The Ways of the World

by David Harvey

David Harvey is one of most famous Marxist intellectuals in the past half century, as well as one of the world's most cited social scientists. Beginning in the early 1970s with his trenchant and still-relevant book Social Justice and the City and through this day, Harvey has written numerous books and dozens of influential essays and articles on topics across issues in politics, culture, economics, and social justice.

In The Ways of the World , Harvey has gathered his most important essays from the past four decades. They form a career-spanning collection that tracks not only the development of Harvey over time as an intellectual, but also a dialectical vision that gradually expanded its reach from the slums of Baltimore to global environmental degradation to the American imperium. While Harvey's coverage is wide-ranging, all of the pieces tackle the core concerns that have always animated his work: capitalism past and present, social change, freedom, class, imperialism, the city, nature, social justice, postmodernity, globalization, and the crises that inhere in capitalism.

A career-defining volume, The Ways of the World will stand as a comprehensive work that presents the trajectory of Harvey's lifelong project in full.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Politics, Economics, History, Geography, Social

384 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2016

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Harvey (born 1935) is the Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). A leading social theorist of international standing, he graduated from University of Cambridge with a PhD in Geography in 1961.

He is the world's most cited academic geographer (according to Andrew Bodman, see Transactions of the IBG, 1991,1992), and the author of many books and essays that have been prominent in the development of modern geography as a discipline.

His work has contributed greatly to broad social and political debate, most recently he has been credited with helping to bring back social class and Marxist methods as serious methodological tools in the critique of global capitalism, particularly in its neoliberal form.

Reviews

[Muizz Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, comprehensive introduction for someone still relatively new to his body of work. Some chapters are dense, but Harvey presents his arguments clearly enough for a layperson to understand. As an architect I found his writing incredibly enlightening, going a long way to explain the modes of production that result in the ongoing construction of built environments. Critical insights with real world relevance, however chilling they may be.

[Grigory · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book has some interesting insights scattered here and there, but otherwise, it's way too dense.

My opinion is that best David Harvey's books are the ones which have a concrete topic and subject. Because even then they have a lot of general reasoning, digressions and descriptions - just enough I would say. But as vague a topic as "The Ways of the World" just couldn't provide a structure. I would go so far as to say that most essays in the book are as vague as the title itself

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview of the world, how the economic works, what’s the problems, and how to fix them.

[Nick Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did geography throughout secondary school and by the end thoroughly hated it. The ‘physical’ geography, rock and river formations and that sort of stuff, never caught my imagination – so I still walk through the countryside a landscape illiterate; but the ‘human’ geography should have had more potential, but all I remember are statistics for population densities and lists of agricultural products and industries. But, forty years on, I have read a book of essays by a geographer. But I don’t know if I would recognize that many of the essays as geography. A number I would think of as political economy, some are maybe politics, one on the Sacre-Coeur I would think of as history. And I first knew of David Harvey when I was a politics undergraduate and the professor enthusiastically recommended Harvey’s The Limits to Capital as an introduction to Marx’s political economy. And I later read bits of his study of postmodernism which I tend to think of as a cultural phenomenon. But these eleven essays are about space – global and urban – which, I suppose, makes them geography. The important thing, however, is that Harvey does not feel constrained by the confines of academic disciplines – and this is probably because all of his work is unashamedly Marxist: Marxism never keeps to academic departments. Harvey, however, is not slavish to Marx: he is in dialogue with Marx: Marx might be the dominant speaker, but Harvey often says, “Yes, but...” and might disagree or fill in a gap. His contribution to Marxist political economy is placing Marx’s circulation of capital into geographical space. The Ways of the World is an introduction to Harvey’s career, many of the essays looking forward to later book length studies: the early essay on political economics, 'The Geography of Capitalist Accumulation’, looks forward to The Limits on Capital; the essay on the Sacre-Coeur looks towards his later book on Paris, etc. A slight disappointment is that the essay on postmodernism is just a chapter out of his The Condition of Postmodernity and the last essay on the financial crisis is a chapter out of The Enigma of Capital. His later work seems increasingly polemical, but his analysis of the ‘New Imperialism’ of the 21st Century and the recent global financial crisis seem rigorous and sensible to me. Throughout the essays there are a series of constant concerns: urbanisation; the relationship of local political action to global concerns; the relationship of the urban to the global, etc. The Ways of the World is an excellent introduction to Harvey’s work (and introduced me to parts of his thoughts that I had not previously encountered) – and don’t be put off if you find the first three essays heavily theoretical, he becomes more readable as he goes along.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have to admit I skimmed a lot of this because it was just too dense and dry for an average reader like me. Some interesting insights about physical landscape vs geography infrastructure. Also my first real introduction to some Marxist concepts, most accessible to me here as a critique of capitalism.

