Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a webcast of this interview: Watts

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today is Michael Watts, who is the Chancellor's Professor of Geography and Development Studies at UC Berkeley. He is also Director of the Institute of International Studies. Professor Watts, a geographer, is the author of numerous books, including Silent Violence, published by University of California Press.

1. Background ... rural setting ... influence of parents ... photography ... homestead ... the commons ... travel ... reading E.P. Thompson ... education ... the significance of class ... geography ... global events
2. The Sixties ... cultural legacy ... political legacy ... the "long march through the institutions" ... anti-authoritarian ... "stretching the boundaries of the possible"
3. Geography ... institutionalized in Europe ... origins in imperialism ... more than cartography ... environmental studies ... delegitimization of the discipline ... study of space and society
4. Globalization ... overcoming the friction of space ... different manifestations in history ... inclusion and exclusion ... renewed emphasis on the local ... growing inequality ... the case of Nigeria ... resistance ... creating modernity ... local articulations
5. Conclusion ... genealogy of ideas ... Malthus and Marx ... advice to students

See a brief bio of Michael Watts and an essay, Learning from Chiapas (1994)

© Copyright 2001, Regents of the University of California

Photos by Jane Scherr. Site questions: Email iis_webmgr at berkeley.edu.