Experts at the VIII International History Talks. PHOTO: Manuel Castells

More than sixty experts from the USA, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Holland, Portugal and Spain are meeting at quotation these days at the VIII International History Conversations of the School of Philosophy and Letters of the University of Navarra.

The first workshop, divided into two sessions, featured Frank Ankersmit (Netherlands) and Christian Delacroix (France), who focused their discussion on the historian's priorities; as well as Fernando Sánchez Marcos (Spain), Ewa Domanska (USA), Josep Ignasi Saranyana (Spain) and Willem de Waal (Spain), who spoke on the influence of globalization on the way history is made.

Stefan Berger (United Kingdom), Ignacio Peiró (Spain), Jon Juaristi (Spain) and Luis Adao da Fonseca (Portugal) will also participate in this activity, organized by the department of History of the academic center. These four experts will speak on the figure of the historian in the public arena. Finally, Jerry H. Bentley (USA) and Valentín Vázquez de Prada (Spain) will study the limits and possibilities of an ideal of historical discipline .

Challenges of globalization

Professor of Sociology at the University of Navarra Alejandro Navas offered the inaugural lecture , entitled "Failed attempts to give global meaning to society at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st", in which he reviewed the economic, political and social manifestations of this phenomenon, as well as the challenges it poses.

"The failure of so many attempts at concerted global action to address global problems and challenges is largely due to the economic crisis in which we have been mired since 2008," he said.

He added that the economic crisis has led to a resurgence of protectionism and nationalism. "Countries easily forget altruistic or general interest objectives, from the development millennium goals to climate change. In times of recession, the creation of employment takes priority, while ecological concerns remain a luxury of prosperous economies," he said.

Referring to the social consequences of globalization, he pointed out that the customer is about to be enthroned as king of the market. "He is taking over, and it will no longer even be necessary to invest heavily in sophisticated market programs of study to try to guess his tastes, since he will express them directly through network". Professor Alejandro Navas also stated that the core topic of success for companies lies in gaining the trust of customers. "This new scenario leaves no room for self-indulgent and self-centered corporations," he said.

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