Black Agenda Report
Black Agenda Report
News, commentary and analysis from the black left.

  • Home
  • Africa
  • African America
  • Education
  • Environment
  • International
  • Media and Culture
  • Political Economy
  • Radio
  • US Politics
  • War and Empire

The Origins of Debt, Money, Slavery and Empire
21 Sep 2011
🖨️ Print Article

Like most of us, you probably learned in school that people invented money to replace barter, markets are guided by The Invisible Hand, and a debt is a kind of sacred promise.  Like much else you learned in school, says anthropologist David Graeber, this is wrong.  Markets are constructed by states, while the appearance of debt, slavery and money in human affairs coincide with the appearance of violent empires, and recede when empires are in decline.  Debts are only sacred, Graeber explains, when the poor owe the rich, and there are key distinctions between debts and promises.  Graeber, the author of Debt: The First 5,000 Years is interviewed by C.S. Soong on KPFA's Against the Grain...

The Origins of Debt, Money, Slavery and Empire

An Against the Grain Interview by C.S. Soong and Sasha Lilley

KPFA.s Against the Grain is consistently one of the best interview shows around.  We at BAR steal ideas from them all the time.  You can find a link to Debt: The First 5,000 Years here.



Your browser does not support the audio element.

listen
http://www.againstthegrain.org/files/files/atg/atg_2013.01.07_graeber.mp3

More Stories


  • Is This the End of the French Project in Africa’s Sahel?
    Vijay Prashad
    Is This the End of the French Project in Africa’s Sahel?
    25 May 2022
    The west African Sahel region is described as "one of the poorest places on earth" and has suffered from French colonial interventions and austerity demanded by western financial institutions.…
  • International Court of Justice Ruled that Uganda Must Pay $325 Million in Reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo—But What About U.S. and UK?
    Jeremy Kuzmarov
    International Court of Justice Ruled that Uganda Must Pay $325 Million in Reparations to the Democratic Republic of Congo—But What About U.S. and UK?
    25 May 2022
    The US backed Ugandan government is responsible for looting the Democratic Republic of Congo's resources. They owe a debt but the crime was carried out with help from the US and UK governments and…
  • Revolutionary Cuba Delivers Marching Orders To The US Left To Defeat Imperialism For All Humanity - Are We Listening?
    Jacqueline Luqman
    Revolutionary Cuba Delivers Marching Orders To The US Left To Defeat Imperialism For All Humanity - Are We Listening?
    24 May 2022
    The author reports on her experiences with the May Day International Brigade in Cuba.
  • US Meddling in Colombia’s Election, Warns Left-wing Vice Presidential Candidate Francia Márquez
    Benjamin Norton
    US Meddling in Colombia’s Election, Warns Left-wing Vice Presidential Candidate Francia Márquez
    24 May 2022
    The top vice presidential candidate for Colombia’s May elections, Francia Márquez, called out the US government for meddling in the electoral process. The left-wing activist criticized the war on…
  • Why Are Colombian Election Candidates Auditioning in Washington?
    Roger D. Harris
    Why Are Colombian Election Candidates Auditioning in Washington?
    24 May 2022
    Colombian vice presidential candidates recently appeared at a Town Hall in Washington. The US is determined to exert control, especially over political parties seeking independence and sovereignty…
  • Load More
Subscribe
connect with us
about us
contact us