Small states operate at the margins of global concerns and intellectual enquiry yet their large numbers, peculiar features and tenuous existence as ‘sovereign’ states underscore important failings in the global political economy. This presentation charts the myriad challenges confronting small states, their general neglect in development debates, and the various approaches to development on which they have embarked. In so doing, it points to the general failing of existing attempts to theorize small states and suggests alternative approaches to their study.

Professor Patsy Lewis is a Watson Faculty Fellow and Visiting Scholar in Africana Studies.

“What I Am Thinking About Now” is an on-going informal workshop/seminar series to which faculty and graduate students are invited to present and discuss recently published work and work in progress.

Space is limited. Please RSVP: [email protected]