Property: The myth that built the world

Property is a powerful examination of how property shaped the modern world and why it now threatens the freedoms and stability it was meant to sustain. It tells powerful stories of life in the developer-led boomtown of Gurgaon, Missouri, and Georgia, and of a giant experiment in co-operative living in the Bronx. It asks how we have come to view our homes as investments and offers hope for how things could be better with reform.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 02 November 2023
Publisher: Faber & Faber

A comprehensive exploration of the profound impact of property on the modern world, revealing its potential to both empower and threaten the very freedoms and stability it was intended to uphold. Property holds the promise of wealth and liberation, yet it can also be wielded as a tool of displacement and exploitation, serving as the currency of corrupt elites. In Britain, this has resulted in a stark class divide between those who own property and those who struggle to afford it.

Property is a captivating and insightful examination of our concept of property ownership, spanning from the 16th-century enclosures to the present day. It weaves together powerful narratives, shedding light on diverse experiences such as life in the rapidly developing boomtown of Gurgaon, India, the challenges faced by Black communities in Missouri and Georgia, the remarkable experiment of cooperative living in the Bronx, and the far-reaching consequences of Margaret Thatcher's property-owning democracy.

Through its comprehensive analysis, Property poses essential questions about how we have come to perceive our homes as mere investments. It offers a glimmer of hope by advocating for reform that could reclaim the social wealth embedded in property and redistribute it to benefit society as a whole. This transformative approach holds the potential to create a more equitable and inclusive world where property is not just a means of accumulation but a catalyst for positive change.

Weight: 356g
Dimension: 136 x 216 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780571350094
Edition number: Main