End of Capitalism (As We Knew it): A Feminist Critique of Political Economy [Paperback]

J. K. Gibson-Graham (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1557868638 | ISBN-13: 978-1557868633 | Publication Date: September 4, 1996 | Edition: 1

Why does the future (not to mention the present) seem to offer no hope of escape from capitalism? Ironically, the author argues, it is not the economic discourse of the right but primarily the socialist and Marxist traditions that have constituted capitalism as large, powerful, active, expansive, penetrating, systematic, self-reproducing, dynamic, protean, victorious, and capable of conferring identity and meaning.

In this book J. K Gibson-Graham explores the possibility of more enlivening modes of economic thought and action, outside and beyond the theory and practice of capitalist reproduction. She draws critically on feminist and post structuralist theorizings, of subjectivity and the body, and on anti-essentialist aspects of Marxism. She seeks (and finds) protean forms of capitalist representation not only in economic policy and contemporary urban space but in the discursive practices of feminism, cultural studies and the politics of the left. Challenging the usual vision of capitalism as necessarily and naturally hegemonic, J. K. Gibson-Graham liberates a space of economic difference, one in which a noncapitalist politics of economic invasion might take root and flourish.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a truly remarkable book. I am quite confident that it will be at the center of debate for some time to come" David F. Ruccio, University of Notre Dame

"From the start, J. K. Gibson-Graham presents us with a text that is clear and accessible, but equally evocative of the complexities that the elected poststructural and overdeterminist approach requires ... In short, this book is an original, creative and elegant feast of theory and geographic opportunities. While the purpose and content is ambitious, Gibson-Graham provides an enticing way in which we might imagine and investigate economic heterogeneity. The influence of the book will likely be profound and widespread as geographers continue to explore these possibilities." R. Liepins, University of Otago

"This project of writing noncapitalism and not waiting for the revolution to do it remains an essential one." Economic Geography

From the Back Cover

Why does the future (not to mention the present) seem to offer no hope of escape from capitalism? Ironically, the author argues, it is not the economic discourse of the right but primarily the socialist and Marxist traditions that have constituted capitalism as large, powerful, active, expansive, penetrating, systematic, self-reproducing, dynamic, protean, victorious, and capable of conferring identity and meaning.

In this book J. K Gibson-Graham explores the possibility of more enlivening modes of economic thought and action, outside and beyond the theory and practice of capitalist reproduction. She draws critically on feminist and post structuralist theorizings, of subjectivity and the body, and on anti-essentialist aspects of Marxism. She seeks (and finds) protean forms of capitalist representation not only in economic policy and contemporary urban space but in the discursive practices of feminism, cultural studies and the politics of the left. Challenging the usual vision of capitalism as necessarily and naturally hegemonic, J. K. Gibson-Graham liberates a space of economic difference, one in which a noncapitalist politics of economic invasion might take root and flourish.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Blackwell Publishers; 1 edition (September 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557868638
• ISBN-13: 978-1557868633
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,967,707 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-Expanding, July 5, 2011

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Michael - See all my reviews

This review is from: The End Of Capitalism (As We Knew It): A Feminist Critique of Political Economy (Paperback)

This book is absolutely essential for those interested in economics generally, anti-capitalism specifically, and 3rd wave feminism especially. This book has opened my mind to economic plurality and possibility and has slain the idea that capitalism grips the world with an iron fist. There are moments where I wish J.K.G.G. would go further to explain certain analogies they make between certain research in a dissimilar field. Still though, this is a landmark book that makes me excited to read their next.