The Solidarity Economy

Jean-Louis Laville's The Solidarity Economy explores the power of contemporary social and solidarity movements and examines the history of postcapitalist practices in which democratic demands invade the heart of the economy. It establishes how the formations of economic solidarities reveal that the boundaries between politics and economics are porous and structured.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 336 pages
Publication date: 22 August 2023
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press

Jean-Louis Laville's extensive body of work has centered on the intellectual history of the concept of solidarity since the Industrial Revolution. In his renowned book, The Solidarity Economy, Laville explores how the formations of economic solidarities, such as unions, activism, and other forms of associationalism, reveal that the boundaries between politics and economics are porous and structured in such a way that politics, ideally a pure expression of ethics and values, is instead integrated with economic concerns.

The Solidarity Economy delves into the possibilities and long histories of association, shedding light on the power of contemporary social and solidarity movements. It also examines the history of postcapitalist practices in which democratic demands invade the heart of the economy. The book ranges in focus from workers' associations in France dating back to the nineteenth century, to associations of African Americans and feminists in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, to a Brazilian landless-worker coalition in the twentieth century.

By studying solidarity associations over time, The Solidarity Economy provides valuable insights into how we can recombine the economic and political spheres to address dependencies and inequalities. Ultimately, the book has a global scope and offers inspiring examples of associations that deepen democracy.

Weight: 486g
Dimension: 138 x 216 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781517913601