Dr. Carlos Palacios Social, Political and Economic Theorist Interdisciplinary Researcher
I'm a social, political and economic theorist with a background in qualitative research within the traditions of anthropology and sociology. My scholarly work is highly interdisciplinary, focused on asking big questions and producing groundbreaking interventions within emerging and established debates. My theoretical impulse is always to push the existing critical mindset one step further, encouraging a more open-minded reflection on polemic topics, from the skepticism of humanitarians to the decolonization of economics.
Rather than sticking to a single method, my inquiries follow the principle, which I heard once at a seminar at The University of Melbourne from anthropologist Akhil Gupta, that the research question always comes first and the method follows. Whether the question is empirical, normative, conceptual, historical or technical, its character should not be an impediment to the systematic development of an original insight.
I've published my insights in ten different journals, including: Critical Inquiry, Theory, Culture & Society, History of the Human Sciences, Citizenship Studies, and Global Perspectives. I'm also frequently invited to referee academic papers, in journals such as the British Journal of Sociology, Critical Times, Journal of Sociology, Journal of Sustainable Tourism and the Journal of Political Power.
I hold a PhD and Master of Research from Macquarie University (Australia), and an undergraduate degree from Colombia's main public university, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Currently, I'm working on a series of papers and a book where I integrate most of my social, political and economic insights into a grand theory of post-skeptical humanism.