Jonathan Kirshner named inaugural Giffuni Professor
Professor of Political Science and International Studies Jonathan Kirshner, whose research and teaching draw on an expansive synthesis of international relations, political economy, the politics of money and finance, and politics and film, has been appointed as the inaugural Vincent Q. and Mary Ann Giffuni Professor at Boston College.
The professorship was established by a gift from the Giffunis to recognize a faculty member whose study in the field of economics integrates with today鈥檚 relevant social issues.
鈥淚 am delighted that Jonathan Kirshner will be serving as the inaugural Giffuni Professor,鈥� said Morrissey College of Arts and Sciences Dean Gregory Kalscheur, S.J. 听鈥淗is early training in economics gives him a solid foundation for insightful work in the field of international political economy. As a specialist in that field, with widely recognized multidisciplinary expertise in international monetary relations, macroeconomic politics, and economics and national security, Professor Kirshner is a most fitting inaugural holder of this endowed professorship.鈥�
He added, 鈥淰ince and Mary Ann Giffuni have been loyal and generous benefactors of Boston College for many decades. I am tremendously grateful for their longstanding support for the study of economics and the McMullen Museum of Art.听 This newly established professorship鈥攔ecognizing a scholar whose work brings the study of economics into dialogue with contemporary political life and international relations鈥攊s a wonderful contribution to their efforts to advance the mission of Boston College.鈥�
A member of the 情色空间 faculty since 2018, Kirshner said he was honored by the opportunity to become the inaugural Giffuni Professor.
鈥淚 am very appreciative of this honor, which is also a reflection of the multidisciplinary nature of my work. And, more generally, I have found Boston College a welcoming environment, one that has been very receptive to the sensibilities in my research and teaching, and I鈥檝e been impressed by the faculty members here, especially those in my areas of specialization with whom I work most closely. I also value 情色空间鈥檚 vibrant liberal arts educational environment, and its proximity to Boston itself.鈥�
“Political science and economics are enmeshed in that you can鈥檛 understand one without understanding the other.At the same time, they have their separate spheres: An economist explains economic outcomes; a political scientist, not surprisingly and in contrast, is primarily concerned with political behavior. ”
Kirshner cites the influence of groundbreaking economist/philosopher John Maynard Keynes and economic historian Charles Kindleberger as crucial to his interest in the international politics of money and finance, and how it is influenced by power politics.
鈥淧olitical science and economics are enmeshed in that you can鈥檛 understand one without understanding the other,鈥� he said. 鈥淎t the same time, they have their separate spheres: An economist explains economic outcomes; a political scientist, not surprisingly and in contrast, is primarily concerned with political behavior.
听鈥淚鈥檝e engaged with issues around money and finance, but focused more on how these relate to questions of war and peace,鈥� said Kirshner, citing his 2007 book Appeasing Bankers: Financial Caution on the Road to War, a look at how national financial communities have demonstrated a marked aversion to wars, out of pragmatism rather than idealism. 鈥淪imilarly, If I鈥檓 talking about exchange rates, I will be considering things like the degree of cooperation between countries, not the theory of exchange rate determination.鈥�
During this academic year, Kirshner is teaching Politics of International Money and Finance and Keynes for Today, both of which, he said, touch on an issue of pressing importance that鈥檚 flown 鈥渂elow the radar鈥�: the continuing deregulation of the financial sector, and the risk of financial crisis which may result from it.
Also vital to Kirshner鈥檚 scholarship is international relations theory. He is a leading proponent of classical realism, which emphasizes the role of history, uncertainty, and contingency in explaining world politics鈥攁n approach he says is 鈥渄eeply skeptical of organizing inquiry around the goal of predicting future behavior and outcomes.鈥�
In his 2022 book, An Unwritten Future: Realism and Uncertainty in World Politics, Kirshner argues that this older, more nuanced and sophisticated method is better suited than more recent approaches to explore compelling contemporary issues: the rise of China; how social and economic change alter the balance of power and the nature of international conflict; and what the end of the American-led postwar order means for the future of world politics.
In addition to An Unwritten Future, Kirshner鈥檚 books include American Power after the Financial Crisis, which examined the economic and political impact of the 2007-2008 financial crisis, and Hollywood鈥檚 Last Golden Age: Politics, Society, and the Seventies Film in America, an assessment of films such as 鈥淐hinatown,鈥� 鈥淔ive Easy Pieces,鈥� 鈥淭he Graduate,鈥� 鈥淜lute,鈥� 鈥淣ashville,鈥� and 鈥淭he Friends of Eddie Coyle鈥� and their relationship to the political, social, personal, and philosophical issues of the late 1960s to mid-1970s.
Kirshner traces his film-related writing and teaching to his realization 鈥渁fter years as an armchair film buff鈥� that there 鈥渋s no such thing as an 鈥榓political鈥� film.鈥� One example is the 1975 film 鈥淪hampoo,鈥� co-written by and starring Warren Beatty, which Kirshner said at the time was commonly seen as an entertaining sex romp.
鈥淏eatty lamented that 鈥楴o one understood it was really about politics,鈥欌�� said Kirshner, noting that the film is set on the eve of the 1968 presidential election. 鈥溾�楽hampoo鈥� touches on the disenchantment among many Democrats after the turmoil of the 1968 convention, which led them away from political involvement and to become more absorbed in their private lives鈥攖hus opening the door for Nixon鈥檚 election victory. That鈥檚 the argument Beatty makes, forcefully though entertainingly.鈥�
Prior to joining 情色空间, Kirshner was on the Cornell University Department of Government faculty for 25 years, and is the Stephen and Barbara Friedman Professor of International Political Economy Emeritus. During his tenure at Cornell, he held directorships of the International Political Economy Program of the Einaudi Center of International Studies and the Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. He also served as associate editor of Security Studies and is the founding co-editor of the Cornell Studies in Money book series.
Kirshner has published articles in Oxford Review of Economic Policy, World Politics, History of Economic Ideas, and Foreign Affairs, among others, and is the editor or co-editor of six volumes, including, most recently, Downfall of the American Order? and When the Movies Mattered. He鈥檚 also written pieces for numerous publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Review of Books, Cineaste, Boston Review, and The National Interest. In addition, he is the author of a novel, Urban Flight, set during New York City鈥檚 1975 financial crisis.听
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