Arghiri Emmanuel’s Theory of Unequal Exchange in the Twenty-First Century
Celebrating the Establishment of the Emmanuel Archive at IISH
Organizers: The Arghiri Emmanuel Association and the IISG | International Institute of Social History.
Why the conference:
Arghiri Emmanuel (1911-2001) was one of the leading theoreticians of the political economy of imperialism from the mid-60s and up through the 70s, accompanying the wave of national liberation struggle against imperialism. Emmanuel put forward the idea of “Unequal Exchange,” which was the economic backbone of the theory. The concept and especially its political implications were widely discussed among academics as well as political activists at the time.
When Emmanuel passed away in 2001, the world was very different. It was at the height of neoliberal globalization. The national liberation struggle had not managed to continue into an economic liberation from the grip of imperialism. Instead, transnational capital had outsourced industrial production to the Global South, taking advantage of the low wage level of hundreds of millions of new proletarians, making the concept of “Unequal Exchange” more relevant than ever. However, at the time, the discourse of “imperialism”, not to speak of “anti-imperialism,” was considered something “retro” from the 70s. Few were interested in the legacy of Emmanuel, and his archive and papers was stored in the cellar of his friend and collaborator Claudio Jedlicki.
Twenty years have passed, and the world has changed again. The globalization of production, in the form of transnational supply chains, in the intervening period, have even further enhanced the importance of Unequal Exchange as the principal mechanism of imperialist exploitation. Neoliberal globalization is now in crisis, China has become the factory of the world, and the U.S has turned to military geopolitical struggle to uphold its hegemony. Today we see a new wave of resistance in the Global South against the dominance of the center. Imperialism has returned as a theme of interest, and so have the ideas of Emmanuel, reflected in many new books and articles.
We are planning a follow-up event the following weekend, the 31 of January and 1 of February also in Amsterdam, on the strategy of anti-imperialism in the global South and North. We invite academics and activists to participate in both conferences.
Tentative Program:
Thursday 29 January 2026 (10:00-18:00)
- Opening Presentation: Representatives of IISH and the Arghiri Emmanuel Association will open the conference and present the archive.
- Emmanuels life and work: Emanuel’s daughter Catherine Emmanuel, and his friend and assistant Claudio Jedlicki will give a personal account of Emmanuel. A new documentary of his life is under production and will be displayed.
- Lunch
- Presentation of papers
- Social dinner
Friday 30 January 2026. (10:00 – 18:00)
- Presentation and discussion of papers
- Lunch
- Summing up the discussions in plenum.
- Closing Presentation.
Call for Papers
We hereby make a call for papers related to Emmanuel work, to be presented at the conference. We invite submissions of papers covering*:
- Biographical articles on the life and legacy of Arghiri Emmanuel.
- Unequal exchange and Marxist economic theory.
- Globalization of production and unequal exchange.
- The future of unequal exchange in the changing trade pattern from North -South to South-South.
- Measuring the size unequal exchange.
- The political consequences of unequal exchange.
- Ecological unequal exchange.
- Profit and Crises, the contradiction in the capitalist mode of production.
- The role of technological development in the struggle against imperialism.
- Settler-colonialism.
- The transitional state.
- The question of nationalism in the development of socialism.
The conference organizers will consider papers on additional relevant topics. We plan to publish the material in a monograph after the conference. Deadline for papers is: Abstract: 1st of October 2025. Papers 15th of December 2025. Abstact should be sent to the contact email: conference@unequalexchange.org
The objective of the conference is for academic and activist worlds to meet, share experiences, and collaborate. Therefore, the papers are not a requisite for participation. Activists are welcome to present papers within the framework of their anti-imperialist struggle and North-South/South-South cooperation and solidarity.
We would encourage all interested parties to subscribe to our newsletter to keep up to date with the latest information and developments:
List of Endorsers
- International Institute for Social History (IISG)
- Arghiri Emmanuel Association
- Anti-Imperialist Network
- Journal of Labor and Society
- Notebooks: The Journal for Studies on Power.
Time: 29-30 of January 2026 (a Thursday and Friday)
Place: Amsterdam, The Netherlands, International Institute of Social History (IISH).
Cruquiusweg 31, 1019 AT. Amsterdam.