AP/ANTH 3220 6.00 Greed, Globalization and the Gift: The Culture of Capitalism
This course explores three main themes. First, it examines the culture(s) of capitalism historically and ethnographically. This anthropology of capitalism covers the age of capitalist empires, the formation of corporations, and the directions and implications of postmodern and financial capitalism. We also examine the “world system” through to the age of globalization, and the failure of neo-liberal development policies to deliver economic prosperity. Second, the course provides undergraduates with an understanding of classic and current economic theory in anthropology. We look at theories that challenge many normative assumptions about the emergence of human economic relations, including theories on gifts and commodification, and on the cultural origins and development of money and debt. Third, the course explores the ways that debt, money, the economy, and capitalism are being rethought, transformed, and challenged.
Course Director (Fall/Winter 24-25): K. Schmid – kschmid@yorku.ca