Working with/in crises: More questions than answers?

Area of Science:

• Human Geography
• Political Economy
• Urban Studies

Background:

• The nature of crises and whether they represent the norm or exceptional times.
• The utility of crisis as an analytical framework in social sciences.
• Recent political and economic shifts in early to mid-2025.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize diverse political economy perspectives on analyzing crises.
• To explore emerging avenues in urban and economic geography informed by current events.
• To critically assess the concept of living through exceptional times.

Main Methods:

• Review and summarization of political economy theories (e.g., polycrisis, longwave, monocausal materialism).
• Engagement with early/mid-2025 political developments.
• Conceptual analysis of hegemony, legitimization, economic nationalism, left politics, and deep history.

Main Results:

• Political economy offers varied frameworks for understanding crises.
• Current political trends suggest potential new directions for urban and economic geography.
• The idea of living through exceptional times is questioned through historical and political lenses.

Conclusions:

• Crises may be a recurring feature rather than an anomaly.
• Interdisciplinary approaches integrating political economy and historical analysis are crucial.
• Further research is needed to understand the long-term implications of current political and economic trajectories.