Origins of Capitalism
STUDY BLOCKS: POLITICAL ECONOMY, HISTORY
Image: The Capital IX (Colonialisme), Yuksel Arslan
Summary.
What were the historical conditions for the formation of capitalism? How are the histories of racism and gender discrimination related to the history of capitalism? How can studying Marx and Marxism arm us to fight racism and misogyny?
This class covers the "secret" of primitive accumulation, and the historical formation of capital, of the working class, the capitalist class, and the capitalist state. It covers the immense violence of colonialism, genocide, and slavery that shaped the transition from feudalism to capitalism, and we encourage you to think about contemporary dimensions of this violence.
Study Materials.
“The Secret of Primitive Accumulation”, Ch. 26 of Capital by Karl Marx
In this chapter of Capital, Marx begins a discussion on primitive accumulation that he will continue over the next seven chapters. Here, he is arguing against liberal thinkers such as Adam Smith that claim that the first capitalists had the means to take ownership of the means of production due to years of hard work, sacrifice and saving. Instead, Marx argues, dispossession of the working classes so as to separate the majority from the means to survive, explains the primitive or primary accumulation that is necessary for the development of capitalism.
Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, Dossier 41: “The Farmer’s Revolt in India”
Despite India’s achievement of a certain level of self-sufficiency in food production over the decades, the chronic agrarian crisis, often manifested in the suicides of farmers, persists. This dossier traces the causes of this crisis, which go back to the days of British colonial rule and to the choices made by the Indian state at various points since independence.
VIDEO: Tens of thousands observe 6 months of farmers’ protests in India
Six months into the historic farmers’ agitation in India, organizations have reiterated that they will not back down until three contentious farms laws introduced by the Narendra Modi government are revoked.
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Suggesting Readings:
“Women’s Sweat”: Gender and Agricultural Labor in the Atlantic World, by Jennifer Morgan
DOWNLOAD PDF • FIND IT IN A LIBRARY
“The Drain of Wealth: Colonialism before the First World War” by Utsa Patnaik and Prabhat Patnaik.
Summary: GO TO LINK
Full Article: GO TO LINK
VIDEO: Indian farmers' struggle: International Women's Day celebrated with huge mobilizations
STUDY MATERIALS FROM PAST COURSES
2020: DOWNLOAD PDF