When Companies Rule: Corporate Power from Empire to Silicon Valley
In this event to mark the publication of When Companies Rule, author Maha Rafi Atal joins three local voices to explore the deep history of corporate power, and what it means for workers and communities today.
Date: Thursday 29 October 2026
Time: 17:30 - 19:00
Venue: The Mitchell Library, North Street, Glasgow, G3 7DN
Category: Public lectures, Social events, Academic events, Alumni events,
Corporations have never been more powerful. They shape our politics, our economies, and our daily lives in ways that can feel both overwhelming and new. In fact, businesses have been political actors for four hundred years, from the East India Company to Amazon. In this event to mark the publication of When Companies Rule, author Maha Rafi Atal joins three local voices to explore the deep history of corporate power, and what it means for workers and communities today.
Speakers
Dr Maha Rafi Atal
Maha Rafi Atal is Adam Smith Senior Lecturer in Political Economy at the University of Glasgow and author of When Companies Rule (Columbia University Press, 2026). She is joined by Nelson Cummins, Curator of Legacies of Slavery and Empire at Glasgow Museums; Henry Bell, poet, author of Red Threads: A History of the People's Flag, and co-founder of Radical Glasgow tours; and Kelly Kollman, Professor of Politics at the University of Glasgow and expert on corporate social responsibility and business power.