Paul James (academic)

Paul James (b 1958, Melbourne) is Professor of Globalization and Cultural Diversity at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, and a prolific writer on globalisation and social theory.

Background

After studying politics at the University of Melbourne James was a lecturer in the Department of Politics at Monash University, Melbourne before moving to RMIT in the early 2000s.

At RMIT he has led and secured funding for several initiatives that have unified social scientists around key research themes. These include the Global Cities Institute (of which he is current Director, 2006-present), the United Nations Global Compact Cities Programme (of which he is current Director, 2007-present) and most notably the Globalism Institute (Founding Director, 2002-2007; now, Globalism Research Centre^[1]), that brought well-known scholars including Tom Nairn, Manfred Steger and Heikki Patomäki to RMIT.^[2]

James lives in North Fitzroy, Melbourne, with Stephanie Trigg, a Professor at the University of Melbourne, and their son.

Major Contributions

James is known as a theorist of globalization, particularly how nation-states alter under an emergent level of global integration. Using a distinctive comparative method called 'constitutive abstraction' or 'engaged theory', he has contributed to theories of culture and social formation, and also studies contemporary politics particularly in Australia, East Timor, and Papua New Guinea. He is author or editor of twenty-four books, including a Sage Publications series on globalization. The Sage series 'Central Currents in Globalization' is the largest collection of writings by key figures in the field of globalization ever assembled into a single collection (see below under Books Edited). He co-edits Arena Journal, a publication concerned with engaged theory.

Recognition

• Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts
• Japan-Australia Foundation Fellowship
• Australian Research Council Fellowship
• Crisp Medal by the Australasian Political Studies Association for the best book in the field of political studies (2006).
• Member of the G20 Advisory Group to the Canadian Prime Minister (2004)
• Collaborating Advisor to the Minister for Community Development of Papua New Guinea (2004-present); including contributing to drafting the Minister’s New Policy Document, 2004 and the Corporate Plan for 2004-07 and 2005-07^[3]
• Bronze Medal, ‘Beyond the Frontiers of Knowledge’, awarded to the Community Sustainability International Project, Malaysia
• Melbourne Ambassador

Key Publications

Books Authored

• James, P., 2006. Globalism, Nationalism Tribalism: Bringing Theory Back In. London: Sage. ISBN 0 7619 5513 hb
• James, P., and Tom Nairn 2005. Global Matrix: Nationalism, Globalism and State-Terrorism]. London: Pluto Press. ISBN 0 7453 2290 5 hb
• James, P., 2002. Tour of Duty: Winning Hearts and Minds in East Timor (with photographs by Matthew Sleeth). Melbourne: Hardie Grant Publishing. ISBN 0 9579553 1 6 hb
• James, P., 1996. Nation Formation: Towards a Theory of Abstract Community. London: Sage. ISBN 0 7619 5072 9 hb. Winner of the 1996 Crisp Medal for Political Studies, Australasia

Books Edited

• James, P., and M.B. Steger (eds.), 2010. Globalization and Culture: Vol. 4, Ideologies of Globalism. London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1953 1
• James, P., and I. Szeman (eds), 2010. Globalization and Culture: Vol. 3, Global-Local Consumption. London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1953 1
• James, P., and P. Mandaville (eds), 2010. Globalization and Culture: Vol. 2, Globalizing Religions. London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1953 1
• James, P., and J. Tulloch (eds), 2010. Globalization and Culture: Vol. 1, Globalizing Communications. London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1953 1
• Wise, C., and P. James (eds), 2010. Being Arab: Arabism and the Politics of Recognition. Melbourne: Arena Publications. ISBN 978 0 9804 1581 0
• Grenfell, D., and P. James (eds), 2008. Rethinking Security, War and Violence: Beyond Savage Globalization? London: Routledge. ISBN 0 415 43227 80
• Goodman, J., and P. James (eds), 2007, 2011, Nationalism and Global Solidarities: Alternative Projections to Neoliberal Globalisation. London: Routledge. ISBN 0 415 38504 0
• James, P., and R. O’Brien (eds), 2007. Globalization and Economy: Vol. 4, Globalizing Labour. London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1952 4
• James, P., and R. Palan (eds), 2007. Globalization and Economy: Vol. 3, Global Economic Regimes and Institutions. London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1952 4
• James, P., and H. Patomäki (eds), 2007. Globalization and Economy: Vol. 2, Global Finance and the New Global Economy. London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1952 4
• James, P., and B. Gills(eds), 2007. Globalization and Economy: Vol. 1, Global Markets and Capitalism . London: Sage. ISBN 978 1 4129 1952 4
• James, P., and R.R. Sharma R.R. (eds), 2006. Globalization and Violence: Vol. 4, Transnational Conflict London: Sage. ISBN 1 4129 1954 1
• James, P., and J. Friedman (eds), 2006. Globalization and Violence: Vol. 3, Globalizing War and Intervention. London: Sage. ISBN 1 4129 1954 1
• James, P., and P. Darby(eds), 2006. Globalization and Violence: Vol. 2, Colonial and Postcolonial Globalizations. London: Sage. ISBN 1 4129 1954 1
• James, P., and Tom Nairn (eds), 2006. Globalization and Violence: Vol. 1, Globalizing Empires, Old and New. London: Sage. ISBN 1 4129 1954 1
• James, P. (ed.) 2000. Burning Down the House: Bonfire of the Universities. Melbourne: Association for the Public University with Arena Publications. ISBN 0 9598181 5 4
• James, P., W. Veit and S. Wright (eds). 1997. Work of the Future: Global Perspectives. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1 86448 447 0
• James, P. (ed), 1996. The State in Question: Transformations of the Australian State. Sydney: Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1 86373 673 5
• James, P. (ed), 1994. Critical Politics: From the Personal to the Global. Melbourne: Arena Publications. ISBN 0 9598181 4 6
• James, P. (ed), 1990. Technocratic Dreaming: Of Very Fast Trains and Japanese Designer Cities. Melbourne: Left Book Club. ISBN 1 875285 03 2

References