Economy, he is an Honorary Fellow at the Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies.

Mittelman’s books include The Globalization Syndrome: Transformation and Resistance (Princeton University Press) , Hyperconflict: Globalization and Insecurity (Stanford University Press, and Implausible Dream: The World-Class University and Repurposing Higher Education (Princeton University Press). His op-eds and letters to the editor appear in The New York Times, Washington Post, Financial Times, and elsewhere. Mittelman has worked at the United Nations and with civil society organizations. His newest book is Runaway Capitalism (Routledge).

Dr. Maria De Jesus is a Professor at SIS whose research examines the social determinants of health and the role of culturally responsive and strategic communication in addressing local and global health inequities. Her overarching goal is to generate knowledge that can inform health practice and policy, particularly for marginalized populations. Dr. De Jesus is the Senior Associate Director of Community-Based Research and Engagement at the Center for Latin American and Latino Studies and the Faculty Advisor for the M.A. Graduate Certificate in Global Migration. Dr. De Jesus has conducted extensive field research on immigrant health in Central America, Mexico, the U.S., and more recently in France. She collaborates with DC-based non-profit organizations to design research projects and interventions that resonate with the target audience and are tailored to the specific context. She has authored numerous publications in prestigious journals such as Global Public Health, AIDS and Behavior, Conflict and Health, Health Education & Behavior, and Social Science & Medicine. Her work has earned several grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Health and Human Services, and the DC Center for AIDS Research.

Patricia Aufderheide is University Professor of Communication Studies in the School of Communication at American University in Washington, D.C. She founded the School's Center for Media & Social Impact, where she continues as Senior Research Fellow. She is also affiliate faculty in the School of International Service and the History department at American University, and a member of the Film and Media Arts division in the School of Communication. Her books include Kartemquin Films: Documentaries on the Frontlines of Democracy (University of California), Reclaiming Fair Use: How to Put Balance Back in Copyright (University of Chicago), with Peter Jaszi; Documentary: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford), The Daily Planet (University of Minnesota Press), and Communications Policy in the Public Interest (Guilford Press). She has been a Fulbright Research Fellow in Brazil (1994-5), Australia (2017), and South Korea (2024).

Dr. Clarence Lusane is a full Professor at Howard University, former Chairman of Howard University’s Department of Political Science, and current Director of the International Affairs program. He is an author, activist, scholar, lecturer, and journalist. For more than 40 years, he has written about and been active in national and international human rights, anti-racism politics, Diaspora engagements, U.S. foreign policy, democracy building, and social justice issues such as education, criminal justice, and voting rights. He earned his B.A. from Wayne State University, and both his Masters and Ph.D. from Howard University in Political Science. As a scholar, researcher, policy-advocate, and activist, he has traveled to over 75 nations to conduct field research on human rights and race relations. He has taught and been on the faculty at Medgar Evers College, Columbia University and American University, and been a visiting professor and lecturer in Brazil, China, France, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, the UK, and Ukraine.

Julie Radomski is a Global China Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center. She holds a PhD in International Relations from American University School of International Service. Her research concerns the politics of development in Latin America and the geopolitical, ecological and historical dynamics of Global China in the region. Her book project explores the multi-scalar politics of Ecuador’s Coca Codo Sinclair hydroelectric project via ethnography. Prior to joining the GDP Center, she was a Research Fellow at Research on International Policy Implementation Lab (RIPIL) and Lecturer at George Washington University Elliott School of International Affairs. She has several years’ experience in the non-profit sector working on advocacy relating to social and environmental issues in international development. She holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and a BPhil in Anthropology, Economics and International Studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

SIS Professor Yang Zhang’s research covers the areas in comparative historical sociology, political sociology, contentious politics, social networks, sociology of knowledge, philosophy of the social sciences, and social theory. His book project examines the emergence and development of large-scale religious and ethnic rebellions in the Qing Empire of China during the mid-19th century. Relatedly, he studies state building and empire building of late imperial China in comparative perspective. Prof. Zhang has published articles in American Journal of Sociology, Theory and Society, Journal of Historical Sociology, Mobilization, Voluntas, and Research in Social Movements, Conflicts, and Change. His coauthored article, “The Micro-foundations of Elite Politics: Conversation Networks and Elite Conflict during China’s Reform Era” (Theory and Society), received Distinguished Contribution to Scholarship Article Award (Honorable Mention) from the Collective Behavior and Social Movements Section of American Sociological Association (ASA) in 2024.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

American University, School of International Service, Founders Room, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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