Primitive Accumulation

Catalog description

Is there anything outside of capitalism today? How do we think beyond capitalism? This course uses the concept of primitive accumulation as a jumping-off point for considering the relationship between capitalism and its others. We will engage with a range of thinkers coming out of feminist, agrarian studies, indigenous and environmental justice, and anarchist traditions who point out how capitalism relies on resources produced outside of itself (e.g. by nature) and on unwaged or unacknowledged work (e.g. care labor). We will also take seriously the ways that forms of productive or life-making labor can and do diverge from capitalist practice. Topics include: agrarian life, householding, care, so-called informal work, commons, ecological justice. Authors considered include: Rosa Luxemburg, Anna Tsing, Gargi Bhattacharyya, Silvia Federici, Ursula K. LeGuin.