The Mainstreaming of Global Inequality, 1980-2020

Christian O. Christiansen

doi:10.3167/choc.2023.180303

The Mainstreaming of Global Inequality, 1980-2020

School of Culture and Society - History of Ideas, subject

Research output: Contribution to journal/Conference contribution in journal/Contribution to newspaper › Journal article › Research › peer-review

Abstract

This article maps the conceptual history of global inequality from its marginal status in the 1980s, its minute mainstreaming within research and
globalization discourse from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, until its popularization, politicization, and “economization” in the wake of the 2008
financial crisis, recession, and the publication of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century in 2014. Asking when, why, and how global inequality
became a key concept, it draws upon quantitative and qualitative analysis of global inequality in scientific articles, books, and public media. It traces
transformations in the term’s temporal and spatial meanings and situates these in the contexts of rising within-nation and declining between-nation inequality, inequality research, inequality in public media, and broader discursive fields.

Original language	English
Journal	Contributions to the History of Concepts
Volume	18
Issue	3
Pages (from-to)	52-82
Number of pages	31
ISSN	1807-9326
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3167/choc.2023.180303
Publication status	Published - Dec 2023

Keywords

contemporary history
economics
globalization
Piketty
poverty
public media
quantification
world financial crisis

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10.3167/choc.2023.180303

Cite this

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title = "The Mainstreaming of Global Inequality, 1980-2020",

abstract = "This article maps the conceptual history of global inequality from its marginal status in the 1980s, its minute mainstreaming within research andglobalization discourse from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, until its popularization, politicization, and “economization” in the wake of the 2008financial crisis, recession, and the publication of Thomas Piketty{\textquoteright}s Capital in the 21st Century in 2014. Asking when, why, and how global inequalitybecame a key concept, it draws upon quantitative and qualitative analysis of global inequality in scientific articles, books, and public media. It tracestransformations in the term{\textquoteright}s temporal and spatial meanings and situates these in the contexts of rising within-nation and declining between-nation inequality, inequality research, inequality in public media, and broader discursive fields.",

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AB - This article maps the conceptual history of global inequality from its marginal status in the 1980s, its minute mainstreaming within research andglobalization discourse from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s, until its popularization, politicization, and “economization” in the wake of the 2008financial crisis, recession, and the publication of Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century in 2014. Asking when, why, and how global inequalitybecame a key concept, it draws upon quantitative and qualitative analysis of global inequality in scientific articles, books, and public media. It tracestransformations in the term’s temporal and spatial meanings and situates these in the contexts of rising within-nation and declining between-nation inequality, inequality research, inequality in public media, and broader discursive fields.

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The Mainstreaming of Global Inequality, 1980-2020

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An Intellectual History of Global Inequality, 1960-2015

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The Mainstreaming of Global Inequality, 1980-2020

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An Intellectual History of Global Inequality, 1960-2015

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