American Capitalism: New Histories

The United States has long symbolized capitalism, but understanding its history is elusive and urgent. American Capitalism: A New History offers cutting-edge research from prominent scholars exploring finance, debt, credit, womens rights, slavery, political economy, racialization, labor, and knowledge production. It suggests emerging themes such as capitalism as made by political authority, contested by participants, spread globally, and reconceptualized without universalization.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 448 pages
Publication date: 06 August 2019
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The United States has long been a symbol of capitalism, encompassing a wide range of elements from its entrepreneurial shopkeepers and wildcat banks to its massive industrial working class and bustling commodities trade. From its global multinationals and vast factories to the influential power of New York in the world of finance, America has represented capitalism for over two centuries. However, a comprehensive understanding of American capitalism remains elusive and urgent.

What does it mean to study capitalism as a historical subject? How can it be explored across various disciplines, employing different methodologies, and in diverse geographic and chronological contexts? Moreover, how does a focus on capitalism alter our perception of American history?

American Capitalism: Emerging Themes in the History of Capitalism offers a thought-provoking exploration of these questions. This collection of essays by renowned scholars delves into diverse topics such as finance, debt, and credit; women's rights; slavery and political economy; the racialization of capitalism; labor beyond industrial wage workers; and the production of knowledge, including the concept of the economy.

Through their broad-minded and rigorous approaches, the authors in this book present fresh perspectives on capitalism. They explore how capitalism is shaped by political authority, how it is claimed and contested by its participants, how it spreads across global boundaries, and how it can be reconceptualized without being universalized.

This book serves as a significant statement for a field that remains wide open. It showcases the breadth and scope of the work that the history of capitalism can provoke, highlighting the potential for new insights and understanding. By examining capitalism through various lenses and contexts, this book contributes to our understanding of American history and sheds light on the complex and multifaceted nature of this economic system.

Weight: 634g
Dimension: 156 x 234 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231185257