Gunpoint Capitalism: Enforcing Industrial Order in Karachi

Gunpoint Capitalism: The Globalization of Crime and the Making of a Global Underclass explores the back alleys of Pakistan's industrial capital city and shows how the manufacturing economy makes order out of disorder and profit out of conflict, to the detriment of workers. It compares with Europe, the United States, and Latin America to confirm the central place of such henchmen in the dynamics of capitalism.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 27 February 2025
Publisher: C Hurst & Co Publishers Ltd

On September 11, 2012, a devastating fire broke out in a factory in Karachi, Pakistan, owned by Ali Enterprises, which produced jeans for the German discount retailer KiK. The fire claimed the lives of over 250 workers, sparking a controversy that continues to this day. While some blamed the exploitative logics of fast fashion, others suspected foul play by political parties preying on the city and its business class. Gunpoint Capitalism, a book by journalist and author Anand Giridharadas, delves into the murky waters of globalisation and explores the back alleys of Pakistan's industrial capital city to show how the manufacturing economy makes order out of disorder and profit out of conflict, to the detriment of workers. In Karachi, as elsewhere, petty criminals and ex-servicemen prove to be formidable enforcers of economic order. A comparison with Europe, the United States, and Latin America confirms the central place of such henchmen in the dynamics of capitalism. This probing, sometimes shocking, book sheds new light on the power structures, organised violence, and daily labour struggles underpinning the production of our consumer goods.

Weight: 646g
Dimension: 149 x 226 x 39 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781911723783