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Capitalism is characterized as a social order that enables powerful economic actors, such as multinational corporations and financial institutions, to extract value from various sources without accountability. This dynamic leads to the exploitation of not just wage workers, but also nature and unpaid care work, often resulting in severe ecological and social crises. The term 'cannibal capitalism' reflects this predatory nature, where prolific wealth accumulation comes at the expense of environmental sustainability and social well-being. As a result, capitalism is often self-destabilizing, creating conditions that lead to recursive crises that undermine its own operational viability.
To conceive viable alternatives to capitalism, it is crucial to adopt an expanded view of how economic systems interact with social, environmental, and political dimensions. This perspective emphasizes the significance of understanding the contextual background conditions that capitalism relies on, such as family structures and natural ecosystems. The need for a comprehensive approach necessitates a rethinking of capitalism's relationship with its surrounding elements, thus promoting the integration of social reproduction, geographical contexts, and the impacts of historical underdevelopment into future economic planning. This holistic framework encourages exploring alternative forms of social organization that prioritize reparative and restorative principles, rather than merely redistributing existing resources.
A transformative economic model would benefit from democratizing the design and decision-making processes related to resource allocation and societal development. Effective participation necessitates a shift away from relying solely on economic elites, allowing for broader stakeholder engagement that includes marginalized voices. Principles such as 'pay as you go' demand accountability for resource extraction and usage, compelling economic actors to replenish what they consume. Furthermore, a reimagined democracy must encompass various societal dimensions to guarantee inclusive governance over economic systems, ensuring that decisions reflect the collective needs of the entire community, rather than serving narrow interests.
Rethinking societal structures prompts an examination of how different spheres of life, such as work, care, and community, can be better integrated without losing their distinctiveness. The relationship between production and reproduction must be re-evaluated, acknowledging that care work and social responsibilities are equally essential for societal health. A desirable economic future invites diverse forms of social organization and living arrangements, enabling various expressions of communal existence. This approach emphasizes that while work contributes to societal functions, it should not dictate the entirety of individual identities or communal life.
The challenge of establishing alternative forms of governance necessitates a framework that acknowledges the market's role in shaping truths without succumbing to its metaphysical constructs. A non-essentialist approach to generating knowledge recognizes the dynamic interplay of experiences and positions within social inquiry, enabling communities to collaboratively explore their realities. The focus should be on building participatory mechanisms that facilitate collective discernment, emphasizing the lived experiences of individuals rather than adhering strictly to fixed notions of truth or value. This dialogic process can construct a multiplicity of insights that reflect the diverse interests and struggles present within society.
Nancy Fraser discusses her understanding of capitalism as an integrated social order and explores its implications for envisioning a desirable postcapitalism.
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If you are interested in democratic economic planning, these resources might be of help:
Democratic planning – an information website
https://www.democratic-planning.com/
Sorg, C. & Groos, J. (eds.)(2025). Rethinking Economic Planning. Competition & Change Special Issue Volume 29 Issue 1.
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/ccha/29/1
Groos, J. & Sorg, C. (2025). Creative Construction - Democratic Planning in the 21st Century and Beyond. Bristol University Press.
https://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/creative-construction
International Network for Democratic Economic Planning
Democratic Planning Research Platform:
https://www.planningresearch.net/
Democratic Planning Forum:
https://forum.democratic-planning.com/
--- Shownotes
Remarque Institute
https://as.nyu.edu/research-centers/remarque.html
Nancy Fraser at The New School for Social Research:
https://www.newschool.edu/nssr/faculty/nancy-fraser/
Fraser, N. (2023). Cannibal Capitalism: How our System is Devouring Democracy, Care, and the Planet and What We Can Do About It. Verso Books.
