Caliban and the Witch: Women, the Body and Primitive Accumulation

Caliban and the Witch is a groundbreaking work by Silvia Federici that explores the history of the body in the transition to capitalism, from peasant revolts to witch-hunts, scientific rationalism, and colonization. It provides a panoramic account of the violence used to transform pre-capitalist societies into predictable and controllable mechanisms.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 400 pages
\n Publication date: 29 July 2021
\n Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
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Federici's groundbreaking work has emerged as a pivotal figure for a new generation of feminists. Rachel Kushner, the author of "The Mars Room," hailed it as a cult classic since its publication in the early years of the 21st century. "Caliban and the Witch" by Silvia Federici is a comprehensive history of the body during the transition to capitalism. Spanning from the late Middle Ages to the European witch hunts, the rise of scientific rationalism, and the colonization of the Americas, it provides a sweeping account of the often brutal violence employed to transform the unruly human material of pre-capitalist societies into a set of predictable and controllable mechanisms. This study delves into the suppression of indigenous traditions, the confinement of women's reproductive powers within the nuclear family, and the bloodshed that shaped the modern world.

Rewarding this work offers valuable insights into the intricate relationship between modern patriarchy, the emergence of the nation-state, and the transition from feudalism to capitalism. The Guardian praised it as a "compelling and essential read for anyone interested in understanding the origins of our contemporary world."

\n Weight: 292g\n
Dimension: 128 x 196 x 27 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9780241532539\n \n