My favorite work on intellectual movements is Randall Collins The Sociology of Philosophies (Harvard University Press, 2000). The book is over 1000 pages long and provides a detailed analysis of the main and minor philosophical movements throughout history. I recommend this work to all who wish to understand why some movements rise and others fall in stature within the intellectual/scientific community.
Anyway a common characteristic of intellectual movements in the modern world is the regular meeting of scholars in a research seminar. These seminars --- much more important than conferences --- give scholars the constant opportunity to be exposed to the work of others and also for those presenting to get critical feedback before they submitt their work for publication. For younger scholars these seminars are important for also learning how to present their work and field critical questions and incorporate crticism in revising their work. And for the core group that regularly meets it builds a common sense of purpose and research cohesiveness which is vital to builidng and sustaining an intellectual movement.
The Society for the Development of Austrian Economics has a section on its web site dedicated to keeping members alert to the seminars that are going on at different universities (that list currently lists NYU, GMU, San Jose State, and Loyola --- but it should also include now West Virginia University). The oldest regular research seminar devoted to Austrian economics is the Austrian Colloquium at New York University and now run by Mario Rizzo. Mario has renamed the Austrian Economics Program at NYU to "The Program on the Foundations of the Market Economy".
The seminar series at GMU is the second longest running regular research seminar. Since 1998 I have been in charge and I renamed it the Workshop in Philosophy, Politics and Economics. This fall the seminar will focus on the philosophy and methodology of the social sciences.
The spring 2006 scheduel will be set in December-January so if you are currently working on papers that you would like to present at our seminar please email me.
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