Ivkovic, M., & Zaric, Z. (2024). Nancy Fraser and Politics. Edinburgh University Press.
https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-nancy-fraser-and-politics.html
Fraser, N., & Jaeggi, R. (2023). Capitalism: A Conversation in Critical Theory. Verso Books.
https://www.versobooks.com/products/2867-capitalism
Fraser, N. (2022) Benjamin Lecture 3 – Class beyond Class (Video)
https://youtu.be/jf6laSf6Eko?si=iWL-Za4pPPwF0xvb
on social differentiation as discussed in sociology:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Differentiation_(sociology)
Rodney, W. (2018). How Europe underdeveloped Africa. Verso Books.
on Marx’s account of surplus value:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surplus_value
Robaszkiewicz, M. & Weinman, M. (2023) Hannah Arendt and Politics. Edinburgh University Press.
https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-hannah-arendt-and-politics.html
Vančura, M. (2011) Polanyi’s Great Transformation and the concept of the embedded economoy. IES Occasional Paper No. 2/2011
https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/83289/1/668400315.pdf
Elson, D. (2015). Value: The Representation of Labour in Capitalism. Verso Books.
Robertson, J. (2017) The Life and Death of Yugoslav Socialism. Jacobin.
https://jacobin.com/2017/07/yugoslav-socialism-tito-self-management-serbia-balkans
Moore, J. W. (2015). Capitalism in the web of life: Ecology and the accumulation of capital. Verso Books.
https://www.versobooks.com/products/74-capitalism-in-the-web-of-life
Patel, R., & Moore, J. W. (2018). A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet. Verso Books.
Brand, U., & Wissen, M. (2021). The Imperial Mode of Living: Everyday Life and the Ecological Crisis of Capitalism. Verso Books.
Bates, T. R. (1975) Gramsci and the Theory of Hegemony. Journal of the History of Ideas Vol. 36 No. 2.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2708933
Bois, W. E. B. Du. (1935). Black Reconstruction. An Essay toward a History of the Part which Black Folk played in the Attempt to Reconstruct Democracy in America, 1860-1880. Harcourt, Brace and Company.
Trotsky, L. (1938) The Transitional Program. Bulletin of the Opposition.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/trotsky/1938/tp/
Morris, W. (1890) News from Nowhere. Commonweal.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/morris/works/1890/nowhere/nowhere.htm
Hayek, F. A. von. (1945). The Use of Knowledge in Society. The American Economic Review, 35(4).
https://www.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/articles/hayek-use-knowledge-society.pdf
Schliesser, E. (2020) On Foucault on 17 January 1979 On the Market’s Role (as site) of Veridiction (III) Digressions & Impressions Blog.
Foucault, M. (2008). The Birth of Biopolitics: Lectures at the Collège De France, 1978-1979. Palgrave Macmillan.
https://1000littlehammers.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/birth_of_biopolitics.pdf
Marx, K. (1973) Grundrisse: Foundations of the Critique of Political Economy. Penguin.
https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/download/pdf/grundrisse.pdf
on Bernard Mandeville and “Private Vice, Public Virtue”:
Kaufmann, F. (1959) John Dewey’s Theory of Inquiry. The Journal of Philosophy, Vol. 56, No. 21.
https://www.jstor.org/stable/2022592
on Habermas:
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/habermas/
on “Neurath’s boat”:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurath%27s_boat
Future Histories Episodes on Related Topics
S03E24 | Grace Blakeley on Capitalist Planning and its Alternatives
S03E19 | Wendy Brown on Socialist Governmentality
https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s03/e19-wendy-brown-on-socialist-governmentality/
S03E04 | Tim Platenkamp on Republican Socialism, General Planning and Parametric Control
S03E03 | Planning for Entropy on Sociometabolic Planning
S03E02 | George Monbiot on Public Luxury
https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s03/e02-george-monbiot-on-public-luxury/
S02E51 | Silvia Federici on Progress, Reproduction and Commoning
S02E33 | Pat Devine on Negotiated Coordination
https://www.futurehistories.today/episoden-blog/s02/e33-pat-devine-on-negotiated-coordination/
S03E23 | Andreas Malm on Overshooting into Climate Breakdown
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Episode Keywords
#NancyFraser, #JanGroos, #Podcast, #Socialism, #PostCapitalism, #Capitalism, #MarketPower, #Markets, #EconomicDemocracy, #PatDevine, #WorkingClass, #WelfareState, #CriticalTheory, #Markets, #Veridiction, #Foucault, #Governmentality, #Care, #CareWork, #Labour, #Labor, #Race, #Imperialism, #DemocraticPlanning, #EconomicPlanning, #SocialReproduction, #PostcapitalistReproduction, #Ecology, #FutureHistoriesInternational, #Boundaries, #CannibalCapitalism, #Socialism
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