[سامح · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books I have read in my life so far. I consider David Harvey as my personal teacher. I learned alot through his lectures and talks, and this book with it's dense analysis of ranging topics really helped me reshaping my understanding of the world. A must read book.

[Joseph Spuckler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Ways of the World by David Harvey is a collection of essays on relevant social and economic issues from a Marxist perspective. Harvey is the Distinguished Professor of Anthropology at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York (CUNY). A leading social theorist of international standing, he graduated from University of Cambridge with a Ph.D. in Geography in 1961.

First, a few general comments. Marxism is not Soviet communism or Chinese communism. There are many arguments about the Soviet Union, but at no time after Stalin was it more than an authoritarian state. China is the same but with a regulated market. Secondly, Marxism always seems to be written in a technical and philosophical style that makes most political philosophy students long for easier reading like Hegel. I still have difficulty today reading Marxist writings; this book included.

Harvey uses real-world examples and offers criticism to all systems mentioned. Perhaps in a more accurate historical sense, he uses the Paris Riots/Commune of 1871 as an example of a popular people's movement against the government and land use. As a geographer, Harvey examines urbanization and the problems associated with its evolution and development under a (mixed) Capitalist system. Trade is also discussed and the fall of local businesses.

A discussion of beer in Baltimore caught my attention. Baltimore was a one beer town up until 1970 then came regional beers followed by large brewers (Budweiser and Miller). I remember growing up in Cleveland with local beers like P.O.C. and Duke. There were regional beers which were comparable giants -- Stroh’s and Rolling Rock. Now the local beers are dead along with Stroh’s and Rolling Rock is owned by Miller. The cause of the change was market and growth and had nothing to do with the local population. The population did make a choice and outside beers were cheaper because they were brewed on a much larger scale. Is Budweiser better than Duke, or Rolling Rock? Probably not and definitely not the workers at the Duke or Rolling Rock plants. That story was not the main focus of the book but one I clearly related to.

The development and shifts in urban areas are the main topic in the book and also the causes and results of real estate booms and bust cycles. Baltimore and Cleveland were cities mentioned for the housing bust. Although the problem was very serious, it was the “where” that became the issue. Poor people in run down areas do not create a serious problem for others. In fact, Baltimore has more vacated housing than it has homeless. In my own research, I found Bank of America was bulldozing vacant housing and donating the land to the city in Cleveland. The housing bust, however, became an issue when it started affecting the middle class.

This is a book is for serious scholars and graduate-level students in the covered fields. The Ways of the World is a time-consuming read but worth the effort it if you are knowledgeable in the fields. Harvey does not have all the answers and isn’t afraid to admit it. He does make the reader think. Especially think about the endless growth required to keep a capitalist society out of recession. When land resources run low, they are recycled, gentrified, and force people and businesses to move. When products to sell a saturated market are needed we make “new” products. I think a good example of this is (or was) the new phone every two years with wireless plans. Does you phone become obsolete after two years or do you just have to have the latest as a status symbol? China and India are rising and their populations are wanting what the First World already has and in turn, taking in more of the planet's natural resources. Growth will have to end at some point in a world of limited resources. The Way of the World is an interesting examination of the world, currently and historically, and regardless of one’s politics, it brings to the forefront some very important questions.

[J Earl · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ways of the World is a collection of essays from David Harvey that span his career and presents a wonderful overview of his thought over the past 50 years or so. The rating I am giving is as much for this being an essential selection of his essays in one volume as it an opinion on his actual essays.

To considerably over simplify this collection I will say that these essays present critiques of capitalism, class, justice, globalization and much more through a Marxist lens and a geographical perspective. If you confuse Marxism with communism as presented in various communist states then you may want to brush up on the difference before reading these essays. That said, it can be surprising to realize just how much of capitalism's harm can be viewed through geography. Not physical geography so much but human geography.

These critiques address larger issues through looking at specific events such as strikes, buildings and product displacement. Sometimes looking at the hows and whys behind something requires more than simply understanding the marketplace or supply and demand, it requires understanding what is being changed on the local level and who is being adversely affected by these changes. Harvey does this and presents data to support his assessments and a strong theoretical foundation on which he builds his critiques.

