Commentary Mehta
Commentary Mehta
- Author
- Aashish Mehta Global Studies, University of California–Santa Barbara
- DOI
- 10.1177/20568460013
There is much to be appreciated about Professor Pieterse’s essay on modernities and capitalisms. It very ably takes macro theory apart. The criticisms of macro theory generally make sense, and do so even when applied to an extremely large and diverse set of theoretical approaches. The critiques of convergence are also on the mark. The world is layered, multiplicity is the norm, and context matters. Modernities and capitalisms are plural. The intervention thus appropriately widens the scope of analysis. Most importantly, it is disruptive, calling for social science that is outward looking, evidence-based (though not in any narrow way), and self-aware – particularly in the face of confirmation bias.