William I. Robinson

William I. Robinson (born March 28, 1959) is an American professor of sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. His work focuses on political economy, globalization, Latin America and historical materialism. He is a member of the International Parliamentary and Civil Society Mission to Investigate the Political Transition in Iraq.

Early life In the early 1980s Robinson worked as a journalist in war-torn Nicaragua. He was a member of Union of Nicaraguan Journalists (past member and officer 1984–1990).

Academic life Robinson then went on to study for his BA in Journalism with the Friends World College in Nairobi (Kenya), Ibadan (Nigeria), and Costa Rica. Following this he received both his MA in Latin American Studies and his PhD in Sociology at the University of New Mexico.

Academic work

Robinson wrote many academic journal articles and books, and made several contributions to Al Jazeera. Many of his works have been translated into Spanish.

Theoretical debates Entire symposiums and issues of scholarly journals have focused on discussing and debating Robinson's theories on global capitalism, class, and political economy. See for example the May 2012 issue of Critical Sociology , the April 2001 issue of Theory and Society, the debate between Robinson and noted Marxian theorist Ellen Meiksins Wood in issue 15 of the journal Historical Materialism, the debate between British political economist in the 2009 volume 1(2) of the journal of the contemporary science association.

Works

Robinson, William I. (2014). Globalization and the Crisis of Humanity. Cambridge University Press. We Will Not Be Silenced: The Academic Repression of Israel's Critics Paperback (2017) with Maryam S. Griffin

Robinson, William I. (2019). Into the Tempest: Essays on the New Global Capitalism. Haymarket Books. Robinson, William I. (2020). Global Police State. Pluto Press. Robinson, William I. (2022). Global Civil War: Capitalism Post-Pandemic. PM Press. Robinson, William I. (2022). Can Global Capitalism Endure? Clarity Press.