Capitalism & The Economy
Democracy and capitalism, building an alternative to Amazon, and more in the second installment of our Summer Syllabi series
August 11, 2022
In this week’s issue of Public Seminar, we feature the second installment of our Summer Syllabi series: Capitalism & The Economy.
A World Beyond Capitalism
“As workers contemplate the post-pandemic world, they know one thing: they need the big changes that mutual aid organizing has already imagined,” writes Molly Ragan, MS candidate in Strategic Design and Management at Parsons School of Design.
The “K” in the Economy
“In the K-shaped economy, we see soaring wealth and accumulation for those who hold assets while those without access to credit facilities or the means to acquire assets face an uncertain future: the increasing incursion of private capital and the nonbank sector into real estate, insurance, and retirement accounts—that is, our homes and safety nets,” argue NSSR Ph.D. candidate Andrew Moon, and Professor of Anthropology, Janet Roitman.
Capitalism Uber Alles
Mitch Abidor ponders, after the collapse of Marx’s hopes for humanity, just what is left of the Left?
Capitalism Is Trumping Democracy at Home
Heather Cox Richardson explains that during the Cold War, American leaders came to treat democracy and capitalism as if they were interchangeable.
Support Public Seminar’s weekly issues and free public commons by sharing this newsletter with a friend!
Building an Alternative to Amazon?
Is it possible to move toward a planetary-scale, pluralist commonwealth for the digital economy? Trebor Scholz and Casper Gelderblom promote worker power and workplace democracy across the supply chain.
How (Some) Rich People Work Toward Redistribution
Sociologist Rachel Sherman talks to Guillermina Altomonte about “class traitors” challenging how we think about wealth.
The Commons versus Capitalism
Can commonality dodge the threat of capitalist exploitation and develop into an organizational principle for complex societies? Thijs Lijster explores the rise of the commons as a concept and its relationship to capitalism.
Ending Exploitation in the Fashion Industry
Nandita Shivakumar and Aabid Firdausi argue for a labor-centered notion of sustainability.