----------------- HES POSTING ----------------- Dear Mohammad, For political scientists--of all people--to be so sloppy with their "own" word (imperialism) is both interesting and surprising. One would think that political scientists would be the first to understand that imperialism is about imposition, external projection of authority, hegemony, alien authority, etc. Hirschman's sole sin is to suggest concepts and metaphors that other disciplines--perhaps conceptually impoverished-- suddenly find to be illuminating and suggestive. Some economists have indeed been conceptually imperialistic, but Hirschman? Perhaps they mean that Hirschman happened to write an insightful book DURING AN ERA ("phase") in which many economists were behaving imperialistically? Dan Bromley ------------ FOOTER TO HES POSTING ------------ For information, send the message "info HES" to [log in to unmask]