The LRB Podcast The Debt to David Graeber
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Sep 3, 2025 Richard Seymour, a writer and theorist known for his works like Disaster Nationalism, dives deep into the legacy of David Graeber. They discuss Graeber's radical ideas on anarchism and the impact of his writings, particularly on debt and social structures. Seymour reflects on Graeber's role in shaping the Occupy movement with the slogan 'we are the 99%'. He critiques conventional economic policies and explores how bureaucracy stifles imagination, contrasting it with the vibrant imagery from anti-capitalist protests, highlighting the power of play and creativity.
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Anarchism As Everyday Practice
- Graeber saw anarchism as a practice embedded in everyday relations rather than an identity to adopt.
- He argued ordinary mutual aid (help without bills or obedience) reveals latent anarchic possibilities in daily life.
Practices Not Abstract Layers
- Graeber criticized reifying culture into abstract layers like 'superstructure' and urged attention to lived practices.
- He treated music, law and ritual as material practices as important as production.
Madagascar Fieldwork Shapes Theory
- Graeber's Madagascar fieldwork recorded ancestor magic used to resolve theft and social disputes.
- He used these vivid ethnographic moments to build theories of power and value grounded in meaning, not only coercion.