I would recommend this to anyone interested in human geography, Marxist critiques of capitalisms old and new as well as social justice and equality. The read is not one to breeze through but should be readily accessible to any reader who has an interest in the area. Readers who already appreciate Harvey will also like this collection for the simple reason it collects some of his most cited essays into one convenient location.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Russell Fox · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a long time to work through this collection of brilliant, but also very dense, essays by David Harvey, the Marxist geographer and economist and one of the great proponents of revolutionary thinking about urban issues today. It includes his most famous (and perhaps best) essay, on the rise public-private partnerships and the rise of entrepreneurialism in the financing of cities, and the terrible consequences this has posed for securing the needs of the urban public overall, but here you can also find his writings on the Paris Commune, an early version of his subsequent embrace of Henri Lefebvre's "right to the city," and much more. Solid, important reading.

[Matt Bristol · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a political science and environmental studies graduate, this book served as an amazing opening into Marxist human geography and considering the occupation of the world's physical and philosophical structures by Capital. It's very dense, but worth not rushing through! If you are looking to challenge yourself and think more critically about human geography, this collection of essays is a great place to start.

[Rhys · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great series of popular essays/chapters from David Harvey.

Though one may have read some of these in the past, the combination of topics and Harvey's added comments make this book interesting in itself.

I particularly liked the chapter on The Nature of Environment and his concept of spatiality.

[Takuya Kitazawa · Rating 2 out of 5]

How the world moves around capital, from the perspective of people, geography, and Marxian economics.

The book gave me a range of pointers to thinking about economic geography, though the collection of the author's work seems to be poorly edited, and hard to connect the dots. It is more like a textbook based on a series of case studies.

[Nishant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, a collection of David Harvey's finest scholarly works, is possibly the best introduction to his ideas and theory. Each essay also includes a short commentary by Harvey himself which briefly contextualizes the main arguments in the main text.

[Billy O'Callaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

David Harvey's latest book, 'The Ways of the World', is an important volume, particularly for readers unfamiliar with his work and ideas, in that it collects eleven key essays, all previous published, from across his long career. Each addresses different facets of urban geography in its broadest sense, giving consideration to inevitable social, environmental, financial, colonial and political evolution.
The opening piece sets the bar, and is essential in helping to explain Harvey's approach to geographical analysis. 'Revolutionary and Counter-Revolutionary Theory in Geography and the Problem of Ghetto Formation' was penned in the aftermath of the 1968 Baltimore riots, when as an Associate Professor at Johns Hopkins University, he undertook a detailed study of the housing conditions that had contributed to the uprising among the black population in the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King's assassination. In search of some perspective, he turned to Marx's 'Capital', and his gathering and analysis of data, coupled with a rigorous interpretation of the facts, earned him admiration among city officials, landlords and financiers, as well as notable plaudits within wider academia. But to ensure that the work would be considered on its own merits and without bias, he deemed it necessary to conceal the Marxist theories which had proven so vital in successfully constructing his case. And encouraged by the resultant reception, he began to immerse himself even deeper in these ideas.
Following on from this essay, he puts such left-leaning explorations front and centre, with 'The Geography of Capitalist Accumulation – a Reconstruction of the Marxian Theory'. In the short commentary addendum (a most helpful feature of the book, and one that, in accompanying each chapter, provides important hindsight considerations as to what has worked and what hasn't), Harvey explains that “The lack of any geographical perspectives in most left theorising and in Marxian political economy in particular was a hot topic in radical geography in the early 1970s” and that “Anarchist tradition... had within it a far more sensitive approach to questions of space, place and environment than mainstream Marxism.” His intention was to assemble the various asides and remarks of Marx on issues such as the production of space and the spatial dimensions of social relations, “to see if they could be synthesised into something more systematic.”
Geography is constantly changing, whether due to the vagaries of nature or the manipulations of mankind. Economics take their toll, as might be exemplified by China's digging itself out of west-inflicted recession by putting 27 million people to work pouring the concrete that will extend its cities. And in one of the book's most readable chapters, 'Monument and Myth', the impact of culture on the subject at hand is demonstrated using the fascinating history of the Sacré-Coeur in Paris.
'The Ways of the World' is a scholarly tome, the dense text reflective of a deep and constantly questioning intellect. But while it resists any kind of casual perusal, the lay reader will, with the necessary determination, find that Harvey's prose style possesses enough clarity to make his ideas accessible if rarely less than thought provoking. He states his aim early on: “to find a framework to understand the processes making and remaking our geography and the consequences thereof for human life and the environment of planet earth.” These collected essays bring him close to achieving that goal.

[Melike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boş vakit okuması yapılacak bir kitap değil. Bakın bunlar yanlış ve düzeltilebilir seçenekler var görmek için güzel olsa da düzeltilecek bir dönemde yaşamayacağının inancını taşıyan ben, biraz sıkıldım okurken. Zaten makalelerin toplaması olduğu için, okuması zevkli diyemiyorum.