Capitalism - the West and the rest (of the world). Readings in historical sociology

The seminar deals with the capitalism, an economical order which supposedly provided the West with global global economy and politics, and spread all over the world. The seminar discusses both classical and contemporary explanations of how capitalism emerged, developed and has thriven and why it all started in the West and has expanded into the rest of the world. We will discuss the role of technology, the international trade and supply chains, coercion and freedom of labor, as well as ideological justifications (meritocracy, racism, special role of Protestantism and Western values) for capitalism. Both the origins, the subsequent phases of the capitalism and its contemporary dilemmas and contradictions will come under our debates.

The seminar deals with the capitalism, an economical order which supposedly provided the West with global global economy and politics, and spread all over the world. The seminar discusses both classical and contemporary explanations of how capitalism emerged, developed and has thriven and why it all started in the West and has expanded into the rest of the world. We will discuss the role of technology, the international trade and supply chains, coercion and freedom of labor, as well as ideological justifications (meritocracy, racism, special role of Protestantism and Western values) for capitalism. Both the origins, the subsequent phases of the capitalism and its contemporary dilemmas and contradictions will come under our debates.

Proposed topics:

1. Introduction and overview

2. Warming up class: lockdown, capitalism and exploitation.

The Lockdown showed how the economy exploits women. She already knew. (about Silvia Federici’s ideas), The New York Times Magazine, Feb 17, 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/17/magazine/waged-housework.html

3-4. Classics on the origins of capitalism

Karl Marx, The Capital, volume 1, selected part

Max Weber – Protestant Ethic and origin of capitalism, selected part

Werner Sombart, The Jews and modern capitalism (1911), fragments

5-6. Recent debate and New History of Capitalism in the US Sven Beckert, The Empire of Cotton, fragments

Sven Beckert, Monied Metropolis, fragments

7-8. Mid 20th century debate: World-system, empire, free market, capitalism:

Fernand Braudel, Civilization and capitalism, vol. 3, chapter 1

Fernand Braudel, Civilization and capitalism, vol. 3, selected fragments including the conclusion

9-10. Immanuel Wallerstein. Modern world-system I, chapter 1

Immanuel Wallerstein, recorded lecture on the 21st BRAK DATY capitalism

11. Capitalism with policy implications

David Graeber, Debt, service and the origins of capitalism, lecture, June 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0t50D4lQrs

Debt. The first 5000 years, 2014, fragment

12. Thomas Piketty, Capital and ideology, lecture, March 2021: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUowgzGFck

13. Silvia Federici, Caliban and the witch: women, the body and primitive accumulation, fragments

Recorded lecture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw5Sld1MVAU

14. Critical account of New history of capitalism: https://economic-historian.com/2020/09/a-comment-on-the-new-history-of-capitalism/

Conclusion and evaluation

15. Final oral exam

Final grade will assess:

In class discussion of the readings including a single 15-20 minute presentation of the main theses of the assigned materials. (55%)

Assessment of each participant’s individual activity during the classes will be carried out by the teacher together with the students at one of the final meeting

Final oral exam that covers main theses of the discussed materials (45%). The exam will be organized at the final meeting of the class.

Up to two absences are allowed. Those students who have been absent more than twice (but with no more that 45% absences) are expected to prepare and send the teacher short resumes of the main readings they missed. The type and form of second term exam are identical with the first one.

K_W01 Knows and understands basic concepts of historical sociology of capitalism: capitalist world-system, free market versus capitalism, primitive capital accumulation, international division of labor/wealth/income

K_W03 Is aware of ongoing theoretical and methodological disputes conducted in modern historical sociology of capitalism; is reflective and critical of various positions

K_W16 Has in-depth knowledge about major international historical-sociological research pertaining to capitalism and global economic development

K_W27 Has basic knowledge of the early modern social and economic processes which have shaped the face of the modern world

K_U04 Can critically select information and materials for academic work, using various sources in Polish and English as well as modern technologies

K_U19 Can prepare a presentation of a selected problem or study in English

K_K10 Independently sets directions of personal development and further learning