The End Of Capitalism (As We Knew It): A Feminist Critique of Political Economy

by J.K. Gibson-Graham

In the mid-1990s, at the height of academic discussion about the inevitability of capitalist globalization, J. K. Gibson-Graham presented a groundbreaking and controversial argument for envisioning alternative economies. This new edition includes an introduction in which the authors address critical responses to The End of Capitalism and outline the economic research and activism they have been engaged in since the book was first published.

“Paralyzing problems are banished by this dazzlingly lucid, creative, and practical rethinking of class and economic transformation.” —Meaghan Morris, Lingnan University, Hong Kong

“Profoundly imaginative.” —Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, City University of New York “Filled with insights, it is clearly written and well supported with good examples of actual, deconstructive practices.” —International Journal of Urban and Regional Research

J. K. Gibson-Graham is the pen name of Katherine Gibson and Julie Graham, feminist economic geographers who work, respectively, at the Australian National University in Canberra and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Genres: Economics, Feminism, Nonfiction, Politics, Geography, Theory, Sociology

348 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

Reviews

[Menser · Rating 4 out of 5]

overall this book is brilliant and to this day, still ahead of its time.

the intro, ch1, and chapter 11 really lay out the project nicely. this should be mandatory reading for anybody interested in radical (i.e. anti-neoliberal-colonial, feminist participatory democratic anticapitalist/postcapitalist egalitarian/postegalitarian horizontalist kick ass politics--not much ) politics.

now i really did not expect much from grad school, but come on, how did i not have to i read this? woulda saved me a lot of incoherence if i read it when it came out in the late 90s.

(more soon)

[Monster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Referred to by a professor as "a space clearing gesture," this book was made palatable by its sequel, A Postcapitalist Politics. If you need to work your way out of the psychic oppression of capitalist hegemony, start with this book. Otherwise, skip to A Postcapitalist Politics.

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

garbage

[Ebru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esas olarak, sistem içi itirazların (mesela kooperatif) kapitalizmi tamir mi edeceği yoksa sistemi değiştirme gücüne sahip mi olacağı kitabın sorusunu oluşturuyor.

Kapitalizmin aşılabileceğini düşünmenin zor olması onun düşünülme biçiminden kaynaklanmaktadır diyor yazarlar. Bu kitabın savı sol kuramın sol siyaseti krize soktuğudur. Değiştirmek için anlama iddiası var ama bilgi ve eylem birbirine yabancılaşmış.

Kapitalizm nasıl oluyor da bir sistem ve bir iktidar yapısı olarak kavranıyor? Büyük harfli Kapitalizm bir kapitalist farklılıklar yelpazesine dönüştürülmelidir. Bir şeye karşı mücadele etmek için onu kuramlaştırmak gerekiyor. Feminizm, ataerkillik, patriyarka, ikili cinsiyet sistemi, heteronormative kavramlarını üretmiştir. Marx da sınıflı toplum için bunu yapmıştır. Yoksa Marx'tan önce de kapitalizm vardı.

Kadın erkeğin zıddı olmak yerine bir özgüllükler kümesidir. Erkeğin de öyle olması gerekir. Kadının eksik değil pozitif olarak varoluşunun şartıdır bu. (Kapitalizmin de böyle olması gerekir, çoğul özgüllükleri ya da çoğul kimliği olan ekonomi biçimleri). Kimlikler sürekli yeniden ve farklılıklar içinden kurulur. Kimlikler bağlamlarından önce var olmazlar. Var olan koşullar onun var oluş koşullarıdır.

Yazarlar tüm entelektüel cephanelerini kitaba koymuşlar. Daha erişilebilir ve kısa yazılabilirdi.

Eleştirisi için Jodi Dean’e bakılabilir.

[Andrew Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Possibly one of the most lacking analyses of class I hope I'll read this decade.

In their attempt to de-essentialize class the authors merely demonstrate their own class essentialism. I'm not sure if any analysis would consider a commercial landlord to being a part of the working class (see ham-fisted case study on page 59), truck driving, wild-pig shooting, nationalist party voting, demure Asian wife having aspects aside.

I'm also somewhat amazed that in their attempt to de-centre and broaden class the authors didn't look at Bourdieu, who did this work decades before and with much more theoretical rigour.

I think the only geographers with that have class as a cornerstone of their work that I enjoy are probably Harvey and Soja.

[liv · Rating 4 out of 5]

Closer to 3.5 stars but that wasn’t an option. Given that the book was written in the 90s, it really was ahead of its time and makes some incredibly important points. Chapter 9 is INSANE (in a good way) and the number one thing I reference when I talk about why this book was so impactful for me. You do have to go with the revised version because Chapter 9 is half the original publication and half them adding revisions to the original publication, which sounds tedious but it really isn’t. However, there is definitely a lack of intersectionality in their theories and reasoning. They address it somewhat in the revisions but it still falls short of sufficient. I get that it was written when intersectionality was rarely a part of economic conversations, but we shouldn’t use that as an excuse because you really can’t have a feminist critique of political economy without considering how it affects white women vs. women of color

[Marte Vroom · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading the introduction to The End of Capitalism, I was eager to read the book. My hopes were that I would read about envisioning alternative economics. Even though I think JK Gibson-Graham makes some good points, I found the book a little disappointing. I thought the book was very theoretical and didn't provide any real alternatives to mainstream economic theory. The book criticizes (the language of) capitalism instead. It appears to have been out of touch with its intended audience as well. I don't think the book would be easy to read for people outside academia. Even for those in academia, it may be challenging to follow everything JK Gibson-Graham explains. It certainly was a novel and unique book back in 1996. Today, however, there are many other books that envision alternative economics - many of which are written in an accessible manner and are actually about envisioning alternative economics.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really helpful for those looking to understand the effects of the rhetoric of capitalism. Since I've read it, I've seen the unnecessary essentializing all over the place, and the way it affects anyone critical living "under capitalism" (a term gibson-graham no doubt hate)
Don't get me wrong. This book has its pitfalls and I find it out of touch with what anti-capitalist activists and organizers on the ground actually do, but so do most academic marxists.
But don't read this without reading Marx, it will not be of use.

[Tale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Veldig informativ, men innmari tungvint.

[stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's hard to give these little star ratings to a book like this, which is at once interesting and important and irritating and less or other than you might imagine. on the one hand, it is interesting to see how one might go about dissolving the sense of monolithic-ness to large-scale processes like "capitalism" or "the econmoy" without recourse to a coherent notion of the social imaginary. on the other hand, most of the work that authors do could ahve been done in a simpler deeper way. and of course there's the added treat of constantly kicking myself as i read: i could have done this if only if only...so that said: this is a provocative, useful, irritating, curious dated book. it deserves as closer, more careful critical assessment than i'll give it here. it deserves many such assessments, and so should be read if new forms of oppositional politics are of interest to you.

[Heather Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and engaging. This is an excellent read for anyone interested in issues pertaining to capitalism and alternative economic systems.

[Ryan]

Just arrived in the mail. I can't wait!!!