About CSTCH
The Center for Social Theory and Comparative History was established at UCLA in the autumn of 1987. Its aim, broadly speaking, is to encourage the development of social theory that is historically rooted and comparative history that is theoretically informed.
The core of the Center's intellectual work is the biweekly Colloquium Series, which run more or less every other Monday during the Winter and Spring quarters. Each year the Colloquium Series is organized around a single theme, with each session intended to build upon the previous one.
1995 was the first part of a two-part series entitled, "The Meaning of the Market" which concentrated on the theoretical considerations of leading economic thinkers from Smith through Marx to Keynes, Hayek, and late 20th century thinkers. Balanced against these thinkers is empirical debates over the transformation and crises in the market from its local nation origins through the Great Depression and on to the current trends in globalization, labor and systemic crisis.
Each year, the Center appoints several fellows and they are in residence for either the winter or the spring quarter. They attend the colloquia, present a public lecture/paper, and give a graduate course in one of the departments. Moreover, CSTCH sometimes supports the work of visiting scholars.
The executive committee organizes and administers the Center and runs the colloquia. It is composed of: Perry Anderson (History), Richard Ashcraft (1938-1995, Political Science), Saul Friedlander (History), Carlo Ginzburg (History), Michael Mann (Sociology), Carole Pateman (Political Science), Ivan Berend (History), Ivan Szelenyi (Sociology), and Maurice Zeitlin (Sociology). Also associated with the center areRogers Brubaker (Sociology), Sule Ozler(Economics), and Axel Leijonhufrud (Economics).
For further information about the Center, please contact Thomas Mertes at mertes@ucla.edu