A Commodified World: Mapping the Limits of Capitalism - Softcover

Colin C. Williams

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1842773550 ISBN 13: 9781842773550

Publisher: Zed Books Ltd, 2005

Synopsis

Late capitalism is widely assumed to involve an inevitable shift towards more and more commodified economic relations, while 'non-capitalist' activities are disappearing. This book critiques this notion. It seeks to show that a combination of new 'cultures of resistance', choices being made by the more affluent in industrialised countries, and continuing economic pressures on the poor and marginalized all constrain this tendency, or even threaten to reverse it. The author finds that, even in the advanced economies, a non-commodified realm persists that is as large as the commodified sphere and growing relative to it. He draws on extensive empirical evidence of trends and new patterns of economic activity - including changes in women's participation, differences between wealthy and poor urban areas, and between urban and rural sectors. He explores non-commodified practices of resistance. And he concludes that governments and communities, by de-coupling production and consumption from the commodified realm, could open up alternative development paths.

About this title

Review:

'This is a bold and engaging book that demonstrates the uneven progress of commodification across the so-called developed and developing worlds. Marshalling powerful evidence of the persistence of subsistence work, non-monetised and not-for-profit forms of exchange, Colin Williams challenges the 'commodification thesis'. Far from being a foregone conclusion, commodification is revealed as an incomplete and deeply contested process. 'A Commodified World' rejects the linear narrative of ever-deeper capitalist penetration, inviting readers to imagine and strive towards a future in which work is no longer defined in purely monetary terms.' --Peter Jackson, Professor of Human Geography, University of Sheffield

From the Author:

'There is no alternative capitalism'; this is a widespread
belief. I decided to write this book to contest this view and to open up
the future of work to other possibilities. Not only do neo-liberals
continuously repeat this mantra but so too do many on the left. In doing
so, they close-off what is considered possible and feasible. In this book,
however, by mapping how capitalism is far from hegmonic, my intention has
been to open up how we imagine the future of work and the feasibility of
alternatives beyond capitalism. The alternatives to capitalism, far from
being weak, small-scale, marginal and peripheral compared with capitalism,
are here shown to be strong, often large-scale, everywhere in the world and
even growing. The message, therefore, is that the future of work is far
from confined to the ever greater incursion of commodification into every
nook and cranny of the world. This book discusses the range of alternatives
futures that are possible and how we might start to moved towards a
post-capitalist society.

About this edition

• Publisher: Zed Books Ltd
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 1842773550
• ISBN 13: 9781842773550
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 75